Das Rheingold in Frankfurt

Posted on April 29, 2016 by editoreusa

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DAS RHEINGOLD
Richard Wagner
1813 – 1883

Libretto by the composer
First performed September 22nd 1869, Royal Court and National Theatre Munich
First performance as part of the Ring des Nibelungen 13th August 1876, Bayreuth

Sung in German with German surtitles
Duration: c. 2 1/2 hrs. without interval

Live recording and DVD available – OehmsClassics

About the piece

It starts with the beginning of everything. A triad gradually grows from a deep E flat, and rhythmic structures emerge, almost unn …
It starts with the beginning of everything. A triad gradually grows from a deep E flat, and rhythmic structures emerge, almost unnoticed: the organic development of nature swells into an enormous crescendo, striding forth – until it suddenly plunges into the depths of the Rhine. But it is really the beginning? Lots has happened in this world before the first singers appear. In Rheingold, in the whole Ring, layers of time overlap one another, opening up contradictory viewpoints depending on who is speaking. The ambiguity of events, the ambivalence of all deals made constantly reinvent themselves. Nobody knows the whole truth. Wotan, who formed the world, wants to control everything that happens in it. He has replace chaos with order. But in striving to keep this new order in place Wotan makes a mistake: he – who sacrificed an eye to drink from the fountain of wisdom – overlooked the fact that he too must be subject to his own laws. This mistake took place when Wotan agreed a contract with the giants for them to build his castle, when he never had any intention of keeping his side of the bargain. Even before the events in the Ring have begun, Loge knows where it will lead: »They, who thing themselves strong and enduring, are hurrying to their end.
Performances

Thursday 05.05.2016

Further performances: 08.07.2016

Cast

Conductor
Sebastian Weigle
Director
Vera Nemirova
Revival rehearsed by
Orest Tichonov
Stage Designer
Jens Kilian
Costume Designer
Ingeborg Bernerth
Lighting Designer
Olaf Winter
Video
Bibi Abel
Dramaturge
Malte Krasting

Wotan James Rutherford
Donner Vuyani Mlinde
Froh Beau Gibson
Loge Kurt Streit
Alberich Jochen Schmeckenbecher
Mime Hans-Jürgen Lazar
Fasolt Alfred Reiter
Fafner Per Bach Nissen
Fricka Claudia Mahnke
Tanja Ariane Baumgartner
Freia Lise Davidsen
Erda Bernadett Fodor
Woglinde Jessica Strong*
Wellgunde Jenny Carlstedt
Flosshilde Katharina Magiera

Oper Frankfurt’s Orchestra

Oper Frankfurt’s Extras

*Member of the Opera Studio

GALLERY

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Synopsis
The Rhinemaidens play. Alberich tries to get closer. They make fun of him, flirt with him, rebuff him. He is furious. The sun shines on the gold in the river. The maidens expain it’s magical powers: he who is willing to renounce love can forge a ring from it which will bestow limitless power. Alberich curses love and steals the gold. Wotan sees that the gods’ castle has been finished. Fricka is is anxious because Wotan has sold her sister Freia to the giants Fasolt and Fafner in return for building it. Wotan says that Loge is supposed to be finding a way out of the contract he advised him to enter into. The giants demand payment. Wotan denies that he was serious about the contract. Fasolt reminds him that his power is only founded upon contracts. If Wotan does not honour them then peace is in jeopardy. Fasolt wants to marry Freia. Fafner knows that if the gods lose her they will be robbed of eternal youth. Loge reappears. In searching for a replacement for Freia he has realiZed that there is nothing of greater worth than »a woman’s beauty and love«. Only one man has renounced it: Alberich. Loge passes on to Wotan the Rhinemaiden’s plea for help in returning the gold to the Rhine. Everybody wants to possess it when Loge explains its magical powers. The giants agree to accept it in return for Freia, keeping her as forfeit until they have received it. The gods begin to age. Wotan and Loge go to Niebelheim to steal the gold. Having forged the ring Alberich now rules over the Nigelungs. He forced his brother Mime to make a magic helmet. Alberich can now make himself invisible. Loge taunts Alberich into proving the helmet’s magical powers. Wotan grabs Alberich when he turns himself into a toad. They removes the helmet, tie him up and drag him away. Wotan takes the ring and releases him. Alberich curses them: possession of the Ring will result in death. Wotan does not take this seriously. The giants insist that the gold be piled up until it covers Freia’s shape. When Fasolt sees one of her eyes he demands the ring to cover it up. Wotan intends to keep it. Fasolt prepares to leave with Freia. Erda warns Wotan about the dangers the ring brings with it and prophesies the gods’ downfall. Wotan gives up the ring. Freia is saved. The giants argue. Loge tells Fasolt to just take the ring. Fafner kills his brother: the curse has found its first victim. Donner summons up a thunder storm. Froh sees a rainbow which will lead them to the castle, which Wotan names Walhall. The Rinemaidens can be heard, mourning the lost gold.

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Otello at the MET

Posted on April 29, 2016 by editoreusa

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otello1inNew Production Sep 21 2015- May 6 2016

Director Bartlett Sher’s new production of Verdi’s masterful Otello, which opened the Met season last September, returns for a second run, with Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role and Željko Lučić as Iago reprising their performances. Hibla Gerzmava joins the cast as Desdemona, and Adam Fischer conducts.

“Magnificence worthy of the Met… Aleksandrs Antonenko sang brilliantly.” —Financial Times

Željko Lučić “is superb as Iago, a chilling and malevolent portrait of evil personified… A stark and simple yet often powerful new production of Verdi’s passionate and masterful rendering of one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.” —Huffington Post

Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr.

Composer Giuseppe Verdi

Librettist Arrigo Boito

Sung In Italian

Met Titles In English German Italian Spanish

World premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1887.

Met company premiere: Chicago (on tour), November 23, 1891.

Often cited as Italian opera’s greatest tragedy, Otello is a miraculous union of music and drama, a masterpiece as profound philosophically as it is thrilling theatrically. Shakespeare’s tale of an outsider, a great hero who can’t control his jealousy, was carefully molded by the librettist Arrigo Boito into a taut and powerful opera text. Otello almost wasn’t written: following the success of Aida and his setting of the Requiem mass in the early 1870s, Verdi considered himself retired, and it took Boito and publisher Giulio Ricordi several years to persuade him to take on a major new work.

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SETTING

The opera is set on the island of Cyprus in the late 15th century. The island itself represents an outpost of a European power (Venice) under constant attack from an encroaching, hostile adversary (the Turkish Empire). In a sense, the setting echoes Otello’s outsider status: he is a foreigner (a “Moor,” an uncertain term applied indiscriminately at that time to North African Arabs, black Africans, and others) surrounded by suspicious Europeans. The Met’s new production updates the setting to the late 19th century, where the action unfolds in a shape-shifting glass palace.

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Music

The score of Otello is remarkable for its overall intensity and dramatic insight rather than the memorable solo numbers that made Verdi’s earlier works so popular. The latter are present most notably in Desdemona’s Willow Song and haunting “Ave Maria” in the last act and the baritone’s “Credo” at the start of Act II. Throughout the score, the orchestra plays a diverse role unprecedented in Italian opera, beginning with the impressive opening storm scene, in which the power of nature is depicted with full forces, including an organ, playing at the maximum possible volume.

CAST

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GALLERY

SYNOPSIS

Act I Cyprus, late 19th century.

During a violent storm, the people of Cyprus await the return of their governor and general of the Venetian fleet, the Moor Otello. He has been fighting the Muslim Turks and guides his victorious navy to safe harbor. In his absence, the young Venetian Roderigo has arrived in Cyprus and fallen in love with Otello’s new wife, Desdemona. Otello’s ensign Iago, who secretly hates the governor for promoting the officer Cassio over him, promises Roderigo to help win her. While the citizens celebrate their governor’s return, Iago launches his plan to ruin Otello. Knowing that Cassio gets drunk easily, Iago proposes a toast. Cassio declines to drink, but abandons his scruples when Iago salutes Desdemona, who is a favorite of the people. Iago then goads Roderigo into provoking a fight with Cassio, who is now fully drunk. Montano, the former governor, tries to separate the two, and Cassio attacks him as well. Otello appears to restore order, furious about his soldiers’ behavior. When he realizes that Desdemona has also been disturbed by the commotion, he takes away Cassio’s recent promotion and dismisses everyone. Otello and Desdemona reaffirm their love.

Act II

Iago advises Cassio to present his case to Desdemona, arguing that her influence on Otello will secure his rehabilitation. Alone, Iago reveals his bleak, nihilistic view of humankind. He makes dismissive remarks about Desdemona’s fidelity to Otello, whose jealousy is easily aroused. Otello’s suspicions are raised when Desdemona appears and appeals to him on Cassio’s behalf. Otello evasively complains of a headache, and Desdemona offers him a handkerchief, which he tosses to the ground. Emilia, Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maidservant, retrieves it, and Iago seizes the handkerchief from her. Left alone with Otello, Iago fans the flames of the governor’s suspicions by inventing a story of how Cassio had spoken of Desdemona in his sleep, and how he saw her handkerchief in Cassio’s hand. Seething with jealousy, Otello is now convinced that his wife is unfaithful. The two men join in an oath to punish Cassio and Desdemona.

Act III

Iago’s plot continues to unfold as he tells Otello that he will have further proof of his wife and Cassio’s betrayal. When, moments later, Desdemona approaches Otello and once again pleads for Cassio, Otello again feigns a headache and insists on seeing the missing handkerchief, which he had once given her as a gift. When she cannot produce it, he insults her as a whore. Alone, he gives in to his desperation and self-pity. Iago returns with Cassio, and Otello hides to eavesdrop on their conversation, which Iago cleverly leads in such a way that Otello is convinced they are discussing Cassio’s affair with Desdemona. Cassio mentions an unknown admirer’s gift and produces the telltale handkerchief—in fact planted by Iago in his room. Otello is shattered and vows that he will kill his wife. Iago promises to have Roderigo deal with Cassio.A delegation from Venice arrives to recall Otello home and to appoint Cassio as the new governor of Cyprus. At this news, Otello loses control and explodes in a rage, hurling insults at Desdemona in front of the assembled crowd. He orders everyone away and finally collapses in a seizure. As the Cypriots are heard from outside praising Otello as the “Lion of Venice,” Iago gloats over him, “Behold the Lion!”

Act IV

Emilia helps the distraught Desdemona prepare for bed. She has just finished saying her evening prayers when Otello enters and wakes her with a kiss to tell her he is about to kill her. Paralyzed with fear, Desdemona again protests her innocence. Otello coldly strangles her. Emilia runs in with news that Cassio has killed Roderigo. Iago’s plot is finally revealed and Otello realizes what he has done. Reflecting on his past glory he pulls out a dagger and stabs himself, dying with a final kiss for his wife.

Text and pictures copyright by Metropolitan Opera

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Carmen at the San Francisco Opera

Posted on April 27, 2016 by editoreusa

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The ultimate femme fatale returns in a provocative staging by director Calixto Bieito in his long-awaited U.S. opera debut. Set in the arid earthiness of post-Franco Spain, Bieito’s raw and cinematic vision of Carmen unabashedly provokes the intense emotions pulsing through this tale of love, lust and murder. The result is a powerful, uncompromising account of a defiantly free-spirited woman and her obsessive lover.

Two outstanding casts take the reins in Bizet’s blazingly tuneful score. One stars Irene Roberts as the impassioned Gypsy, Brian Jagde as the lovesick soldier and Zachary Nelson as the dashing bullfighter. The other is headed by Ginger Costa-Jackson, Maxim Aksenov and Michael Sumuel. Be swept into her deadly seduction as never before.

Music by Georges Bizet | Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy

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Sung in French with English supertitles

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Running Time

2 hours, 45 minutes including one intermission

Who Should See It

Fans of great femme fatale roles and bold modern productions.

Pre-Opera Talks

Pre-Opera Talks are free to ticketholders and take place in the Orchestra section, 55 minutes prior to curtain.
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SYNOPSIS
ACT I 20th-century, Spain.

Corporal Moralès and his men are resting outside the guardhouse as Micaëla comes looking for Don José. The change of guard arrives, among them Corporal José and Lieutenant Zuniga. Zuniga questions José about the nearby cigarette factory and the girls who work there. The cigarette girls leave the factory for a break, and the men await a glimpse of Carmen. When she appears, Carmen flirts with them and gives a flower to José. Micaëla returns and gives José a letter from his mother. She leaves when he begins to read the letter that advises him to marry Micaëla and settle down. Screams are heard from the cigarette factory, and Zuniga sends José to find out the cause of the disturbance. José returns with Carmen and another girl, Manuelita, whose face has a knife wound allegedly inflicted by Carmen. When Carmen refuses to speak, Zuniga orders José to tie her hands and take her to prison and leaves to make out the warrant for Carmen’s arrest. Carmen hints to José about a rendezvous at her friend Lillas Pastia’s tavern, and José agrees to let her escape. When Zuniga returns with the warrant, Carmen breaks free as she is being led off to prison. José is demoted and arrested for his participation in Carmen’s escape.

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ACT II

Carmen and her Gypsy friends Frasquita and Mercédès sing and dance at Lillas Pastia’s tavern. Zuniga tells Carmen that José has been released from prison. A procession announces the arrival of the toreador, Escamillo. Attracted to Carmen, he invites her to attend his upcoming bullfight but she declines. As the soldiers leave, Zuniga promises to return to see Carmen. Dancaïre and Remendado come to ask the three Gypsy girls to join them in a smuggling expedition. José arrives and gives Carmen the gold piece she sent him along with a file while he was in prison. He explains that his soldier’s honor prevented him from trying to escape. Carmen dances for José, but when retreat sounds, he starts to leave for the barracks. She taunts him and challenges him to follow her to the mountains. Zuniga returns and José attacks him in a jealous rage, but the smugglers break up the fight and disarm José. José has no choice but to join the band of smugglers.

ACT III

The smugglers are at work in the mountains. After a brief period of happiness, Carmen has become fed up with José’s jealousy. Frasquita and Mercédès read their own good fortune in the cards. When Carmen takes her turn, she only finds death. Dancaïre asks the girls to distract the customs men on duty, leaving José on guard. Looking for José, Micaëla is led to the smuggler’s cove by a mountain guide who warns her of the perils she faces. She hides as Escamillo arrives unexpectedly. A jealous José challenges him to a knife fight, but Carmen and the smugglers separate them. Escamillo invites the band of smugglers to his next bullfight. Micaëla is discovered hiding, and she tells José that his mother is dying. He leaves with her, but warns Carmen that they will meet again.

ACT IV

The crowd gathers outside the arena for the bullfight. When Carmen and Escamillo appear, Frasquita and Mercédès warn her that José is in the crowd. Carmen declares she is not afraid of José and waits alone outside the arena. José confronts her and begs that she return to him. She coldly tells him all is over between them and returns the ring he had given her. José stabs Carmen and confesses to the murder.

GALLERY

English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
English National Opera Production. Photo by Alastair Muir
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La Cena Delle Beffe at La Scala Theater in Milan

Posted on April 23, 2016 by editoreusa

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From 3 April to 7 May 2016

Umberto Giordano

Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
New Teatro alla Scala Production

Running Time: 2 hours intermission included

Conductor Carlo Rizzi
Staging Mario Martone
Sets Margherita Palli
Costumes Ursula Patzak
Lights Pasquale Mari

CAST
Giannetto Malespini Marco Berti
Ginevra Kristin Lewis
Neri Chiaramantesi Nicola Alaimo
Gabriello Chiaramantesi Leonardo Caimi
Il Tornaquinci Luciano Di Pasquale
Il Calandra Giovanni Romeo*
Fazio Frano Lufi
Il Trinca Francesco Castoro
Il Dottore Bruno de Simone
Lapo, Un cantore Edoardo Milletti
Lisabetta Jessica Nuccio
Laldomine Chiara Tirotta*
Fiammetta Federica Lombardi*
Cintia Chiara Isotton

*Academy of Teatro alla Scala

Before each performance, Franco Pulcini will hold an introduction to the opera at the A. Toscanini Boxes Foyer. The meetings will start one hour before the beginning of each performance and the entrance is reserved to the audience with the ticket for the performance.

READ THE LIBRETTO

NOTES ON THE PERFORMANCES

With the return to La Scala of La Cena delle Beffe by Umberto Giordano, that was inaugurated in the same location by Toscanini in 1924, the project of bringing back to La Scala the main masterpieces of the Verismo repertoire gets underway. La cena della beffe, the musical version of a successful pièce by Sem Benelli (who is also the author of the adaptation of the libretto) that had a great many revivals throughout the world – in the early 1900s with protagonists like Sarah Bernhardt and even in the cinema in 1941, where it was directed by Alessandro Blasetti and featured Amedeo Nazzari – is an opera that maintains modernity and dramatic effectiveness. It is an ideal title for a director with theatrical, operatic and cinematographic experience like Mario Martone, who will be supported by one of the best loved scenographer of the La Scala audience, Margherita Palli. It is conducted by Carlo Rizzi, an expert of Italian repertoire, and the singers will be Kristin Lewis, Marco Berti and Nicola Alaimo.

 GALLERY

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Synopsis

Act One

Florence, in the house of the Tornaquinci, at the time of Lorenzo de’ Medici.

Lorenzo de’ Medici has ordered Tornaquinci to hold a dinner in his home
with the aim of making pace between Giannetto Malespini and the Chiaramantesi
brothers, Neri and Gabriello. The first to arrive is Giannetto. He tells
Tornaquinci how Neri took his mistress, Ginevra, and then cruelly mocked
him: indeed, Neri and his brother, Gabriello, bound him in a sack, pricked
him in the backside with their daggers and threw him into the Arno. Giannetto
has only one obsession now: revenge. The Chiaramantesi brothers enter
with the exquisite Ginevra and the company sit at the table. During the
meal, it is apparent that, despite the love that unites the two brothers,
Gabriello is also in love with Ginevra. Giannetto convinces Neri, who has had
a little too much to drink, to remove his clothes and put on his armour to go
in search of a brawl in Vacchereccia, a disreputable area of Florence. Once
Neri has left fully armed, Giannetto, almost in a state of frenzy, takes Neri’s
clothes and gives them to his servant Fazio, telling him to take them home
and then go to Vacchereccia, spreading the rumour that Neri has lost his
senses.

 

Act One Two

Ginevra’s antechamber.

The next day, as Ginevra leaves her chamber the servants are talking of Neri
and of how the night before he has gone mad and been imprisoned.
Ginevra then tells them that that is impossible, as Neri is at that moment lying
in her bed after spending a passionate night of love with her. Suddenly,
Giannetto appears wearing a short tunic and carrying Neri’s cloak on his
arm. Pretending to be his rival, he has spent the night with Ginevra. On
learning the truth, she appears to be far from horrified, and the couple recall
their night of love. Some commotion is heard and Neri bursts in, in a fury,
cursing Giannetto. He calls Ginevra, who has locked herself in her room, but
soon the Medici men come to arrest the presumed madman and take him
away.

 

Act Three

In the Medici dungeon.

Giannetto and the Doctor enter. The latter says that, to bring the madman
to his senses, a meeting has been organised between Neri and the many
people he has offended in the past. Fazio then appears to put his master on
his guard against Gabriello, who is convinced that behind his brother’s presumed
madness there is the hand of Giannetto. He has also been to see
Ginevra, but to no avail: despite his insistence, she refused to open her door.
Giannetto considers how to proceed in his revenge. Servants then bring Neri
tied to a chair. During the exchange with his past victims, Neri is comforted
by Lisabetta, one of the women he seduced and betrayed. She realises that
Neri is not mad and, still in love with him, she tells him to act like an inoffensive
fool so that she can ask to take him into her custody. Giannetto enters,
sees the transformation in Neri and despairs, believing he has truly driven his
rival mad. He begs for his forgiveness, but Neri continues to behave like a
harmless idiot and ignores him. Giannetto grants Lisabetta custody of Neri,
who is unbound and consigned to her. As the couple leave the scene hand
in hand, Giannetto tells the feigned madman that he will once more spend
the night with Ginevra.

Act Four

The same scene as Act Two.

It is night and Ginevra is waiting for Giannetto; the latter has told Gabriello
that Ginevra loves him and is waiting for him in her house. Neri bursts onto
the scene. He tells Ginevra to go and wait for Giannetto in her chamber, because
he means to take the two lovers by surprise and to kill them. A sad
and mysterious song can be heard from the road. Neri enters Ginevra’s
chamber with his dagger drawn, and shortly afterwards two screams are
heard: one is that of a man, the other that of a woman. When he leaves the
chamber, Neri meets Giannetto who asks him who he thinks he has killed.
Horrified, Neri realises that, once again, he has been deceived by Giannetto,
who has tricked him into killing his beloved brother, Gabriello. The blow is
too much and this time, Neri really does become mad, leaving Giannetto
stunned and full of remorse.

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Second World Performance ever! “L’Oristeo” by Francesco Cavalli AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF MARSEILLE, LA CRIEE

Posted on April 20, 2016 by editoreusa

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L’Oristeo

FRANCESCO CAVALLI

Friday March 11th, 2016 > 8:00PM
Sunday March 13th, 2016 > 3:00PM

With its oriental subject matter, Oristeo, when first written, launched a new form of typically Venetian-style freedom in the creative process. So it will be Marseille, the other port oriented to the East that will host the second world performance of this masterpiece, which has not been performed since the seventeenth century and its first modern re-interpretation

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L’ORISTEO
AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF MARSEILLE, LA CRIEE

Supported by Marseille Opera
Part of The March Baroque Festival

Libretto by Giovanni FAUSTINI
Written for the Teatro Sant’ Aponal, January 1651
SECOND WORLD PERFORMANCE

Conductor Jean-Marc AYMES
Scenic Designer Olivier LEXA

CAST

Diomeda / La Bellezza Francesca ASPROMONTE
Ermino / Amore Lieselot DE WILDE
Corinta – Penia Lucie ROCHE
Oristeo Romain DAYEZ
Oresde Dominique VISSE
Trasimede / Pluto / L’Interesse
Anicio Zorzi GIUSTINIANI
Euralio Lise VIRICEL

CONCERTO SOAVE
 The Concerto Soave ensemble is commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Communication – DRAC- (The Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs) Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, and by the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region, and is subsidised by the Bouches-du-Rhône Département and the City of Marseille. The Mécénat Musical Société Générale is the main Patron of the Concerto Soave. Concerto Soave is a member of FEVIS (The Federation of Vocal and Specialised Instruments) PROFEDIM (The Association of Professional Producers, Festival Organisers, Ensembles and Independent Music Distributors) and REMA (The Early Music Network)

INFORMATION / BOOKINGS
Concerto Soave 04 91 90 93 75 / contact@concerto-soave.com
La Criée – Théâtre national de Marseille
04 91 54 70 54 / www.theatre-lacriee.com

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THE FLYING DUTCHMAN AT THE OPER FRANKFURT

Posted on April 20, 2016 by editoreusa

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DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER
(The Flying Dutchman)
Richard Wagner 1813 – 1883
Romantic Opera in three acts
Libretto by the composer
First performed January 2nd 1843, Royal Hoftheater Dresden
Sung in German with German surtitles
Duration: c. 2 hrs. 15 min. without interval

23.04.2016    

ABOUT THE WORK

In 1838, fleeing from their creditors, Minna, Richard and their Newfoundland dog followed smugglers routes across the eastern Russian/Prussian border. This was followed by a journey by sea. Storms forced the crew of their ship to seek shelter near the coast, where Wagner heard the story about the Flying Dutchman from Norwegian sailors. With an excellent instinct for theatre, and inspired by the dangerous voyage and Heine’s writings, he wrote his own dramatic texts: his libretto is concise, every situation, character precise. The first edition of the work was a »dramatic ballade«, a unified whole with no interval.
The Dutchman was very important for Wagner’s later, musical dramaturgical train of thought, and the theme was one of the main reasons for this: the redeeming love for a banished, damned man who, like Odysseus and Ahasver, belongs to the wandering figures in sagas of the western world.

Video

 Cast

Conductor
Bertrand de Billy / Eun Sun Kim
Director
David Bösch
Stage Designer
Patrick Bannwart
Costume Designer
Meentje Nielsen
Lighting Designer
Olaf Winter
Dramaturge
Zsolt Horpácsy
Chorus and Extra Chorus Master
Tilman Michael

Der Holländer
Wolfgang Koch / James Rutherford
Senta
Erika Sunnegårdh
Amber Wagner
Erik
Daniel Behle / Vincent Wolfsteiner
Daland
Andreas Bauer
Mary
Tanja Ariane Baumgartner / Ewa Płonka
Steuermann
Michael Porter
Simon Bode

Opera Frankfurt’s Orchestra and Chorus

GALLERY

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Synopsis

They were almost home when a violent storm drove Daland’s ship into a bay. He decides to wait for the tempest to pass. The helmsma …
They were almost home when a violent storm drove Daland’s ship into a bay. He decides to wait for the tempest to pass. The helmsman keeps watch. Meanwhile a ship with the Dutchman’s Crew on board approaches. He is damned to sail the oceans for eternity. Every seven years he is allowed to go on land and try to find a woman whose fidelity can redeem him. The Dutchman meets Daland and discovers that he has a daughter, Senta. He asks Daland for her hand. Impressed by the Dutchman’s wealth, Daland consents. Women wait for Daland’s sailors to come home. Senta asks Mary to tell the story of the Flying Dutchman. She refuses, so Senta sings the ballad herself. She longs to be the woman to release him from the curse. Erik, a hunter, and Senta’s beloved, reports that the ship has arrived. He urges Senta to ask her father to agree to their marriage. Senta rejects him. Erik tells her of a dream, in which he saw Senta and a sinister seafarer vanish into the sea. Daland introduces his daughter to the stranger. Senta and the Dutchman realize that they belong together. He demands, and she promises, eternal fidelity. Daland’s sailors celebrate their homecoming, the women make preparations for the wedding. They invite the Dutchman’s crew to join them, but receive no answer. The sea gets rough. The ghosts’ song rings out. Erik reminds Senta that she had promised to be true to him. She denies everything. The Dutchman overhears their conversation. He thinks that Senta has betrayed him and flees. Senta follows him. They find one another in death.

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“Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk vår 16″in Norway

Posted on April 10, 2016 by editoreusa

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Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, directed by Ole Anders Tandberg, premiered at the Oslo Opera House in autumn 2014. “One of the rawest, most suggestive scenes my senses have ever encountered in an opera,” wrote the Morgenbladet critic. When the production moved to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the German media used words like “triumph” and “sensation”.  In spring 2016 this critically acclaimed production returns to the Main House in Oslo’s Bjørvika.

Faced with a brutal, violent environment, the main character Katerina Izmailova is forced to kill. Her goal is to live with the passion for which she has so longed. Shostakovich’s music also helps to portray her as a human murderer with whom we can sympathise:

“This is the story of a strong woman’s rebellion in a male-dominated hell, which plays out against wonderful music,” says director Ole Anders Tandberg.

Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV

Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA
Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV

As well as being lyrical and melodic, Shostakovich’s music is raw, direct, humorous and coarsely satirical.

The action is set on the Norwegian coast, with 800 kilograms of fish filling the stage.

“I wanted to create a world that’s closer to us,” explains the director. “And where in Norway are we as isolated and exposed as on the Russian steppes? Well, in a tiny house in a desolate enclave surrounded by a huge sea and slippery fish.

  • Free introduction one hour before the performance

GALLERY (Photos by Erik Berg)

Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA
Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV
Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA; Boris-Timofeevich-Izmajlov_MAGNE-FREMMERLID;
Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV
Prest_KETIL-HUGAAS Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV Operakoret
Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV
Boris-Timofeevich-Izmajlov_MAGNE-FREMMERLID; Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV; Katerina-Lvovna-Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA; Operakoret
Operakoret;
Katerina Lvovna Izmajlova_SVETLANA-SOZDATELEVA; Sergej_ALEXEY-KOSAREV; Thor Inge Falch; Jens-Erik Aasbø; Operakoret
Boris-Timofeevich-Izmajlov_MAGNE-FREMMERLID
Thor Inge Falch

CAST

cast1cast2cast3cast4

 

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Così Fan Tutte in Marseille

Posted on April 9, 2016 by editoreusa

operamarseillelogo

Così Fan Tutte

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Tuesday April 19th, 2016 > 8:00PM
Thursday April 21st, 2016 > 8:00PM
Sunday April 24th, 2016 > 2:30PM
Tuesday April 26th, 2016 > 8:00PM
Thursday April 28th, 2016 > 8:00PM

A malicious, cynical and indulgent Mozart plays on feminine weakness, with music that touches the soul, the creation of a pure masterpiece

Visu-cosifantutte

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

Opera-buffa in 2 acts
Libretto by Lorenzo DA PONTE
First performed in Vienna, Burgtheater, on January 26th, 1790
Last performed in Marseille opera, on April 9th, 2006
Production Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing

Conductor Lawrence FOSTER
Director Pierre CONSTANT
Scenic Designer Roberto PLATÉ
Costume Designer Jacques SCHMIDT and Emmanuel PEDUZZI
 Lighting Designer Jacques ROUVEYROLLIS

CAST

Fiordiligi Guanqun YU
Dorabella Marianne CREBASSA
Despina Ingrid PERRUCHE

Don Alfonso Marc BARRARD
Ferrando Frédéric ANTOUN
Guglielmo Josef WAGNER

Marseille Opera Orchestra and Chorus

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La Boheme in Los Angeles

Posted on April 7, 2016 by editoreusa

laopera_logobohemeLaoperaboheme1

Our beloved production of a timeless classic, reveling in the cinematic romance of Paris, concludes our mainstage season of masterpieces. Fall in love again with La Bohème’s unforgettable blend of riveting theater and achingly beautiful music as we follow the tale of six impoverished young bohemians, surviving only on laughter and the promise of love.

The dynamic Nino Machaidze returns in her role debut as Mimi, joined by a stellar cast. Gustavo Dudamel makes his LA Opera debut conducting the final two performances on June 10 and 12 only.

An original LA Opera production.

Boheme1pub

boheme_schedule

Cast

Creative Team

* LA Opera debut artist
 + Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program member
 ++ Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program alumnus

GALLERY (Photos by LAOpera)

 

Synopsis

Act I
Christmas Eve
A struggling young poet Rodolfo and his friend Marcello, a painter, are working in a Parisian garret. It is a bitterly cold Christmas Eve, and they have no money for food or firewood. Colline, a student of philosophy, arrives, also broke. Another friend, the musician Schaunard, enters bearing food, drink and firewood. He informs them he has just been paid by a patron. The four of them celebrate.

The landlord Benoit arrives demanding back rent. Unable to pay, the Bohemians distract him with wine. This loosens his tongue and he begins to boast about his extramarital affairs. The bohemians, feigning indignation, throw him out.

Marcello, Colline and Schaunard leave for celebrations at the Café Momus, but Rodolfo stays behind to finish an article he is writing. There is a knock at the door. It is Mimì, a young seamstress who lives upstairs. The wind blows out her candle. She drops her key and they search for it in the darkness. Finding it, Rodolfo tells her of his poetry; Mimì tells him of her life. They fall in love.

(scene change)

Act II
Later that night in the Latin Quarter
The four bohemians and Mimì, all in high spirits, join the throng. Hat sellers, toy sellers and vendors of all sorts crowd the streets. The bohemians take a table at the Café Momus and begin to celebrate. Marcello’s ex-girlfriend Musetta enters with Alcindoro, her wealthy and pompous “protector.” She becomes furious when Marcello pretends to ignore her. It is clear that Musetta and Marcello are still interested in each other. She sends Alcindoro away, insisting that he must buy her new shoes. Amid the excitement of a military parade, the lovers and their friends slip away, leaving Alcindoro to pay the bill.

INTERMISSION

Act III
A cold February dawn
Outside a tavern near one of the gates of Paris, a pale and worn Mimì is looking for Rodolfo. She finds Marcello, and tells him of Rodolfo’s insane jealousy. Mimì hides when Rodolfo comes out. Rodolfo tells Marcello that he isn’t jealous: he is terrified that he will be unable to provide for Mimì as her fragile health deteriorates. Mimì coughs, giving away the fact she has been listening. The two lovers embrace and pledge to stay together until spring, even though they both know a long-term relationship is not possible. Marcello and Musetta begin to quarrel and Musetta leaves in anger.

(scene change)

Act IV
A few months later
It is now spring and both couples have split up. Marcello and Rodolfo try to work, but the memories of happy times with their respective lovers fill them with sadness. Schaunard and Colline arrive to try to raise their spirits. Suddenly Musetta arrives with news: Mimì, desperately ill, has left the rich man she has been living with; she wants to return to Rodolfo for her last hours. Mimì arrives in a state of collapse. Rodolfo and the others attempt to make her comfortable. Musetta sends Marcello out to sell her earrings in order to buy medicine for Mimì. Musetta goes out herself to look for a muff to warm Mimì’s hands; Colline leaves to sell his old coat and thus obtain money for a physician.

Left alone, Rodolfo and Mimì recall their first meeting. The friends return and Colline says the doctor is on his way. Unnoticed by Rodolfo, Mimì dies. When he sees his friends’ faces and realizes the truth, he cries out in anguish.

RUNNING TIME

Two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission

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The Flying Dutchman at the Seattle Opera

Posted on April 6, 2016 by editoreusa

dutchman_title

By Richard Wagner

seattlelogoMay 7, 8, 11, 14, 18, 20, & 21

ROMANTIC FABLE WITH STRIKING THEATRICALITY. A cursed ship captain, condemned to wander the seas for eternity, sets foot on land every seven years to search for a bride who can end his suffering. A young woman in a fishing village, obsessed with his legend, hopes to be the true love who can bring him peace. Wagner’s stormy, captivating tale takes on an arresting immediacy through a compelling and stylish production from a visionary creative team. Not to be missed.
In German with English subtitles | at McCaw Hall
Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (no intermission)
Evenings at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM.

SYNOPSIS

Sandwikke, a Norwegian fishing village

01_flying-dutchman_gallery

Photo by Gary Beechey

dutchman2Act 1
A violent storm has blown a Norwegian fishing boat miles beyond home. Daland, the captain, tells his crew to rest out the storm and leaves the watch in charge of a young steersman, who falls asleep singing of his sweetheart.

A red-sailed galleon suddenly appears. Its captain, alone on deck, ponders his fate. Cursed by the Devil when he vowed to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, he is doomed to sail the seas until he finds a woman who will be faithful to him till death. He is allowed to land once every seven years to search for her, and unless he finds her he must continue his wandering. He is the Flying Dutchman. When Daland meets the Dutchman, he learns that the stranger is willing to pay a large portion of his treasure for a safe harbor, but he learns nothing about the Dutchman’s true identity. The Dutchman offers to marry Daland’s daughter and give him all his considerable wealth in return. Daland accepts the offer happily. Daland and his crew prepare to lead the Dutchman home, and the two boats leave on calmer waters.

02_flying-dutchman_gallery

Act 2
The legend of the Flying Dutchman is well known. A picture of him hangs on the wall in Daland’s house, where the women of the town sew with Daland’s daughter, Senta, and housekeeper, Mary. The women sing of their boyfriends and tease Senta about her sweetheart, Erik. When Mary refuses to entertain the girls with a song telling the story of the wandering Dutchman, Senta sings the ballad instead, passionately declaring that she yearns to be the one to save him. Erik enters to announce that Daland’s ship has returned, and the women leave to welcome the sailors.

dutchman1

Erik anxiously detains Senta, declares his love for her, and tells her he dreamt that she embraced the Flying Dutchman and sailed off with him. Senta is excited by this dream. Erik leaves in despair. Daland arrives with the Dutchman, and there is an immediate connection between Senta and the stranger. Daland encounters no resistance when he asks if Senta would marry his guest. The Dutchman hopes his living hell will end; Senta expresses her compassion for him and rapturously accepts him; and Daland rejoices in their obvious commitment.

03_flying-dutchman_gallery

Act 3
Daland’s boat and the Dutchman’s ship are docked at the quay. The Norwegian women bring food and drink to the Dutch ship. Despite their teasing calls, no one answers them. Frightened, they give the food to the Norwegian men instead. But sailors suddenly appear on the Dutch ship, singing of their demon-cursed captain, and the villagers leave, horrified, chased by derisive laughter from the Dutch crew. Senta runs to the quay followed by Erik, who is despondent that she has forsaken him for the stranger. The Dutchman overhears some of their quarrel and believes himself betrayed. He bitterly renounces salvation and orders his crew to set sail. Senta pleads with him to stay, but the Dutchman replies that she need not fear the eternal damnation of those who betray him, since she did not say her vows to him before God. As the Flying Dutchman’s ship sails away, Senta throws herself into the sea. The Dutch ship and crew vanish. Senta and the Dutchman meet in transfiguration: at last he will find rest.

04_flying-dutchman_gallery05_flying-dutchman_gallerydutchman_castDutchman_team

 

 

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