But in me life has halted

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It’s perhaps odd that somebody like me, who got into Janáček’s music as a teenager, should have taken so long to discover his operas but I’m so glad I did.  The latest discovery is Věk Makropulos in a 2011 recording from the Groβes Festspielhaus in Salzburg with Angela Denoke as the 337 year old diva Emilia Marty.  It’s a strange work dramatically; a sort of fantastic detective story.  Apparently it’s based on a comedy (by Karel Čapek, the guy who coined the modern meaning of “robot”) though how it got from a comedy to the opera is a bit of a mystery.  It’s weird, compelling and creepy but not at all funny.  It also has a terrific score. Continue reading →

Claus Guth’s Cosí

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In 2009 Claus Guth wrapped up his Da Ponte cycle for Salzburg with Cosí fan tutte.  I really like his Le Nozze di Figaro and after seeing this Così I’ll certainly be seeking out the Don Giovanni too.

1.apartmentThis production was staged in the Haus für Mozart and uses a single set.  It’s the girls’ apartment; a very expensive looking two level loft with a broad staircase that recalls the Figaro.  The setting is contemporary and it opens on the aftermath of what appears to have been a rather good party.  The men are preparing to leave when Don Alfonso issues his challenge.  It’s the edgiest version of the scene I’ve watched with quite an undertone of violence.  This is clearly not going to be a light comedy.  By Una bella serenata the characteristic feathers of the Figaro have appeared.  The edginess continues throughout the first act with many deft touches, especially a power cut staging of Come Scoglio.  When the “Albanians” appear there is only the most perfunctory effort at disguise.  No slapstick moustaches here. Continue reading →

Deconstructing Semele

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When a director’s note in an opera programme contains in its first paragraph the following one has, I think, cause for concern.

there are very few people who understand opera, and even fewer artists who understand it.  I too do not understand opera, but I like doing things out of the ordinary.

Zhang Huan’s production of Handel’s Semele for the Canadian Opera Company, first seen at the Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie in 2009, is certainly “out of the ordinary” but it doesn’t show much understanding of opera. Continue reading →

Thomas Allen and Eva Jenis in The Cunning Little Vixen

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Once in a while a video recording comes my way that’s just pure delight.  The 1995 recording of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen from the Théâtre du Châtelet is one.  The creative team of director Nicholas Hytner (director), Bob Crowley (designer), Jean-Claude Gallotta (choreagrapy) and Jean Kalman (lighting) created a spectacle that is as much ballet as opera with vivid costumes and simple sets  It’s a rather splendid and touching adult fairy tale. Continue reading →

Chacun à son goût

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There’s lots to like in the 2003 Glyndebourne recording of Die Fledermaus.  Let’s start with Stephen Lawless’ production.  It’s attractively designed, quite slick and has a few good new gags without going overboard.  The sets are designed with striking diagonals and staircases and gantries.  Rotation is used both as a device to change the setting and as an element in the scene composition.  The overall effect is that the scene changes from drawing room to a sort of “gilded cage” for Orlofsky’s party – which opens out to create space for the action – to a prison with minimum disruption to us or the action.  Spots are used to create stagey effects and at one point Jurowski in the pit ostentatiously upstages the actors on stage.  Lawless never lets us forget this is a “show”.  Continue reading →

We’ve already got one you see

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Last night I tried to watch Parsifal – The Search for the Grail.  Ostensibly it’s a documentary about the origins of Wagner’s opera and to give it opera cred they roped in one Placido Domingo as narrator.  Valery Gergiev is also involved.  What a load of tosh!  It’s basically a rather weak history of the Grail as portrayed in popular culture complete with Monty Python, Indiana Jones, real Nazis as well as fake ones, pitiful reconstructions of crusader battles and on and on.  Mind numbing cliché follows mind numbing cliché.  Nul points!  What was Domingo thinking of associating himself with this dreck?

Idomeneo at the Met

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The 1982 Metropolitan Opera recording of Mozart’s Idomeneo will likely please those who like their Mozart on the well done side.  The story telling is straightforward (though there are some design quirks), the orchestra is big, the tempi are not too sprightly and the vocal talent is starry if not especially Mozartian.  To reinforce this James Levine has made a number of cuts and interpolations from different early performances to structure things a bit more like a grand opera and less like a tragédie lyrique. Continue reading →

La Belle Helène in Paris

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When I reviewed the 1997 Zurich production of La Belle Helène about a week ago the commentariat was strong in the belief that I should take a look at the 2000 Paris-Châtelet production.  So I did and they were right.  It’s excellent.  It also reinforced my belief that operetta; English, French or German, works best when it’s taken seriously by which I mean using the best available singer/actors, a good director and a top notch orchestra, chorus and conductor.  All of these are in place in this Paris production. Continue reading →

Birgit Nilsson’s Elektra

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I grew up with the Solti Ring and Nilsson’s Immolation Scene still makes the hair on my neck bristle.  The 1980 video recording of her performance in the title role of Strauss’ Elektra at the Metropolitan Opera really doesn’t have the same effect.  The voice is accurate enough, there’s still a lot of power and the vocal acting is good but somehow the voice seems to have hollowed out and to lack resonance.  Admittedly she’s not helped by the recording which seems to favour the orchestra over the voices fairly consistently.  The other sopranos suffer from the acoustic/recording too but come off better and if Leonie Rysanek really had a high fever it’s not obvious.  Mignon Dunn’s Clytemnestra is also well sung.  The orchestra plays wonderfully for James Levine and gets much better treatment from the sound engineers. Continue reading →

Rod Gilfry is Saint Francis

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Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise is an astonishing piece of music theatre and Pierre Audi’s Amsterdam staging of it is equally extraordinary.  There is very little “plot”.  The work consists of eight loosely linked tableaux taken from 16th century accounts of St. Francis’ life and ministry.  There is theology and leprosy and ornithology and it goes on for four and a quarter hours.  It ought not to work but it does.  Continue reading →