Verdi, Nabucco

From SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
By: José M Irurzun

Production: Bayerische Staatsoper.
Stage Direction: Yannis Kokkos.
Sets and costumes: Yannis Kokkos.
Lighting: Michael Bauer.

This production had its premiere in January of last year directed by Yannis Kokkos, who as usual for him, designed the sets and costumes. The production is very traditional and dedicated to relating the plot clearly. Sets are in the form of mobile elements, with steps, walls and some empty spaces set out in a cube form. These sets are always present with the exception of “Va Pensiero”, which is sung with the choir behind a large wire fence. Kokkos transfers the action to modern times with the Hebrews dressed in black and the Assyrians with helmets and dark blue uniforms. This is a Nabucco seen many times before, without personal readings or other strange elements. The stage direction offers nothing exceptional either, with a fairly static choir and singers who seem to know what they have to do. The one novelty of the production consists of a panel of lights that dazzle the audience, whenever Nabucco mentions God. Othersise the lighting does not take full advantage of the possibilities offered by a quite a dark production.

Paolo Carignani demonstrated once again that he is one of the most resourceful Italian conductors in this kind of opera. Nabucco has great moments, but in its score there is a lot of chum-pa-pa and it needs a very good conductor to produce a bright reading. Carignani fully succeeded: the orchestra was excellent at following his orders. A special mention is needed for the chorus too. They were truly outstanding.
(more…)

Verdi, Luisa Miller

From SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
By: José M Irurzun

Production: Bayerisches Staatsoper.
Director: Claus Guth.
Sets and Costumes: Christian Schmidt.
Lighting: Michael Bauer.

This production was premiered in May 2007 and has stage direction by Claus Guth, who made his debut in Munich with it. On this occasion Claus Guth focuses his work on a psychological presentation of the characters and more specifically of their family life, with repeated use of doubles, who use the same movements one in front of the other, as if they had a mirror in between them. This frequent use of double characters is somewhat confusing, especially regarding Wurm, who is sometimes disguised as Miller, and at others as Count Walter and even Rodolfo. All this is achieved with a revolving stage with four different spaces separated by curtains. Much of the time though, these spaces are in fact only two, namely the Miller house, with a table, a few chairs and a cello, and the Count’s house, with large couches, lamps and drinks displayed. In the final scene we do have four equal spaces, always aspects of of Miller’s home, and with up to eight doubled Rodofos and Luisas. The action is brought to the present day as a confrontation between ordinary and powerful people, which is not exactly original, but still valid. The chorus, always dressed in black are not involved in the action and sing outside the different stage spaces; they seem to be observing the tragedy without getting involved, as in a kind of flash-back. The prodiuctiom is actually very good, although distinctly confusing on more than one occasion.
(more…)

Renata Scotto’s La Sonnambula in Philadelphia

1967 was a very good year for Renata Scotto both in the quality of her singing and in her approach to opera as drama. The soprano had three standout performances that year. The May 18th Lucia di Lammermoor in Naples noted on this site. She sang a vocally impressive Gilda in Rigoletto on August 11th in Buenos Aires with Cornell MacNeil and Richard Tucker. But her performance of Amina in V. Bellini’s La Sonnambula will be remembered as one of the best Bel Canto displays in her career.

Again, Max de Schauensee, the Bulletin music critic was there to give his accounting of the soprano’s stellar evening. De Schauensee’s musical observations about the opera are direct and telling.” ‘La Sonnambula,’ unless brilliantly and stylistically sung and staged can be a faded, dated experience…naive in its popularesco (rustic-popular) manner but is saved by his (Bellini) exquisite sense of elegiac melody… in the ravishing solos and mellifluous duets.”

De Schauensee then moves on to Scotto’s performance. “Miss Scotto, a stage personality of great vitality and charm, sings most beautifully despite occasional tonal hardness…She has profound belief in her work and this becomes immediately communicated to the audience. Her singing of the famous last-act aria, “Ah non creda mirarti,” was like the sighing of a zephyr in its floating limpidity, and her voice rose in an extraordinary burst of power and ascending trills in the final joyous,”Ah non ginuge.”

Scotto was joined by French-Canadian tenor Pierre Duval, “who was able to cope with the two or three high Cs and even a D-flat. His best work occurred in the second act.” Ezio Flagello was the Count Rodolphe, “singing with rich tone throughout the evening.” De Shauensee also had kind words for the stage director and the conductor. “Because of Henry Butler’s stage direction which, with Fausto Cleva’s conducting insured us one of the best integrated performances in the history of this company,” (Lyric Opera Company).

De Shauensee closes his review with his typically persuasive summing-up: “What could easily have been a bore, turned out to be an engaging evening. Orchids to Miss Scotto, Mr. Butler and Mr. Cleva.”

Premiere Opera LTD CD 2626-2