I don't always agree with what Natalie Dessay has to say, but I must admit she was right to cancel her engagement at La Scala last year when she found out they were running the old Zeffirelli production of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment.
This week, New Yorkers buzz about Carmen at the MET, in an old 1996 Zeffirelli production.
I'm so fed up with this guy; his aesthetics hasn't changed since the 1964 Covent Garden production of Tosca (everybody has seen the video of Callas singing that Tosca)(not to mention he actually started directing operas in the fifties), yet he's still everywhere.
I just can't understand why. Aren't people bored with this old-fashioned style of directing? Everything in there smells ancient. He still lives in the 1800s, and nobody seems to care.
I'm not a fan of "Eurotrash", but truth be told, I'd rather attend something disturbing yet new and original than the same old crap Zeffirelli constantly provides us with.
Some photographs of his work here and there.
Picture : La Bohème, Ken Howard/MET
This week, New Yorkers buzz about Carmen at the MET, in an old 1996 Zeffirelli production.
I'm so fed up with this guy; his aesthetics hasn't changed since the 1964 Covent Garden production of Tosca (everybody has seen the video of Callas singing that Tosca)(not to mention he actually started directing operas in the fifties), yet he's still everywhere.
I just can't understand why. Aren't people bored with this old-fashioned style of directing? Everything in there smells ancient. He still lives in the 1800s, and nobody seems to care.
I'm not a fan of "Eurotrash", but truth be told, I'd rather attend something disturbing yet new and original than the same old crap Zeffirelli constantly provides us with.
Some photographs of his work here and there.
Picture : La Bohème, Ken Howard/MET
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2 comments:
Someone came up with the expression 'Met Trash', of which Zefferelli is the prime exponent. All pretty spectacle but no real substance, scenery that can be applauded and absence of personenregie.
I tend to defend 'Eurotrash' out of sheer ennui at the unimaginative Met Trash. However, my favourite directors are McVicar, Lenhoff, Decker, who, IMO, remain absolutely true to the dramaturgy and inject an excitement into their productions, making their characters rounded and believable.
I expect there are those who would label these as 'Eurotrash', but I think they're just missing out on art and entertainment.
Lenhoff is a personal favourite too.
And let's not forget the lone French director with a real vision: Laurent Pelly. He, too, is true to the dramaturgy.
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