Lohengrin, Scala opening night

Lohengrin, Richard Wagner

Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Claus Guth, staging

Christian Schmidt, sets and costumes

Olaf Winter, lights

Ronny Dietrich, dramaturgy

 

Jonas Kaufmann, Lohengrin

Ann Petersen, Elsa von Brabant

René Pape, Heinrich der Vogler

Tómas Tómasson, Friedrich von Telramund

Evelyn Herlitzius, Ortrud

Zeljko Lucic, Der Heerrufer des Königs

 

I may not have understood everything in Claus Guth's interpretation of Lohengrin (especially the entrance of Lohengrin and his initial behavior) but overall, as usual, I was transported in his unique world, full of grace, subtility, humor and childhood references.

The only disruptive image was the half-swan/half-child costume, not quite the same standard, I thought, as everything else.

Ann Petersen, a last minute replacement for the role of Elsa was phenomenal, both on the acting and singing part: she portrayed uniquely the madness Guth put in Elsa and to be able to apprehend the staging in less than 24 hour was a miracle in itself. 

Her singing, moreover, was a joy to listen to.

René Pape and Tómas Tómasson both sang admirably; Tómasson's stage presence really sold his character in a level I had rarely seen before (especially for Telramund).

 Evelyn Herlitzius portrayed a demoniac Ortrud but her singing was a bit of a let down.

And Jonas Kaufmann was, of course, to no surprise, the king of the night.
His singing is exquisite, and the role of Lohengrin is perfect for his voice, because the darkness he has is the first perfect step toward seeing Lohengrin as anything but the white knight on his gigantic swan.

Several mistakes were heard in the orchestra pit, especially a lack of unisson at times.

The interpretation of Daniel Barenboim was anything but flamboyant (a quality he deeply lacks, I think), but decent enough not to get in the way of the singers.

A word on the Scala chorus: I must say it does not live up to the standards the Scala name is synonym with.

Their diction was quite awful (and if I, whose german is anything but fluent, can hear it, I can only imagine what native german speakers endured there) and there was something missing in their stage presence: discipline is the first word that comes to mind.

 

 Overall, a very good evening.

Personal ratings

Singers : A

Staging : A

Conductor: B

Orchestra: B-

Chorus : C

 

 

All photographs Foto Ufficio Stampa

Carmen - Scala - Dec.4

Anita Rachvelishvili as Carmen

Renaud Machart, the very trustworthy musical critic of Le Monde, was yesterday evening attending the performance of Carmen at La Scala for journalists and under-30 audiences (read: the general rehearsal opened to the public).

He is definitely not happy.

The French diction ranges from mediocre to unbearable, he says, and the cast is overall pretty weak (he especially has tough critics for Erwin Schrott (Escamillo) and Adriana Damato (Micaëla). But he's forgiving with young Riccardo Massi (Don José) that had to step in yesterday when Kaufmann cancelled, supposedly to keep his strength for the real prima on Dec.7.

Machart is not kind also for both Barenboim - uneven and therefore having a bad understanding of the score (with sometimes a feel of Wagner to the music, that Machart dismisses as heresy).

And finally, Machart has also some criticisms for director Emma Dante - and is left wandering whether she was eaten by tradition or managed to play with it.

Full article: "Comment un ténor remplaçant a sauvé au pied levé l'ouverture de la Scala"

Scala Opening Night on Arte

Once again, Arte will broadcast the Opening Night at La Scala on Dec.7 (8:45 pm Paris time).

This year of course Carmen opens the season, directed by Emma Dante, and conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

Don Carlo, Scala opening night '08

Don Carlo, G.Verdi 4-act Italian version
Teatro alla Scala, Dec.7 - Jan.15

Don Carlo - Stuart Neill
Filippo II - Ferruccio Furlanetto
Rodrigo - Dalibor Jenis
Il grande Inquisitor - Anatolij Kotscherga
Elisabeth de Valois - Fiorenza Cedolins
Princess Eboli - Dolora Zajick

Daniele Gatti conducting the orchestra and chorus of Il Teatro alla Scala
Staging and sets - Stéphane Braunschweig  

Review of the Dec.7 live Arte broadcast

 

This new production of Don Carlo at la Scala is indeed an incredibly accurate statement as to the current state of this Opera House: mediocre cast, mediocre staging and mediocre crowd. Welcome to Milan!

The only true vibrant and inspiring elements of this run were Ferruccio Furlanetto and the conduction of Daniele Gatti - who was booed during the performance because the loggione and the audience in general decided he was guilty of replacing tenor Giuseppe Filianoti the day before the premiere. Apparently that's against the étiquette in Milan (but what isn't in this town I wonder).

Daniele Gatti's view on Don Carlo is very personal, and the colors displayed by the orchestra create a global atmosphere that transcend personal taste and provide a coherent complement to Braunschweig's staging.

I may not agree with all the choices Gatti made, but his conduction was brilliant on several occasions - specifically the duet between Rodrigo and Don Carlo in Act I (although the singing and unison were nightmarish) and the second half of Act III (from the aria of Rodrigo visiting Carlo in jail). On the other hand, the tempi were off for Elisabeth's aria in Act IV and at the end of the opera.

Overall, the conduction of Gatti emphasizes the naive aspect of the score, offering a childish reading (especially when it comes to Don Carlo) that is echoing to Braunschweig's staging.

The only thing that doesn't work at all in that theme is Stuart Neill's timbre. His voice lacks the clarity necessary to make the concept work (truth be told, I don't think Don Carlo should be anything but a tenore lirico). The fact that he was preferred to Filianoti was probably a very tough decision to make, considering the cohesion of the production.

Stuart Neill as Don Carlo

 

The staging of Stéphane Braunschweig (a director that followed Lissner to Milan when he was hired) is, to me, the biggest flaw of this production. It's obvious he spent a lot of time designing the sets and thinking about their visual impact (his lines are indeed perfect, and his perspectives impeccable). He also focused on the spacial division of the stage - the upper background representing the past, when everybody was a happy, carefree child; the front of the stage being the present, tense and threatening.

These two elements are the only ideas Braunschweig projected on stage. Everything else is bland, apathic and desperately lacking any kind of statement from the director. My main critic though is Braunschweig's lack of any kind of actor's direction.

He has obviously not been given the best acting cast, but his absence in that department is what ultimately produced this utterly boring performance (imagine static singers with no gesture like in the 1950s productions and you'll have a pretty good idea of what Braunschweig allowed on stage). This casual approach is unforgivable (especially since he's a theater-turned-opera director) and completely ruins the performance, stripping it of any kind of emotion and life.

There's nothing either in the exploration of the characters - and then, you start realizing there's nothing original anywhere. Act II is basically a showcase of tawdry costumes (the costumes of the Graham Vick's production in Paris were beyond comparison) that ends up with a beautiful yet meaningless red lightning; "Ella giammai m'amo" in Act III is as empty as the stage of the Konwitschny's production with cliché lights (sorrow = blue atmosphere), and the dichotomy between the past and present situations is using the same tricks as Knowitschny did in the "Eboli dream" sequence. All and all, nothing new, only recycled ideas from others. That's what I call directing.

The autodafe scene in Act III

The singers

 With no help from the director, the acting part was a disaster for everybody except Ferruccio Furlanetto (who is relying exclusively but very successfully on his own charisma).

Fiorenza Cedolins and Ferruccio Furlanetto

 

Dolora Zajick's Eboli was vocally fine, Fiorenza Cedolins doesn't bring enough emotions to her singing and Anatolij Kotscherga lacks stage presence (and should really articulate). Dalibor Jenis as Rodrigo has a good technique and a beautiful timbre, but his good singing isn't enough to compensate for his non-existent acting skills (I wonder how much better he can act with a decent coach).

Stuart Neill and Dalibor Jenis

 

Stuart Neill is nothing but a poor Don Carlo. He doesn't move at all (unless the implant in his brain is remotely activated by Braunschweig thus starting a jerky and absurd movement), showcases absolutely no emotion (neither vocally nor physically), is unfit for the role (both vocally and physically, again) and has problems with his tempi.

Thank God for Ferruccio Furlanetto.  


Conclusion

All and all, the revival of Vick's Don Carlo in Paris last June was a much better experience for me than this mediocre Scala production. The cast, the sets, the direction and the costumes were better in Paris. Furlanetto was as good as in Paris, but the conduction of Gatti is obviously on a whole different level than Currentzis's.

La fin des bonnes manières

Reviewing a new production before its official premiere. Can someone please teach Le Monde and Marie-Aude Roux some basic manners? Pitiful.

Strike threat hangs over La Scala gala opening

AP/Luca Bruno

Who said strikes were only happening in France? More on the subject here.

Another great Arte moment - opening night at La Scala

The great TV channel Arte will offer yet another thrilling moment on Dec.7 for the opening night of La Scala. It will broadcast the premiere of Don Carlo live from Milan, directed by Stéphane Braunschweig and conducted by Daniele Gatti, the new musical director of the Orchestre National de France. The evening will start at 7 pm (Paris time). Thank you Arte!

Via Qobuz.

Il Tabarro, Scala 2008

Music - Giacomo Puccini

Libretto - Giuseppe Adami

Marco Brescia, Archivio Fotografico del Teatro alla Scala

Staging: Luca Ronconi
Sets: Margherita Palli
Costumes: Silvia Aymonino

Michele - Juan Pons
Luigi - Antonello Palombi
Giorgetta - Paoletta Marrocu
Frugola - Anna Maria Chiuri

Conductor - Riccardo Chailly
Teatro alla Scala
March 13 2008 live broadcast

There are very few positive things to say about this Tabarro (as well as the two other parts of this Trittico production). It is indeed a very bad celebration of Puccini's 150th birthday.


The cast is awful as the three main parts are sung with no passion and an inexisting stage presence. Leo Nucci should have been singing Michele but cancelled the entire run; Juan Pons is not the right substitute for the previous reasons and for his ugly high notes.

Antonello Palombi, who was pushed into the spotlight by Roberto Alagna's whim during a performance of Aïda in december 2006, clearly doesn't deserve to stay under this light, and should really go back to his studies - his high notes are positively disastrous.

Paoletta Marrocu is the best of the three but her performance is not praiseworthy either. She has problems with both her breathing and her vibratos.

The conduction of Riccardo Chailly is equally as bad and does not unveal the marvels the score contains. Instead, he presents a monochromatic reading beyond boring that, furthermore, is badly executed by the orchestra.


In this dreadful atmopshere, Luca Ronconi's staging is the least of the problems. It may not be inventive, but at least it's sober, elegant and appropriate for the piece.

Which is more than can be said of the musical execution. Such a poor production in the most famous Opera House in the world is indeed utterly shameful.

YouTube extract - "Scorri fiume eterno"

Strikes update

Opéra de Paris:

The strikes are over as every technician is back to work; yet, due to unknown causes (something about the scene of Bastille being staged for the Nutcracker and therefore preventing the switch to the Tannhäuser set - I didn't get the point though), the Paris Opera is maintaining the current semi-staged arrangement: no sets, but costumes, and lights.

The huge news though is that the website has posted the update in French and English (yes, talk about a miracle). I guess lights are on in the webmaster's brain too now.

Teatro San Carlo, Napoli, BNF archives

Italy:

Strike was avoided in Milan on Dec.7 for the Scala Prima, thanks to Stephane Lissner being able to convince the Italian government to give the 1250 workers a €3.2 million bonus to be shared amongst them.

Yet, performances in Genova (Teatro Carlo Felice), Palermo (Teatro Massimo) and Florence (Teatro del Maggio Musicale) were once again cancelled and, after weeks of turmoil in the Italian Opera Houses all around the country, the situation stands firmly unresolved.

As Jean-Jacques Bozonnet mentions in Le Monde today, the situation is a bit desperate everywhere: money is nowhere to be found, and the Teatro San Carlo in Napoli and the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino are on the brink of bankruptcy, as was the House in Cagliari a few years back.

That situation has striking resemblances to the current situation some Opera Houses are facing in France right now (Avignon, Metz and Tours), with the French Government threatening to cut its fundings.

Sciopero generale a La Scala

Sciopero generale a Milano. La Scala occupata militarmente, 14 giugno 1914

So...

It seems going on strike is not so much a French trademark after all.
Italians do it too.

The performance of Verdi's Requiem on Nov.9 is cancelled, since nobody will be working to run La Scala.

2008 alla Scala

The new season, beginning December 7, 2007, is online, with an introduction here. It seems every opera in Europe is routing for Wagner (Tristan und Isolde in December), Donizetti's Maria Stuarda (January 2008, also in Lyon and Brussels, but in Milan, it will be sung by Anna Catarina Antonacci & Mariella Devia, what a great cast) and Alban Berg's Wozzeck (February, also in Paris next season). So, what's left? Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (October 2008)? Not for me. Franz Lehar's Die lustige Witwe (November 2008)? Not for me either. Giordano's Andrea Chénier (June 2008)? Talk about an opera rarely played elsewhere! No, seriously. What's exciting?
Except for Puccini's Il Trittico (March 2008) & La Bohème (July 2008) I really find nothing else. But Puccini is a must-be next year (150th anniversary of his birth). Leo Nucci as Gianni Schicchi & Nino Machaidze as Lauretta ; Barbara Frittoli as Suor Angelica are attractive. The cast on Il Tabarro, not so much. This Trittico will be conducted by Riccardo Chailly, in a new production by Luca Ronconi (unless they come back to some other 1950 Zeffirelli production like they did this year with Donizetti's La fille du régiment).
The big problem with La Bohème is Zeffirelli... Back at the helm, again, with yet another out-of-date production...

[Ears openers] IV. Riccardo Muti

Biography

Born in Naples on July 28, 1941, he first studied the piano at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella under Vincenzo Vitale, graduating with distinction, before considering conducting.
He was awarded a diploma in Composition and Conducting by the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, where he studied under the guidance of Bruno Bettinelli and Antonino Votto.


His carrier started in 1968, after winning in 1967 the Cantelli Prize for young conductors, as principal director and music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (until 1980).

In 1971, he was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, the first of many occasions, which led Muti to celebrate thirty years of artistic collaboration with the Austrian Festival in 2001.

In 1974, he was appointed principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, succeeding Otto Klemperer.

From 1980 to 1992, Muti was named music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he led on numerous international tours and recordings.

From 1986 to 2005, he was Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala (principal director from 1987).
He received with the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra the Viotti d'Oro in 1988.

Alongside the classics of the repertoire, he brought at La Scala many less performed and neglected works to light (Gluck, Cherubini, Spontini, Poulenc, Verdi’s I due Foscari, Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta to open the restored Scala in Dec.7, 2004 (link to Italian reviews), the same opera that was performed on the inaugural opening night in 1778.).

He also conducted the concert for the third re-opening (since its inauguration in 1792) of La Fenice on Dec.14, 2004 (concert released in DVD).


Read about La Scala controversy which led him to resign, in 2005, under the demands of 700 staff members.


Apart from La Scala, Muti has conducted operatic performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well productions in Munich, Vienna, London and New York, at the Ravenna Festival, Roma, Bussetto, Piacenza and many more.

In 2004 Muti founded the “Luigi Cherubini” Youth Orchestra, consisting of young musicians selected, by an international committee, from some 600 instrumentalists from all over Italy.

Why I love Riccardo Muti

Ok, as a human being, he’s an infamously temperamental workaholic, perfectionnist, arrogant and contemptious at times.
As passionnate people, he was deeply affected and depressed by the situation at La Scala in 2005; "I really don't know if he still has the will to work," his wife Cristina Mazzavillani told the Italian edition of Vanity Fair at the time.


Beyond the character, Muti is maybe the last charismatic conductor, as the Toscaninis, Von Karajans or Klemperers.


He has offered unforgettable interpretations of almost every Verdi’s opera, with a unique thrilling art of nuances, getting the best of everybody, not only the singers and the orchestra as a whole, but each and every single musician, how small his score might be.


The orchestra under Muti does things I have never heard with anyone else, such as an amazing musicality and expression.

Not only is he a reference in conducting Verdi, but his work on Gluck’s pieces is also truly incredible and he’s said to be a great servant of Mozart’s scores (I couldn’t tell, I’m allergic to Mozart).


After listening to one of Muti’s interpretations, all the others seem boring and uninspired to me, or too simplistic, or not using well enough all the ressources of the orchestra.

A few YouTube extracts:

- Verdi’s Nabucco, overture, Scala

- Verdi’s Rigoletto, finale, Scala 1994, Renato Bruson, Andrea Rost, Roberto Alagna
- Verdi’s Attila, end of act I, Scala 1989, Cheryl Studer, Samuel Ramey
- Verdi’s Il Trovatore, “Il balen del suo sorriso“, Scala 2001, Leo Nucci (the cellos are hypnotic)

Selected recordings


Verdi recordings

Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala

- La Forza del Destino, EMI 1986 recording, Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Giorgio Zancanaro
- Attila, EMI 1989 recording, Neil Shicoff, Cheryl Studer, Samuel Ramey
- I vespri siciliani, EMI 1991, Giorgio Zancanaro, Chris Merritt, Cheryl Studer
- La Traviata, Sony Classics 1993 (live), Roberto Alagna, Tiziana Fabbricini, Paolo Coni
- Don Carlo, EMI 1994, Luciano Pavarotti, Samuel Ramey, Daniela Dessi
- Rigoletto, Sony Classics 1995 (live), Roberto Alagna, Andrea Rost, Renato Bruson
- Il Trovatore, Sony Classics 2002 (live), Violeta Urmana, Salvatore Licitra, Leo Nucci


Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Ambrosian opera chorus

- Nabucco, EMI 1978 recording, Matteo Manuguerra, Renata Scotto, Nicolai Ghiaurov
- La Traviata, EMI 1990, Alfredo Kraus, Renata Scotta, Renato Bruson


Other composers

- Iphigénie en Tauride, Gluck, Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala, Sony Classics 1993 (live), Carol Vaness, Thomas Allen, Giorgio Surian
- Orfeo ed Euridice, Gluck, Philharmonia Orchestra & Ambrosian opera chorus, EMI 1997, Edita Gruberova, Agnes Baltsa, Margaret Marshall
- Manon Lescaut, Muccini, Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Gramophon, Maria Guleghina, Jose Cura, Lucio Gallo
- Tosca, Puccini, , Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala, Sony Classics 2001 (live), Salvatore Licitra, Maria Guleghina, Leo Nucci
- Guglielmo Tell, Rossini, Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala, Philips 1988 (live), Giorgio Zancanaro, Chris Merritt, Cheryl Studer

Teatro Victoria Eugenia Di San Sebasian, photo Contrasto

La donna è mobile

There are very few operas that have such an effect on me ; wherever I am, as soon as I listen to a few notes from Verdi’s Rigoletto, it’s as if my world stopped, and I have to do nothing else but listen to the music, as long as it goes on.


Sunday evening, as I was programming my Hi-Fi system for my Monday morning wake up, I discovered that this week’s opera broadcast of Radio Classique was indeed Rigoletto (since, for no apparent reason, Radio Classique seems unwilling to share this kind of info at the moment, either on its site or on Operacast).


So naturally I rushed into my armchair and didn’t get up until the opera was over.


The version I got to listen was the famous Kubelik’s recording from La Scala, with a cast that can only make your head spin;

Rigoletto: Carlo Bergonzi
Il duca di Mantova : Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Gilda: Renata Scotto
Sparafucile : Ivo Vinco
Maddalena : Fiorenza Cossotto
Il Conte di Monterone : Lorenzo Testi








This recording is believed to be, by many, the best Rigoletto you’ll ever find.
Not everybody agrees with that statement, though.
I certainly don’t.

And the main reason is that, however great the singers might be, the success of a version over another mostly lies with the conductor.


People too often underestimate the role of this buffoon gesticulating in front of the orchestra with awkward movements and a baton that seems to enhance his craziness.


Yet, a bad orchestration can ruin any fantastic performance a singer can have.

It certainly can prevent me from listening to some recordings; take the Giulini’s Traviata featuring Maria Callas for instance ; or the Plasson’s Pêcheurs de Perles.



Well, the Kubelik’s Rigoletto rather falls in that category; too slow, too heavy, too rigid, not Italian enough. Not a great performance from the conductor, for sure.
Especially if you compare it with the recording Riccardo Muti made in the mid 90s (live performance from La Scala).




That’s why the perfect recording is almost impossible to get; the conductor has to be perfect, the orchestra, the chorus, all the cast members… and I’m not even talking about a performance on stage, where you can add the director, the dramaturge, the choreographer, the setting director, the costume design director, the lighting director, the make-up artist…



YouTube extracts from Muti’s Rigoletto ;
NB. Notice how Roberto Alagna was young and thin, then


- « Questa o quella » (Act I, sc1) Il duca di Mantova
- « Addio, addio, speranza ed anima » (Act I sc.12) duet Gilda / Il duca di Mantova
- « Caro nome » (Act I sc.14) Gilda / Coro
- « Ella mi fu rapita! » (Act II sc.1) Il duca di Mantova
- « Ei vien! Silenzio! » (Act II sc.3) Coro / Il duca/Rigoletto
- « Ciel! Damni corragio! » (Act II sc.6) duet Gilda / Rigoletto
- « La donna è mobile » (Act III) Il duca di Mantova
- end of the opera (Act III) duet Rigoletto / Gilda

Juan Diego Flórez is the man

Donizetti's La fille du regiment is currently playing at La Scala, without Natalie Dessay in Marie, but with Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio.




2 nights ago was the opening night.
And the unbelievable happened at La Scala.
Juan Diego Flórez sang an encore of the aria "Ah! mes amis".


You think this is not a big deal?
An encore at La Scala is a revolution.

The first one in... 74 years.
Yes, 74.
A rule set by Arturo Toscanini himself, in order to respect the continuity and integrity of the score, the music and drama.

As mentionned in Playbill Arts, Riccardo Muti did allow the chorus "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco to repeat once in 1986 and once in 1996, and in 1984 the chorus also repeated an aria from I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, but no soloist had sung an encore at La Scala since the legendary bass Fyodor Chaliapin did it once in 1933 in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (while Toscanini was out of town).


The article of Il Corriere della Serra, Scala, il bis di Flórez rompe un tabù; "Alla fine ha vinto lui. Il «bis» di Juan Diego Flórez della celebre cavatina «Ah! mes amis», n. 6 della partitura della Fille du régiment di Donizetti è rimbalzato fragoroso tra le pareti rinfrescate ma pur sempre storiche della Scala. (...) Giusto? Sbagliato? Un sacrosanto diritto del pubblico? Una profanazione? Nulla di più normale nei teatri d' opera che un' aria particolarmente bella e ben cantata venga ripetuta a furor di loggione. Non alla Scala."



So yes, the encore of Juan Diego Flórez is indeed a big deal.
Not everybody gets booed at La Scala...
Some tenors should learn from that...

The mp3 of the aria and its encore can be found here and there. (poor sound)



Worth mentionning;

Sopranos Désirée Rancatore and Nino Machaidze take on the role of Marie deserted by Dessay; in its newsletter, La Scala describes Nino Machaidze as "one of the most beautiful flowers of La Scala Academy of Performing Arts, and [she] displays the marks of Leyla Gencer and Luciana Serra's excellent teaching, completed by Mirella Freni." (good marketing campaign, don't you think?)


The set and designs, originally the same as in London (Laurent Pelly's) were switched to the old Franco Zeffirelli production (the reason why Dessay retracted from the show), which La Scala sells as "In 1959 Franco Zeffirelli designed its sets and costumes for the Teatro Massimo of Palermo, in a figurative key that announced a bit Tullio Pericoli's traits, and still today declares to be proud of it.
Filippo Crivelli, who has worked with passion to keep the production young, took care of the staging at its creation and has always had opportunities to refresh its look in the following productions, the latest being at La Scala in 1996."
(so much for bringing the opera to younger audiences).





Rest of the cast:

La Marquise de Berckenfield, Francesca Franci
La Duchesse de Crakentorp, Anna Proclemer
Tonio, Juan Diego Flórez (Shalva Mukeria)
Sulpice, Alessandro Corbelli (Vincenzo Taormina)
Hortensius, Francis Dudziak
Caporal, Guido Loconsolo
Paysant, Sergio Spina

Candide, by Bernstein

Candide, the “Operetta comica in due atti” by Leonard Bernstein, is the hype opera of this season.

After Paris (theatre du Chatelet) in december (review in French here with lots of links), and before the once-cancelled then reinstated Candide-Scala version in June/July (Stéphane Lissner's view in Italian here), you can tune in Saturday, Jan.20 at GMT19:30 (20:30 Paris time) to Rai Radio Tre where you will be able to listen “In diretta dal Teatro San Carlo di Napoli” to the Napolitan version of Candide.

Musica di Leonard Bernstein
Libretto di Bernstein, Hellman, Latouche e Wilbur tratto da Voltaire

Candide: Brandon Jovanovitch
Cunégonde: Laura Aikin
Voltaire / Pangloss / Martin / Cacambo: Alan Opie
Old Lady: Carole Farley
Maximilian / Il Capitano: William Dazeley
PaquettePaquette: Cinzia Rizzone
Il governatore / Vanderdendur / Ragotski: John Graham-Hall
Inquisitor I / Charles Edward: Gregory Bonfatti
Inquisitor II / Croupier: Armando Gabba
Inquisitor III / Tsar Ivan: Hector Guedes
Sultan Achmet / Crook: Thomas Morris
Hermann Augustus: Andrea Martin
Con la partecipazione di Adriana Asti

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Teatro San Carlo di Napoli
Direttore, Jeffrey Tate
Maestro del Coro, Marco Ozbic

Regia, Lorenzo MarianiScene, Nicola Rubertelli
Costumi, Giusi Giustino

Oh, did I mention, for those of you who just can’t get enough of Candide, that another version is waiting for you in Prague Jan.21, 28 and mar 24?

Then, you can always go in Rouen between May 10 and 15…

A few YouTube extracts;

“Glitter and Be Gay”, the ultimate hype tube this season, by June Anderson, Boston 1991 (Natalie Dessay’s version) .
“What’s the use” by Christa Ludwig & Nicolai Gedda, directed by Bernstein himself (London Symphony orchestra & chorus) ; also from this version, “Bon Voyage” by Gedda and “I Am Easily Assimilated” by Christa Ludwig.

The controversial scene from Carsen’s version that caused so much trouble in Milan.

Blind test #3

What about another blindtest? So, which opera is that extract from? (this is an easy one, let's face it, featuring my beloved Franco Corelli)

La fille du régiment, Dessay

Alors que Natalie Dessay s'apprête à commencer les réprésentations londoniennes de cette production de La fille du régiment de Gaetano Donizetti mise en scène par son grand ami Laurent Pelly, elle a annulé toutes celles prévues en février/mars à la Scala (qui vient enfin de mettre à jour son site web), la maison milanaise ayant décidé de ressortir la production de Franco Zeffirelli plutôt que celle de Pelly. Juan Diego Florez, plus professionnel, est toujours d'actualité à la Scala. C'est Odile et Janine qui vont être déçues!

Informations complémentaires: Petit synopsis de l'opéra par Kozlika (avec extraits musicaux à la clé).

Extraits YouTube: Duo de l'acte I chanté par Juan Diego Florez et Patricia Ciofi à Genève en 2005; toujours à Genève, l'air "Ah mes amis" chanté par Florez; "Salut à la France" chanté par Annick Massis à Genève en 1998 (son pas terrible); même air par June Anderson à Paris en 1986; reportage sur Florez se préparant pour les représentations de La fille du régiment à Lecce (Italie) en 2003; les coulisses de la tournée de l'opéra de Bologne au Japon en 2006 avec La fille du régiment.

Rajout du 13 janvier: Visiblement, la prestation de Juan Diego Florez vaut le déplacement (Juan Diego Florez donnera un récital le 5 février prochain au Théâtre des Champs Elysées avec la mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona). Natalie Dessay on the cast of La Fille du régiment at Covent Garden in the Sunday Times, January 7, 2007 (found here): "It's my first Marie, and here at Covent Garden we have a fantastic cast: Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise, Dawn French as the Duchesse!" Laurent Pelly's staging is a three-way London-Vienna-New York co-production. "We will do it in April in Vienna, then next season at the Met in New York," says Dessay. "Always with Flórez. Tonio is an impossible role to cast, and only he can do it at the moment. He's the best. We are a good couple on stage. For this type of repertoire, I always ask if he is free before I sign any contracts."

"A pain in the aria"

I strongly suggest you read the following article from the Sydney Morning Herald, about Alagna and Gheorghiu, so true and with some pretty sarcastic images I love (starting with the title).

Chosen extracts; "The careers of Alagna and Gheorghiu rocketed a decade ago. He was the hottest young tenor around, the destined successor to the Pavarotti-Domingo-Carreras generation, and was duly dubbed "the fourth tenor". She took the operatic world by storm in La Traviata under the late Georg Solti at Covent Garden in 1994 and seemed to be the lyric soprano the world had waited for since Sutherland's retirement. When the two married, they became the darlings of the opera houses, the record companies, opera-goers and the accountants. But they were rarely the darlings of the directors."

"Alagna's walkout from La Scala comes at a time when a lot of the glister has gone from the one-time golden couple. The previous Scala regime under Riccardo Muti fell out with Gheorghiu as early as 1997. The New York Met's recently retired general director, Joe Volpe, had a bust-up with her. Now it seems the soprano has fallen out with Covent Garden. Rumours that she was dropped from a coming production of Verdi's Don Carlos - because music director Antonio Pappano was so angered by her failure to turn up for rehearsals at this year's Tosca that he has declined to work with her again - have met flat denials. Covent Garden insists Gheorghiu decided to withdraw."

"Opera houses usually try to stop stories of demanding behaviour getting into the press. But the veil was lifted when Volpe fired the soprano Kathleen Battle from the Met in 1994, publicly citing her "unprofessional actions". (...) Battle's manager reminded Volpe that his predecessor was always known as the man who had fired Callas from the Met. Do you want to be known as the man who fired Battle, he demanded? Volpe had the perfect reply: "Kathy Battle is no Maria Callas.""

Thank you Martin Kettle. Very good article. And without drama. What a relief.

Addio Stupido

Les facéties de Roberto Alagna commençant à m'exaspérer sérieusement, ceci sera probablement mon dernier billet concernant le grand feuilleton de l'hiver. Hier, nous étions le 14. Et Alagna nous avait promis que "Il 14, tornerò alla Scala." Malheureusement, il a tenu parole. Parce que le ridicule ne tue pas, mais que l'arrogance l'étouffe, Mr Caractériel a encore fait le coq. Alors qu'on ne l'a pas fait rentrer pour chanter, comme annoncé par Lissner, il s'est fendu d'une sérénade («Addio, fiorito asil!» extrait du Madama Butterfly de Puccini) sur le parvis de la Scala, devant les badauds et, oh combien plus important, les journalistes, à 19h45, juste à temps pour pouvoir être diffusé dans le journal télévisé du soir.

Ces derniers soubresauts de vie avant l'oubli médiatique et opératique que ses actions lui promettent, sont narrés par Reuters (en anglais) et Il Quotidiano (en italien).

Au passage, DeutschlandRadio Kultur (lien sur la page pour écouter la radio par streaming) retransmet demain soir à GMT18:00 (19h heure de Paris) ce fameux Aïda, enregistré lors de la soirée de réouverture de la Scala, le 7 décembre donc. Avec Stupido dans le rôle de Radamès donc. Aïda: Violeta Urmana Amenris: Irina Makarova Ramfis: Orlin Anastassov Pharaon: Marco Spotti Amonasro: Carlo Guelfi Bote: Antonello Ceron Choeurs et orchestre de la Scala Direction: Riccardo Chailly

Les Ricains au secours d'Alagna

Le grand feuilleton de l’hiver déclenchant la frénésie chez les blogueurs adeptes d’opéra, je peux aussi me montrer enflammée. Une des caractéristiques américano-américaine que je déteste est leur passion du complot. Voilà que maintenant, notre feuilleton de l’hiver se trouve affublé de ce sceau dramatique. Alagna serait victime d’une odieuse tentative de stabilisation et de discréditation de la part de la Scala, orchestrée avec machiavélisme par Stéphane Lissner lui-même.

Après tout, Alagna a le droit d’avoir un ego sur-dimensionné qui ne supporte pas les critiques d’un des publics les plus exigeants au monde. Après tout, le fait que Palombi se soit précipité sur scène pour le remplacer au pied levé est louche. Limite prémédité. Après tout, la Scala a un peu trop vite sauté sur l’occasion pour se débarrasser d’Alagna. Après tout, Alagna est un artiste d’une sensibilité folle, et les quelques manifestations désapprobatrices du public milanais ont perturbé son psychisme au point qu’il en fasse un malaise et doive de toute urgence quitter la scène. Après tout, c’est Stéphane Lissner lui-même qui, en coulisses, au lieu de prodiguer amour et attention à son ténor vedette, l’a, au barrage de son corps, empêché de remettre les pieds sur scène. Après tout…

Merde les mecs.

Admettez comme moi, fan de la première heure d’Alagna, que le succès lui est monté à la tête et qu’il se comporte comme un odieux enfant gâté (à 13.000€ la représentation), que le seul châtiment acceptable est… la mort. Las, il est tellement dommage que les conclusions des opéras ne s’appliquent pas à la vie réelle…

D'un point de vue plus idéologique, je tiens à m'insurger des méthodes fort peu honnêtes de prosélytisme desdits américains. Proposer à chacun de se faire sa propre opinion de la prestation d'Alagna dans "Celeste Aïda" avec un mp3 qui ne correspond pas au jour du scandale (le 10) mais à celui de la réouverture de la Scala (le 7), j'appelle ça, non pas de la malhonnêteté intellectuelle, puisque la date du 7 décembre est effectivement signalée, mais des méthodes de persuasion à la limite de la propagande.

Complément: interview d'Alagna accordée au Monde, c'est là.