"Aleko" and "Iolanta", Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden 24. July 2009

The third performance of Rachmaninov's first opera "Aleko", with John Relyea in the title role, and Tchaikovsky's last opera "Iolanta", with Anna Netrebko in the title role and Piotr Beczala as Graf Vaudemont, took place on Friday 24. July 2009 at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Valery Gergiev conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Orchestra of St. Petersburg. The stage director, in a co-production by the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg, was Mariusz Treliński. One more performance of "Aleko" and "Iolanta", the last one of the run, is scheduled on 27. July 2009.

The cast for this third performance was almost the same one than for the two previous performances, being the only changes Irina Mataeva replacing Veronika Dzhioeva as Zemfira in "Aleko" and Mikhail Kit replacing Sergei Aleksashkin as King René and Alexander Gergalov replacing Edem Umerov as Ebn-Hakia in "Iolanta".

Aleko
one act opera
Music by Sergei Rakhmaninov
Libretto by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenkoafter the poem by Alexander Pushkin

Cast
Aleko: John Relyea
Young Gypsy: Sergei Skorokhodov
Zemfira: Irina Mataeva
Old Gypsy: Sergei Aleksashkin
Old Gypsy Woman: Elena Vitman

Iolanta
one act opera
Music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky after the play "Kong Renés Datter" by Henrik Hertz

Cast
Iolanta: Anna Netrebko
Graf Tristan Vaudémont: Piotr Beczala
René, König der Provence: Mikhail Kit
Robert: Alexei Markov
Ebn-Hakia: Alexander Gergalov
Alméric: Andrei Zorin
Bertrand: Fyodor Kuznetsov
Martha: Natalia Evstafieva
Brigitte: Eleonora Vindau
Laura: Ekaterina Sergeeva

Production
Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Stage Director: Mariusz Trelinski
Set Designer: Boris Kudlička
Costume Designer: Magdalena Musial
Lighting Designer: Marc Heinz
Cinematographer: Wojciech Puś
Choreographer: Tomasz Wygoda
Animators: Michał Jankowski and Tomasz Popakul
Literary Consultant: Piotr Gruszczynski
Musical Preparation: Marina Mishuk
Principal Chorus Master: Andrei Petrenko
Co-production of the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg

Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden
Friday 24. July 2009

About the Operas
Synopsis
Premiere of "Aleko" and "Iolanta" at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 17. Apr 2009
Variations in "Iolanta" Libretto
Iolanta
Iolanta's Russian/Spanish Libretto
Iolanta's English Libretto

Reports
Our friend Herbert attended this third performance and kindly wrote the following report for the blog:

What can I tell you but: Another triumph for Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala!

The third performance of Iolanta at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden was sold out again, and it was cheered by an enthusiastic audience.

Anna sang and played the story of the princess who is unaware of her blindness and then is cured and she did it so convincingly that she must have moved everybody in the audience. It was simply overwhelming when Iolanta began to see the colours and forms created by nature for the first time in her life.

Polish tenor Piotr Beczala (Count Vaudemont) and Russian baritone Alexey Markov (Robert) also received applause during the performance for their arias. But the undisputed highlight was the duet of Iolanta and Vaudemont, Tvoyo molèan ye neponyatno (I do not understand your silence), which I have never heard any better before. It makes a big difference whether you listen to it in a concert or on CD, or if you see and hear it as an acted scene in a complete opera. The audience began to cheer and applaud even before the final tones of the music had finished (the orchestra of the Marinsky Theatre under Valery Gergiev was excellent and so was the acoustics of the Festpielhaus).

After the finale there was a rising storm of applause for the chorus, the principal singers and for Gergiev, but the house almost exploded when Anna came out for her last curtain call. Everybody rose and gave her standing ovations.

As always, she thanked not only those in the orchestra stalls near the stage but also the people in the galleries high under the roof, in the heavens , to whom she waved with her both arms.

There was a moment of scare and also of laughter when the curtain moved down in the same second when the singers wanted to step forward to the orchestra pit one more time, but nobody was hurt and the curtain went up again.

After the show a large crowd gathered at the stage door. When Anna came down the steps an official led her across the red carpet to the restaurant opposite where she was greeted with applause when entering. Piotr Beczala followed her and said that they would come back immediately. And so it was! Only a few minutes later Anna returned, wearing a red dress and holding a large bouquet of flowers in her arms. She signed many programmes and pictures, smiled when photos were taken, and then she waved good-bye and moved towards a car waiting for her leaving a happy crowd behind who had had a memorable summer night in Baden-Baden.

This morning, while I was waiting at the train station, I saw Ukrainian bass Mikhail Kit together with his wife (?) and some colleagues. I asked him if he was King René, and he smiled and answered in his deep voice: Yes, that s me. And then he signed my programme.

On-line Press Reviews
Anna Netrebkos Weg ins Licht - klassik.com 25. Jul 2009 [German]

Videoclips
Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 1. Scene, Iolanta's Arioso. 2. Scene. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 6. Scene, Scene and Robert's Aria. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 6a. Scene, Vaudémont's Romance. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 7. Scene. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere




Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 7. Scene, Iolanta-Vaudémont Duet. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 8. Scene. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: 9. Scene, Finale. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Iolanta, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, 24. July 2009: Curtain calls. Uploaded to Youtube by Valenzisomere


Photos
Curtain call after "Iolanta" on 24. Jul 2009. Photos [1-16] by Herbert

Anna Netrebko at the Hall of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden after the performance of "Aleko" and "Iolanta" on 24. Jul 2009. Photos [1-3] by Herbert

Radio Broadcasts
One of the last two performances of "Aleko" and "Iolanta" will be broadcast on SWR2 Kultur, on Sunday 7. February 2010 at 20:03

Related posts
Anna Netrebko at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus 2008-2009 Season
Planned DVDs releases with Anna Netrebko
Breaking News - Piotr Beczala replaces Rolando Villazón in Iolanta, Baden-Baden
Press Conference of Anna Netrebko in Baden-Baden
"Aleko" and "Iolanta", Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden 18. July 2009
"Aleko" and "Iolanta", Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden 21. July 2009