Last performance of the current sold-out run of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010, starring Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala in the title roles. The performance was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
The updated cast for the full run of performances of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010 is: Anna Netrebko (10., 13., 16., 20. and 23. August), Nino Machaidze (18., 24., 27. and 30. August), Piotr Beczala (10., 13., 20., 23., 27. and 30. August), Stephen Costello (16., 18. and 24. August), Mikhail Petrenko (10., 13., 16., 18., 20., 23. and 24. August), Dimitry Ivashchenko (27. and 30. August), Darren Jeffery, Russell Braun, Cora Burggraaf, Michael Spyres, Susanne Resmark, David Soar, Mathias Hausmann, Andrei Bondarenko, Adrian Strooper.
Charles Gounod • Roméo et Juliette
Opera in five acts
Text by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet
LEADING TEAM
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor
Bartlett Sher, Stage Director
Michael Yeargan, Set Design
Catherine Zuber, Costume Design
Jennifer Tipton, Lighting
Chase Brock, Choreography
B. H. Barry, Battle scenes
Thomas Lang, Chorus Master
CAST
Anna Netrebko, Juliette
Piotr Beczala, Roméo
Mikhail Petrenko, Frère Laurent
Darren Jeffery, Le Comte Capulet
Russell Braun, Mercutio, friend of Roméo
Cora Burggraaf, Stéphano, page of Roméo
Michael Spyres, Tybalt, nephew of Capulet
Susanne Resmark, Gertrude, nurse of Juliet
David Soar, Le Duc de Vérone
Mathias Hausmann, Le Comte Paris
Andrei Bondarenko, Grégorio
Adrian Strooper, Benvolio, nephew of Montaigu
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
Reports
Herbert attended live this performance and he kindly wrote the following report for the blog:
Anne-Laure was so right when she wrote that the performance was even better than she had expected. I had seen it in 2008 twice, and I didn't think that it would impress me again so much as it did then - but quite on the contrary!
First - the magic of the Felsenreitschule. It is a place and a stage which are absolutely unique. Especially the long stage in front of three rows of arcades which are hewn into natural rock (in former times these were the places for the spectators who attended the performances of the horse riding school; today it is the other way round: we, the audience, look at the arcades, which are illuminated sometimes yellow, sometimes white or even in dark night blue - pure magic).
Second - director Bartlett Sher has developed and improved his production in some details. The costumes are mostly the same - they often remind us of carnival masks in Venice, or of "Zorro, the outlaw", or of pirates.
Juliette's costumes, however, have changed since 2008. In the first part she wears a pink "girlish" long dress with some tinsel on it, and in the second half it is not a white dress any more, but a dark blue one, which fits perfectly to the blue light in the arcades.
It was a brilliant idea to change the balcony scene completely. The balcony is no longer an inclinded plane, elevated by hydraulics, but simply a real balcony outside one of the arcades, which gives Romeo the opportunity to climb up a ladder to Juliette.
Third - the action on stage! There is so much vitality and energy, either on the stage or in the aracdes or even sometimes between the orchestra pit and the first row of the audience. Some reviewers criticized this to be "too much Hollywood"- but I personally like this production more than a "modern", abstract production which wouldn't fit at all into this theatre with its given facts.
Number four - the music! Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts with so much energy and passion, he sings all the lines, he joins in the spontaneous applause for the singers - his activity is awesome.
Most important, of course, the principal performers. Although some of the supporting actors and singers deserve to be mentioned (especially Cora Burggraaf as Stéphano and Mikhail Petrenko with his mighty bass as Frère Laurent), it was Piotr Beczala and above all Anna Netrebko who outshined everything and brought the house down.
I was really surprised by Beczala's development as an actor. I remember him as Alfredo in Berlin, where he concentrated so much on his (superb!) singing that he hardly moved at all. Last year in Baden-Baden, in his role as Count Vaudémont, he was already much better, although there wasn't too much acting demanded... But in the meantime he must have rehearsed quite a lot to become such a convincing and "active" Romeo. This production demands above-average physical activity - he has to run up and down a ramp on the left, he has to climb up and down a ladder, he has to do a lot of fighting and fencing - and on the other hand he has to be a passionate lover and he has to die... Piotr Beczala left nothing to be desired - PLUS his outstanding vocal performance which earned him ovations. An absolutely impressive performance!
All I have said about him - and so much more - must be said about Anna. This year I have seen her as Mimi in La Bohème, as Micaela in Carmen, as Manon and now as Juliette. Every time I thought: This is HER role!! One thing is for sure: Anna Netrebko is on top of her vocal and acting abilities in these days. She is convincing and authentic in her roles, and her singing is simply admirable and overwhelming. My favourite moment yesterday was her aria before Juliette decides to drink the "poison". In this scene she was all alone on stage - but she filled the whole house with her voice and her presence and her personality. I think I have rarely experienced her better than in this scene. After the final note, when the audience cheered her for several minutes, a man sitting two places next to me covered his face with his hands and burst into tears; all he could whisper was: "Unbelievable... unbelievable...".
After the performance Anna left the stage door together with Erwin Schrott. She was aglow with happiness, spent some time with her fans and she seemed to me to be satisfied all around.
On Thursday she and her husband will take part in a benefit performance in Salzburg for the victims in Pakistan. The programme is still being drawn up, but it would be fantastic if they appeared for a duet on stage.... (wishful thinking?)!
Photos
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Darren Jeffrey (Le Comte Capulet). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Robert Murray (Benvolio), Russell Braun (Mercutio), Cora Burggraaf (Page of Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo). Photo: © Hermann, Clärchen & Matthias Baus
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Great pics Herbert !
ReplyDeleteAs always. ;-D
I was sure you would take beautiful shots.
Thank you Anne-Laure, you were 100% right with your review about Romeo et Juliette! What a pity that yesterday was Anna's last performance. I asked the technicians of the TV team outside the Festspielhaus if they were recording the opera: "Yes, but ELEKTRA....". Bad news.
ReplyDeleteFantastic review, Herbert! What a team!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report Herbert.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. As you, I was really amazed during the poison aria. She was all alone on this huge scene but she filled it so easily with her voice and her charisma that it was nearly unbelievable. I almost stopped breathing.
I think that costumes colours & designs have changed only for Anna's performances. Nino is getting the same ones as two years ago, according to some pictures I saw, at least for the first part.
ReplyDeletewishes sometimes come true... Anna and Erwin will sing a duet from L'Elisir d'Amore at the Benefit Gala for Pakistan ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnother wish: After this duet the audience should ask for an encore... ;-)) And please: ORF has to record this event!!
ReplyDelete