tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66563052733244198562024-03-14T07:54:50.718+01:00Anna NetrebkoCarloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.comBlogger660125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-72305307768796414492016-11-14T13:26:00.002+01:002016-12-20T20:42:14.484+01:00Passion and Death--"Manon Lescaut" (final dress rehearsal) in MET, Nov. 10, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Text and Photo by Yige</i></span></div>
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<i>This is a report of the final dress of Manon Lescaut in MET on Nov. 10, a general impression of Anya's characterization of Puccini's Manon, and a preview of what to expect in the performance.</i><br />
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Once again Anna Netrebko surprised me. It was not the singing which, of course, was the top tier one could find around. What so inspiring was that she, as a complete artist, bring up every resource, with first and most importantly, her singing, to shape a character.<br />
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When Anya canceled the performance in Munich, reports from different sources seemed to suggest the major problem between them was that the director's idea was that Manon needed to choose between love and money, she chose money but regretted later, while Anya felt Manon just wanted both and refused to choose. Some asked whether this difference of idea is something that can make a visual difference on stage. I don't know. But at least it would make a huge difference in singing.<br />
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That's to say, Anya's singing here was always sincere and passionate. Never was one moment of cold calculation. This is, how I feel at least, exactly what Puccini composed into music. I say "always" meaning this attitude was throughout the whole opera, toward anything beautiful, both love and money (or more precisely, spiritual beauty and material beauty).<br />
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Thus, when she sang the beauty of countryside of past in act one, it was gray but sweet. Then, in the beginning of act two, one could hear some unusual childish joy when Manon was singing about the hairstyle, the clothes. Later during the dancing class and singing, the colorful singing clearly suggested this Manon was enjoying it. With all these "preparation" for the audience, when it came the time that Manon naively wanted to collect jewels to take with her in the end of act two, one just cannot blame her. These beautiful things mean something to her.<br />
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Such is the key to bridge the first two acts and last two acts. On the surface, (most of) the first two acts are light-hearted while the last two are heavy-hearted. If not played well, it would be hard to gain audience's empathy of the heroine--we can certainly say it was Manon's own decision that led her to the fateful result.<br />
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The common wisdom to answer why we should feel empathy for Manon is that she's a victim of a man dominated society. Not denying this element in the plot, I doubt how much of PUCCINI's Manon has this victim property. And Anya didn't play the victim. The real tragedy here is not seeing a victim's death, but the death of a person with so much passion on the beauty of life. With this in mind, we can understand the "problem" of this opera regarded by some--not having a coherent plot--is not a problem at all. It's not telling the story of Manon Lescaut but describing the character of her. The first two acts is to build up the character, and the later two is to destroy the character. (It's interesting to compare between the last lines of Massenet's "Manon"--"Et c’est là l’histoire de Manon Lescaut", and Puccini's "Manon Lescaut"--"Ma l'amor mio--non muor".)<br />
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Anya understands this tragedy. Her largest success was, of course, in the last act which can break the heart of a stone, though I think it was because she put so much effort to build up the character earlier. To make a dying scene beautiful is not that hard, but how many times when you hear Manon keeping repeating she doesn't want to die in a dark voice horror, you cannot help but remember the earlier time when it was bright and joyful? With her singing, this opera was a complete whole.<br />
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Clip from rehearsal by MET:</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-17721075212465385292015-10-27T10:38:00.005+01:002015-10-27T10:41:22.534+01:00Il Trovatore at the Met<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Text and Photos by Yige Li</div>
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Il Trovatore, opera in four acts<br />
Music by Giuseppe Verdi<br />
Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">El trovador</em>" by Antonio García Gutiérrez</div>
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Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and San Francisco Opera Association</div>
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This review is of the general impression on the whole run of this opera during fall 2015, at the Metropolitan Opera House, in New York City, NY</div>
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Conductor: Marco Armiliato<br />
Leonora: Anna Netrebko<br />
Manrico: Yonghoon Lee / Antonello Palombi<br />
Azucena: Dolora Zajick<br />
Gypsy: Edward Albert<br />
Count Di Luna: Dmitri Hvorostovsky / Vitaliy Bilyy<br />
Ferrando: Stefan Kocán<br />
Ines: Maria Zifchak<br />
Ruiz: Raúl Melo<br />
Messenger: David Lowe<br />
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Production: David McVicar<br />
Stage Director: Paula Williams<br />
Set Designer: Charles Edwards<br />
Costume Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel<br />
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton<br />
Choreographer: Leah Hausman </div>
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After watching Anya in "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Il Trovatore</em>" in MET for five times (four performances, plus the final dress rehearsal), maybe it's time to give a brief report summarizing some my impressions. In short, brilliant performances, and Anna Netrebko showed once more how inspiring this great singing actress can make of a performance to be.<br />
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Firstly, other singer:</div>
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The title role of Manrico was sung by Yonghoon Lee in the first five performances (I attended three of which) and Antonello Palombi in the last one (which I attended as well). In short, we don't have world-class voice for Manrico currently. Between the two, Lee was the one with a better and more consistent instrument, but Palombi had a more suitable instrument and better sense of the style. Lee's characterization was more on the overexerting side, while Palombi's was sometimes too casual.</div>
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The role of Count di Luna was shared by Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Vitaliy Bilyy. Having dominated this role for years, Dima showed everything one could expect from a completely mature artist. Maybe it's the recent off stage drama happened on him, I felt that his singing had even more sensitivity than before. It was so clear that not only audience appreciated the opportunity to see him again, he himself also appreciated the opportunity to perform again. He gave his best, and it was touching. Vitaliy Bilyy certainly cannot match Dima on charisma and artistry. But his solid voice, technique, and musicianship showed that he would have a good future.</div>
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How great it is to have a almost legend as Dorola Zajick to sing Azucena (at this point she is the mezzo having sung the most amount of Azucena in MET history)! Surely the voice had some age and wear, but is preserved well mostly. And what a powerhouse voice it is! It's safe to say, at 60+, she's still the best Azucena around. Character-wise, she may not be the kind of singer that consciously digging deep into the character, but surely years of experience could have so strong impact, that every thing just came out so naturally. She IS Azucena.</div>
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Marco Armiliato was in the pit conducting. He has the reputation of being a singer's conductor. For my experience, he always tried his best to support singers onstage, never having the ego to overshadow them. Basically, how good the orchestra can be pedants on how good the singers are. When singers onstage were a disaster, the orchestra can hardly be better than them. But here, as we had such brilliant cast, the orchestra got inspired as well. These were some best conducting of maestro Armiliato that I had heard.</div>
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Štefan Kocán gave a respectable portray of Ferrando (honestly, there isn't too much interpenetrating opportunity in this role), as did other supporting cast and the MET chorus.</div>
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Then, the part that I'm most interested in (I guess also the case for most readers of this blog), and the reason that I went to MET for the same production again and again, Anya. It's with great interest to see how she gave out her interpenetration in this production, comparing to her own previous performances in the productions in Berlin and Salzburg (she also did one performance in the production of Mariinsky, but I don't have too much information about the performance), as well as previous revivals of the production in MET.</div>
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Many people realized that she had some newly made costume, when comparing with previous revivals of this production. Namely, a dark pink dress with a burgundy cape outside in Act 1; then a gypsy flavored head kerchief in Act 3. Some critic said it's very old-time diva feeling (in a good sense). However, it's more than being a diva (though, one needs to be a diva first to ask these specially made stuffs for her). It's not for Anna, but for Leonora. It's Anna Netrebko, the complete ARTIST, asking, so that the visual, her singing, her physical acting, would cope with the concept of production and the score as a tight combination. (I sensed it a very typical Anya's touch, as the blonde wig for Lady Macbeth last season. So, after dress rehearsal, I asked her if it's her idea to have these new costumes, she answered yes.)</div>
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Less to critics' notice is that not only she got new costumes, but also more than one wigs (while in previous revivals it's always one wig from the beginning to the end). During the Times Talk, when Anya said Peter Gelb was very responsible and supportive when she asked for change of costumes and wigs, she's not talking about nothing. In Act 1 and 2, her wig is in up-do style, and in Act 3, her hair is all inside the head kerchief--it's not until Act 4, that her wig gets fully loosed.</div>
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Combine the effects of costume and wig, we can have already seen the development of this character--from a noble lady confined in her comfort zone with the fantasy of love and passion to a brave girl fully converting herself to the lifestyle of gypsy following the guidance of love, finally to the point to sacrifice herself for love.</div>
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This development I feel being very essential in her performance in THIS production. Both the productions in Berlin and Salzburg treat the plot of this opera more as a fantasy/dream, however this production of Sir David McVicar takes it for real. Setting in Peninsular War with the dark stage and Goya's "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">La romería de San Isidro</em>", one of his Black Paintings, as the curtain, Sir David underlined the societal schizophrenia, thus the individuals' reactions within this frame. Anya's task was to find a continuous spectrum of vocal colors for Leorona from beginning to end when getting more and more into the "real world".</div>
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And the easier part is actually the vocally more demanding last act, which she got great success. Either soaring the high pianissimo with <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mezza voce</em> in "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">D'amor sull'ali rosee</em>" or aggressively digging into chest in "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Miserere</em>", the mind and voice was essentially on a firm ground, with occasional outrage. Then in the "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tu vedrai che amore in terra</em>", in the repeating verse, she added more contracts between phrases, beginning with the first sentence more into chest than the first time singing these same notes (this could be an idea she developed during the run, as it was not very obvious in final dress and opening, but more and more in later performances), to later with restrained pianissimo, as if Leonora was fascinated by her own idea, then blooming out again. This almost felt like a great mad scene in a bel canto opera--in the sense that the heroine being extremely concentrate to her own mind. Then, in the duet with Count di Luna, she sang with urgency, but less begging than ordering. At that point, Leorona had already got to the statue that she bravely challenged the fate and faced the count spiritually superior. Later in the last 10 minutes of the opera, her reaction on Manrico's refusing to leave had more fury. In Salzburg, when singing "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ah! Fuggi, fuggi! O sei perduto!</em>", she used a more empty voice, while not watching Manrico (and later even sang the line with her back to Manrico), showing so much desperation as if she had already seen the end, here, she used a fuller voice, singing every "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">fuggi</em>" facing Manrico, never gave up trying. When reaching the point of "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ho la morte in semi!... Ah, fu più rapida la forza del veleno ch'io non pensava!</em>", again, she gave more contracts to the phrase, with more fury, as if asking the God why giving her such a cruel result for her sacrifice. As when Mary Jo Heath said "you play her as a very fiery determined young woman" in the radio interview, she replied that "I think it's part of me coming out from there", one can truly felt that she brought her personal volcano onto stage there.</div>
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Compared to the end in which she can simply open up her voice and give out her soul, the more difficult part is actually the beginning. Of course, it's vocally difficult <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">per se</em> to get onto stage then sing the big aria immediately. But what makes it more difficult is the way she chose to paint this aria. When she sang the same music in concert, she used a more straightforward way and the result was brilliant. However, when in a concert, the logic of the aria is just within itself; when in the opera, the logic must be placed in the whole plot. It's not only a woman talking about her passion and love, it also sets the position where the character begins. If we can say this Leonora is "above" the world in the last act, then here in the first act, she's kind of "isolated from" the world. Meanwhile, as Leonora is not a complete idiot (or maybe she is?), she has some sense and feeling of the danger of the world. Thus we heard when portraying the Leorona here, she combined the feeling of insecurity and nervousness into the passion and excitement. And this is the hard part. While the character can be (or, should be) insecure and nervous dramatically, the singer acting the character with her voice cannot be insecure and nervous vocally. From performance to performance, Anya sometimes found the fine balance, sometimes had both voice and drama bit to the too secure side or the other. However, she never chose the easier way of singing it just as some beautiful music to harvest cheap praising.</div>
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In the two inner acts, Leonora doesn't have big arias to sing. Still, Anya paid much attention to give the proper color to the singing. There were two moments left me more than usual strong impression. One is in Act 2 Scene 2, that how in a short sentence of "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">E deggio e posso crederlo? Ti veggo a me d'accanto</em>", she began from stiffness asking if what she saw was true, to the bit sweetness on the word "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">d'accanto</em>". The other is at the beginning of Act 3 Scene 2, the gloomy and urgency in the voice had already indicated her destiny, while she remained firm to what she chose. Nervous and insecure Leonora was, but different to the one in Act 1. (And should I add that when the tuning stage brought her to the stage front at this scene, the way she sat in the shadow had already brought out so much tension of the drama?)</div>
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On top of Anya's vocal acting was her physical acting, which did not add to but multiply to her vocal acting. In one interview, she said there are not too much thing to act. Indeed, in many places, the plot is very still, it's the music that takes care of the psychological drama. She understood this so well, that in many places, she was just being still with tension, and let the music speak, rather than making meaningless "actings". During "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">D'amor sull'ali rosee</em>" (yep, some long and slow music with "nothing happens onstage), she simply stood on the stage front and opened up her mouth and the magic happened. Her body drew the line of the "fourth wall" separating the real world onstage and the unreal world off stage (I had the words "real" and "unreal" at the correct positions), while in the meantime, her voice broke this "fourth wall" and involved everything into her world. During one performance, I was sitting in a side box, with the stage on my one hand side and the most auditorium on the other side. As much as I loved Anya/Leonora, at one point, my eyes turned away from her to the auditorium, feeling that I could literally SEE the body of her voice occupying the whole space and enfolding everyone, everything. Later in the scene, much buzz has made about her climbing the gate. How she desperately sang "<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Oh ciel! Sento mancarmi!</em>" hanging on the gate was one of the dramatic high point. But then, the more challenging part for acting was getting OFF from the gate. It was heartbroken watching her getting down slowly with the monotone "Miserere" sung by chorus in the back, as if all hope were lost. And she didn't stop after getting off from the gate but kept until having her whole body down to the ground, only rose up again right before the second verse, which darker words are set in the music then those in the first verse, when her body got back the strength because of outrage.</div>
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I can keep going describing these small details that together built up the big picture. Then I may hardly finish it. So just let me stop here. I think I've made my point clear: this is the first rate performing art in every aspect. Brava.</div>
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Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-38905556090407563832015-02-11T22:58:00.000+01:002015-02-11T23:09:08.805+01:00Anna Netrebko recital in VPAC on Feb. 5, 2015<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By Yige Li</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">PROGRAM:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bellini: La Sonnambula: "Ah, non credea… Ah! Non giunge" (aria with cabaletta)<br />Tchaikovsky: Iolanta Arioso<br style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rachmaninoff: Song: "Zdes horosho" (How fair this spot), op. 21, no. 7</span><br />Rimsky-Korsakov: Song "Redeyet oblakov letucaya gryada" (The line of flying clouds grows thin), op. 42, no. 3<span style="display: inline;"><br />Tchaikovsky: Song "Den li tsarit" (Amidst the day), op. 47, no 6</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">========Intermission========</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Verdi: Otello, Duet Act I: "Già nella notte densa" duet with Yusif Eyvazov</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Strauss: Song: "Cäcilie", op. 27, no. 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Dvorak: Rusalka: "Song to the moon"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ponchielli: La Gioconda: "Suicidio!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kálmán: Die Csardasfürstin: "Heia, in den Bergen"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Encores:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur: "Io son l'umile ancella"</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Lehar: Il paese del sorriso: "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor"</span></span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">with Yusif Eyvazov</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Piano: Brian Zeger</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">REVIEW</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Attending this recital at Vilar Performance Arts Center in Beaver Creek, Colorado, was kind of dream-come-true moment for me! I've gone to many performances featuring Anya, but I had some quite *complex* history of trying to attend her concert/recital. Almost two years ago, she did a recital at VPAC, which I had the ticket but missed the recital due to the delayed flight. Then, she canceled her concert in Mexico City summer 2013 due to illness. Early 2014, she sang some Russian art songs in (Le) Poisson Rouge--when it was announced I was not with internet access, and when I learned it 2 days later, all tickets were sold out (unsurprisingly). The next was her scheduled appearance in Tucker Gala last October, which she canceled because the necessary vocal rest after demanding performance of "Macbeth" at MET. So, finally, this time, she made it, and I got a ticket and arrived on time! It was the first time I saw her in concert/recital! I should say, being able to hear her singing such various repertoire including opera, operetta, and art songs in ONE night is a bless. And I had known that in a remote place like this, she would be more relaxed and willing to take more risk than usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here she came, with the gorgeous pink Oscar de la Renta gown and a small white fur on her shoulder. Before she sang one note, she had already made a "wow" affect with her outfit. And I'm sure her choice of dresses reflects her repertoire, as she began with the sleep walking scene from "La Sonnambula" (no, not the sleep walking of Lady Macbeth). I think she hadn't sung this in public for years, and Amina should be the typical "-ina" roles she said she's dropping. Not quite sure why she decided to open the recital with this piece, maybe as a preparing for the upcoming "Norma" next year? After all, it was the same Giuditta Pasta who created Norma and Amina. She was not 100% warmed up, still she managed to light up her voice sounding like a young girl while round and with richness at the same time. And her sense of phrasing in Bellini's long line was unquestionable. Compared to the long scene of "La Sonnambula" with recitative+aria+cabaletta, the remaining pieces in the first half were short (and all in Russian). Iolanta Arioso was beautifully sung. Because the venue is small with only a few more than 500 seats, and its great acoustics, Anya was able to sing it more relaxing and with more inner feeling than in MET where she has to carefully consider how to project her voice to the huge auditorium without shouting. Then came 3 Russian art songs by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky. I always like art songs, in which, it seems the communication between singer and audience is direct, while in operas, singers communicate with audience via characters. Of courses Anya didn't fail. All the three performed songs were the typical Russian ones with bit (not sadness, but) "grey" in it. Personally, I would hope audience could hold a little silence after them to let the feeling fly for some more seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If we could say the repertoire choice for the first part was bit low-key, then, the second part was absolutely exciting with full bloom of passion. Anya chose a maturer black and white outfit by Irina Vitjaz, certainly a response to the chosen repertoire. She began with a short speech saying she likes to sing solo but prefers to have partner, man or woman doesn't matter, on stage that she could have more interaction and be more relaxed so that to make her performance better. She then introduced Yusif Eyvazov to the audience, citing this was his US debut, and they sang the duet from "Otello". This was my first time hearing Yusif singing live. His voice appeared to be even larger and richer than it sounds in recording. And of course we could count on the chemistry between Anya and Yusif (at least in a love duet ^_^). The following two pieces were "Cäcilie" and "Song to the Moon", and both fit her voice like gloves. After "Cäcilie", Anya joked that this loud song could be a training for the future Wagner roles. And in the "Song to the Moon", she putted so much feeling of longing into her voice, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hanging around the stage from left to right--apparently it was not only the moon "travel round wide" but also her body and her soul. The next piece, "Suicidio", might be the most exciting thing in the program, as this was </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the FIRST time Anya sang it in public! Before singing, Anya said the piece in the beginning of the recital was kind of where she started with while this one would be her future direction, and she would get into slowly and very securely. She even joked saying she knew it's suicide to put such programs (with both selections from "La Sonnambula" and "Suicidio") together. Apparently, she didn't manage to suicide her voice on stage, as she gave such a great rendition. It was specially interesting to hear her recently developed (and is still developing) lower register. Worth specially notice, the way she dug into chest in the repeated "fra le tenèbre" and how she sang the ending "dentro l'avel" piano and empty. The listed program ended with "Heia, in den Bergen" from operetta "Die Csardasfürstin". She said Kalman was very popular in Russia and she grew up hearing his music--in Russian. Though she performed it in German. It was delight to have this light piece after the dark "Suicidio". And as one could expect, she sang and danced. Until then, I hadn't realized how high heels she was wearing. Walking with such high heels is certainly a skill, not to mention, dancing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She gave an encore, as expected. "Io son l'umile ancella", ("I am the humble servant of the creative spirit")--truly she is. After an encore, she took several rounds of bowing, then didn't come back to the stage. The recital ended--no, it didn't. Just when the stage was empty and the house lights were turned on and everyone thought that was it, she came back! In her hands a bottle of water and several pages of score! "One more encore" she said! People shouted! Without announcing the piece, the pianist just straightly began. It was "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz"--in Italian though. Together with Yusif, they turned this piece to a love duet. So sweet, so romantic, and so passionate. Especially for Anya. When hearing such phrasing and such feeling, if one close eyes, it would be impossible to tell she was sight reading! One can hardly imagine a better ending for the night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Icing on the cake: I met Mr. Barry Tucker during intermission and after the recital. He said it was him who helped the VPAC to get Anya to their venue, and just kept praising Anya for being both a great artist and a nice person. When I mentioned my excitement of the "Suicidio" in the program because it being her first public performance of this aria, he told me his father had his MET debut performing in "La Gioconda" and showed me a ring on his finger which is a gift from MET Orchestra to his father given after a performance of this very opera. Certainly a piece of history!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, the concert hall and the whole area are very beautiful. Pity that I cannot stay for longer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Concert Hall of VPAC. Photos taken during intermission.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">View from plane before landing to Denver International Airport.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">View on the shuttle van from Denver to Avon.</span><br />
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Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-56778141188808105282014-10-27T20:10:00.004+01:002014-10-27T20:10:38.508+01:00ECHO Klassik Awards 2014Text and photos by Herbert<br />
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Yesterday afternoon there was the ECHO Klassik Award 2014 in the Philharmonie in Munich.<br />
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Anna Netrebko received the award as "Singer of the Year". T<br />
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he show was hosted by Rolando Villazón and actress Nina Eichinger, and it was Villazón who read the speech in honor of Anna and gave her the prize.<br />
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Tenor Jonas Kaufmann should be honored by José Carreras, but unfortunately Kaufmann was ill and had to cancel. But Mr. Carreras was there, and he took Kaufmann's award and will hand it over later on.<br />
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I don't know if the ZDF Mediathek can be received outside Germany, but here is a link to the video of the gala plus many photos: http://echo.zdf.de/<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-71422302169832767202014-10-23T18:51:00.002+02:002014-10-23T21:18:38.813+02:00Macbeth, Met, NYC, NY 18-10-2014MACBETH<br />
Met, NYC, NY, 17 October 2014<br />
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Text and Photos by Herbert<br />
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Last Saturday I was in New York and I attended the final performance of this year's run of Verdi's MACBETH at the MET. My first visit to the famous Metropolitan Opera - quite an experience! The auditorium and the stage are huge, and I can imagine that it may be awesome and almost scary for a singer to have to fill this space with one's voice and presence.<br />
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Most opera lovers will have seen this production of Macbeth either in the cinema or even live, so I don't have to tell a lot about it. I loved the production! The scenes often looked like painted pictures, and the singers didn't have to fulfil weird maneuvers on stage, but they could act like "normal" people.<br />
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The cast was amazing! Željko Lucic as Macbeth, René Pape as Banquo, Joseph Calleja as Macduff and maestro Fabio Luisi in the pit - what a luxury! And above all Anna Netrebko as THE star of the evening! Has she ever been better than on that night? I doubt it.<br />
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Her first appearance on stage was already one of the highlights. She was lying in bed, covered by a satin blanket. Then she woke up, first her arms appeared from under the blanket - and then there she was, standing on the bed, and she began to sing her first aria. She was quite alone on stage, but there wouldn't have been space for anybody else because she filled the stage with her presence completely.<br />
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The sleepwalking scene in the final act was another moment when she made the audience hold their breath - so when she actually ran on stage at curtain calls, jumping and waving wildly, she was welcomed and acclaimed by an excited and enthusiastic audience.<br />
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After the show she was relaxed and easygoing at the stage door. There was no rush and she spent a long time with her fans, chatting, laughing and having fun with them.
Meanwhile she has left for Munich where she will receive the ECHO Klassik Award as Singer of the Year next Sunday and where she is rehearsing a new production of Manon Lescaut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with fantastic Jonas Kaufmann as her stage partner - what a cast again! All 7 performances in November/December are already sold out...<br />
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PHOTOS<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-1696628556009307542014-09-23T18:41:00.003+02:002014-09-23T18:41:45.983+02:00Macbeth, Final Dress Rehearsal, Met, NYC, 20 Sep 2014<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Text and Photos by: Yige Li</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Macbeth</b></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Opera in four acts</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music by Giuseppe Verdi</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Metropolitan Opera production</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This review is for the final dress rehearsal on September 20, 2014, at the Metropolitan Opera House, in New York City, NY.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conductor: Fabio Luisi</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Macbeth: Željko Lucic</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Banquo: René Pape</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lady Macbeth: Anna Netrebko</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lady-in-Waiting to Lady Macbeth: Claudia Waite</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Servant of Macbeth: Christopher Job</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malcolm: Noah Baetge</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Macduff: Joseph Calleja</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Murderer: Richard Bernstein</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Herald: Seth Malkin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Doctor: James Courtney</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Production: Adrian Noble</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set & Costume Designer: Mark Thompson</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lighting Designer: Jean Kalman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choreographer: Sue Lefton</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want to find beautiful singing, go for the “Macbeth” in MET! If you want to find imaginative singing, go for the “Macbeth” in MET! If you want to find fearless singing, go for the “Macbeth” in MET!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though, after three seasons, Anna Netrebko is not scheduled to perform in the opening night this time, the “Macbeth” she involves in attracts no less attention. Having successfully made several role debuts in heavier parts, for her, Lady Macbeth is the heaviest among them. With only two performances (in Munich earlier this year) in her pocket, what will she achieve in this MET revival (with a global live in HD transmission)? Everyone is interested to see.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I thought I could build it up in my mind of how Anya’s performance would be, since I have the following advantages: I am familiar with her previous works; I watched the video highlight posted by Bayerische Staatsoper on YouTube; I got a copy of pirate recording of Munich performance and listened to it many times; I talked to my friend attended the Munich performance and asked about many stage details; and finally, I watched the previous runs of this MET production both on DVD and live. However, I was wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The production of Bayerische Staatsoper is a highly Regietheater one that it has very specific requirements for Lady Macbeth’s character, while the MET production is basically a classical production (with period updating). This means that singers could have more freedom on characterization. And, indeed, Anya took this advantage.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Lady Macbeth was different from the first sight with a blonde wig. When seeing Anya’s picture of trying out the wig, I did not like the idea. I guess I am not alone as most of us prefer Anya in her own hair color. But seeing it in theater changed my mind. Visually speaking, in a dark stage that copes the atmosphere of the drama, a shiny blonde wig gives a proper focus. Then, character wise, this staging makes full use of the “blonde stereotype”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s where Anya has the characterization begins. After the familiar opening orchestra, we saw Lady Macbeth in her silky blonde hair (yes, hair--Anya’s wig, but Lady’s hair) and her silky light pajama. Using a voice with even a little bit joking color, she read the letter. Then came the cavatina and cabaletta. Name what you want: Various coloring? Solid high notes? Dramatic coloratura? You just could get everything. And she sang the “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or tutti sorgete, ministri infernali</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” with the repeat. In the beginning of the repeating part, she laid on the ground and sang with a sense of holding back than bloomed out to full fire--more than the already-fiery first part--later on. The repeating was played not only as a vehicle displaying Anya’s super vocal ability, but, more importantly, was treated as an organic part of the drama. And with all the exciting air she created, there was a weird sense of silliness existing (maybe because of the straightforward rendition and also partially due to the help of “blonde stereotype”?), as if this lady had no real sense of the thing she thought she was ambitious about.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “blonde stereotype” became even more after Macbeth came onto the stage. This must be the sexiest Lady. And there was even some sweetness in the singing. Think about the Erlking’s vocal line in Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig”--soft, sweet, and charming--one would be enchanted to do whatever asked even knowing the danger behind. And with Željko Lucic, Anya made plenty of chemistry. She colored her voice phrase by phrase illustrated the psychological development. Just check the several “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">follie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” in her line showing how Lady’s mind swung.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lady’s next out was after King Duncan was found murdered. I always think it a challenge for directors and singers to make this part reasonable. Here, Lady’s line is very consistent to all the others’ mourning the king’s death. But the question is, should she, who involved in the murdering, in the same mood with all the others? If she is just pretending, how should the singer makes the audience realize that she’s pretending and feel she does a great job on pretending? In this performance, the way they chose to solve the problem is to play it as Lady is really in the same mood as others, which could make sense considering the little light minded image she was characterized earlier on, plus, that this could very possibly be the first time for Lady seeing a person killed (as opposite to Macbeth who has experiences in wars). As a result, we got hearing some very pretty singing together with those high notes cutting through the chorus that everyone expected.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While changes began to take place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Act 2 Scene 1, we saw Lady had her hair tied up and was in business casual, as opposite to the loose hair and pajama in Act 1. This is a stronger and more serious Lady than previously in Act 1. After some short and intense exchanging between Macbeth and Lady came another “hit”--“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La luce langue</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. Tremendous as it ended, I felt even more excited listening to how Anya made the opening even muddy, and then how she skillfully paced it to full expansion. In my mind, I even could see a black rose blooming in a foggy wasteland--a true miracle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lady Macbeth was in her strongest mind in Act 2 Scene 3. Having the hair still tied up, this time, Lady was wearing a crown and a glamorous red gown. Here, Anya sang the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">brindisi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with the fullest voice, with the intensity and agility attacking down all the high notes and going through the coloratura, with the ambition and pride for the power. As Macbeth began to crack down, it was this strong woman that hold the situation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, maybe it has been too much for the Lady?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hence, when we got to Act 3, Lady’s hair was back to the style in Act 1. Seeing how she rushed to Macbeth, and sang with urgency, I felt love, though a weird kind, between them. She was still encouraging her husband and the singing was still strong but having less confidence and more stress than the previous act.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Lady’s final ruin came as the famous sleepwalking scene. Here the hair changed again. It was still the loose blonde hair, but it lost the shiny smooth quality and became dirty and somehow tangled. Many may know from the previous runs of this production that in the opening of this scene, the singer of Lady Macbeth is asked to walk on some chairs. I had always been fascinated by how much Anya’s eyes could express. And this must be the first time I could not find anything in her eyes, is if she was blind. Then, she sang. Fearlessly she sang, to illustrate fear of the lady, with evenly expressive voice from lower register to top and phenomenal crescendo and diminuendo. And the way she had the line floating was masterful. Acting wise, she had it limited, but was crazy within the economical movements, and the result was convincing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Together with Anya onstage were some best singers for these roles--the cast could very well be in a season opening or a new production gala opening.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zeljko Lucic was in the title role. He might be the most important Macbeth in opera world today, having a true dramatic voice with the timbre required for the role. Apparently, he was comfortable in his part and was very familiar with it--he not only sang a lot in Macbeth around the world but also did the role of Macbeth when this production was created. Compared to Anya’s strong make-up, Mr. Lucic’s make-up was light. And with the stage light, it looked somehow pale. Together with the grey hair, the contrast and complex relation between Macbeth and Lady were visually illustrated well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having Rene Pape as Banquo and Joseph Calleja as Macduff is just luxurious. I could give no more than praising their great singing. Though other than the several beautiful arias, Verdi granted them little to shine through.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The chorus was a lesson of how opera chorus, different to symphony chorus or church chorus, should sing. I remember last season when Maestro Muti did “Macbeth” with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, there was an article about his rehearsal in which quoted his words to the chorus that in an opera, they should sound like being an ensemble of individuals not a simple one voice. And that was exactly the impression I got from the MET chorus in this “Macbeth”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the pit, Fabio Luisi leaded a solid playing of orchestra. However, I did experience something more exciting than this. It was a concert performance of “Macbeth” conducted by Maestro Muti in Chicago last year. But, well, just no one today can touch Maestro Muti in this repertoire. And I think another thing is that though MET orchestra has no less virtuosity than CSO, they, when sitting in the pit behaved more like an accompanist, while CSO, in a concert version performance, played on stage as if a narrator of the drama. Here, the stars were the singers onstage being their characters; while in the Chicago performance last year, the definite star is the orchestra (if we excluded conductor, since he did not produce any sound directly), and singers sounds more like part of the orchestration.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The question remains to me if the star individual characters could be combined with the star ensemble orchestra or they are essentially exclusive. Maybe I would get the answer when we have Anya collaborate with Maestro Muti. Please! And it would be even better in a new Regietheater production crafted for Anya. Then may we be able to hope a classics as the Red Dress Traviata? Anya has done a lot of great singing and acting since the 2005 Salzburg Traviata, but just none of them could have everything being just unique and “right”. It is not something one could achieve by just doing her own part great. It needed certain repertoire (some roles just have less potentials than others), certain partners, and certain, let us admit it, luck. And for this role of Lady Macbeth, I see the potential of building up something original and unique around it. Hope we could have the luck to really see it happens.</span></div>
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Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-73702720174704334602014-08-13T23:07:00.002+02:002014-08-13T23:07:25.456+02:00Il Trovatore, Salzburg 9/12 Aug 2014<h4>
Verdi - Il Trovatore</h4>
Salzburg 9/12 Aug 2014<br />
<br />
CREATIVE TEAM<br />
Daniele Gatti, Conductor<br />
Alvis Hermanis, Director and Sets<br />
Eva Dessecker, Costumes<br />
Gleb Filshtinsky, Lighting<br />
Ineta Sipunova, Video Design<br />
Gudrun Hartmann, Philipp Krenn, Associate Director<br />
Uta Gruber-Ballehr, Associate Set Designer<br />
Ronny Dietrich, Dramaturgy<br />
Ernst Raffelsberger, Chorus Master<br />
Huw Rhys James, Assistant Chorus Master<br />
<br />
CAST<br />
Anna Netrebko, Leonora<br />
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Azucena<br />
Diana Haller*, Ines<br />
Francesco Meli, Manrico<br />
Plácido Domingo, Count di Luna<br />
Riccardo Zanellato, Ferrando<br />
Gerard Schneider*, Ruiz / Un messo<br />
Raimundas Juzuitis*, An Old Gypsy<br />
Members of the Angelika Prokopp Sommerakademie of the Vienna Philharmonic<br />
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera<br />
Chorus
Vienna Philharmonic<br />
<br />
*Members of the Young Singers Project
<br />
<br />
REVIEW<br />
Written by Herbert<br />
<br />
Yesterday I saw the second performance of IL TROVATORE in Salzburg.<br />
<br />
I love the production, although some critics say it was without any ideas. I don't hink so at all! To put the story in a museum, where the paintings begin to "live", is quite clever, especially in the first part. In the second part everything is destroyed and there doesn't happen too much on stage. But it is the part where Anna Netrebko has to sing several arias and duets, and she does it in such a fantastic way that you don't miss anything on stage. It is enough to see her alone on this huge platform and listen to her voice.<br />
<br />
I hope the TV broadcast on Friday shows a lot of the whole stage, not just the open mouths of the singers, because there is a lot going on in this museum. ;-))<br />
<br />
After the first night there were no standing ovations - that's what some critics moaned about. Well, I can assure you that yesterday there were many curtain calls and the whole house was on their feet!<br />
<br />
After the show Anna and her fiancé Yusif left the Festspielhaus by car. She said though the open window that she was sorry, but they had to go to a special dinner, which was true, as I heard afterwards.<br />
<br />
Before Placido Domingo left he came out to his fans, and he "bathed" in the crowd. He is a real treasure. He even waved this arm through the open window of the car when some young people greeted him (that's one of my funniest snapshots).<br />
<br />
Everybody who has the chance to see IL TROVATORE on Friday on Arte, CLASSICA or on <a href="http://medici.tv/">medici.tv</a> - do so! It will be one of Anna's best roles!<br />
<br />
PHOTOS<br />
All photos by Herbert<br />
<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-76999647065389065482014-07-13T18:55:00.007+02:002014-07-13T18:58:13.148+02:00Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, France 12 July 2014<i>Report and photos by</i><br />
Herbert<br />
<br />
"Probably one of Anna Netrebko's best concerts ever" - it may sound like an ad for Heineken beer, but it is true.<br />
<br />
Last night she sang at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, and it was an absolute triumph. The Parisiens - many young people in the audience - love and adore her. She was welcomed with ovations even before she had sung a single note.<br />
<br />
It was the same programme as in Baden-Baden in June, this time with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (conductor: Massimo Zanetti), and her tenor partner for two duets was Riccardo Massi.<br />
<br />
Although there were numberless curtain calls at the end, she added only one encore (from Dvorak, "Rusalka") and then said she had to finish because she had to sing in Paris again on Monday.<br />
<br />
All her arias and duets from Il Trovatore, Macbeth, Otello, Manon Lescaut, Adriana Lecouvreur were samples and "tasters" which made you wish to hear the whole opera sung and interpreted by her.<br />
<br />
What a voice, what a presence!<br />
<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-87851173629330045262014-07-02T13:01:00.003+02:002014-07-02T13:01:48.457+02:00Macbeth, Munich 2014-07-01Report and photos by <i>Herbert</i><br />
<br />
The second MACBETH on 1 July was as sold out and impressive as the first.<br />
<br />
Anna Netrebko's interpretation of the role of Lady Macbeth was intense, striking and certainly a new and promising step in her career.<br />
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After the show there was a big reception in teh Nationaltheater, so the singers didn't come out at the stage door, except Joseph Calleja.<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-67481213081664880282014-06-28T11:38:00.001+02:002014-06-28T11:38:16.126+02:00Worldwide debut of Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth at the Opera Festival in MunichReport and photos by:<br />
Herbert<br />
<br />
Last night Anna Netrebko sang her first Lady Macbeth ever (worldwide!) at the Opera Festival in Munich.<br />
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Together with Simon Keenlyside (Macbeth), Joseph Calleja (what a luxury for the comparatively small role as Macduff!) and Ildar Abdrazakov (Banco) she was the star of the evening and enjoyed a very big success.<br />
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One may discuss the production by Martin Kusej. To me the first part was very static, whereas in the second part masses of people crowded the stage, sometimes in underwear, sometimes in uniform, sometimes naked - and the costumes are at least not a stroke of genius by a dress designer.<br />
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The same can be said about Anna's red-blonde wig.
But you can forget all this when you see Lady Macbeth acting together with her husband or when you listen to Anna's vocal eruptions which brought the house down.<br />
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Having heard her now in Il Trovatore, in Manon Lescaut and in Macbeth, I can't believe that she once sang the roles of Adina in Elisir d'amore or Amina in La Sonnambula. What an impressive and unbelievable development of her voice!
Her acting, too, is very convincing - as far as the production allows it. Whether she has to balance and sing (!) on a giant chandelier or to walk (in high heels) across a large field of white skulls - she is "the lady".<br />
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Standing ovations and many curtain calls for Anna and the whole cast and for conductor Paolo Carignani.<br />
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The next and already last performance will be on Tuesday.
And then let's look forward to the new Macbeth at the Met in September/October - hopefully director Adrian Noble and his production team will offer a more inspired view of this powerful story than Kusej does.<br />
<br />
Some official photos can be seen <a href="http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/889-ZG9tPWRvbTEmZmxhZz0xJmlkPTE1NDcmbD1lbiZ0ZXJtaW49MTMzMTA-~spielplan~oper~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html">here</a>.<br />
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:Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-12144821303356337492014-06-11T18:11:00.004+02:002014-06-11T18:14:01.897+02:00Anna Netrebko in Baden-Baden on 10 June 2014<span style="font-size: large;">Anna Netrebko & James Valenti</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Baden-Baden, Germany, 10 June 2014</span><br />
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Report and photos by Herbert<br />
<br />
Yesterday Anna gave a "new" concert in Baden-Baden.<br />
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It was "new" because she sang only arias from her new repertoire ("Il trovatore", "Manon Lescaut", "Macbeth") or from operas she will hopefully sing as soon as possible ("Andrea Chénier", "Otello", "Adriana Lecouvreur").<br />
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If this is the direction of her career, we can be expeting something great!<br />
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Even for an encore she said: "No Traviata, no dancing. But Dvorak, Rusalka".<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-33499298209437729932014-05-16T13:21:00.004+02:002014-05-16T13:33:41.369+02:00Anna Netrebko's concert in Barcelona postponedThe concert of Anna Netrebko in Barcelona, which was scheduled to take place on 21 May 2014 at the Palacio de la Música, has been postponed until 17 December 2014. Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-79721340767123954362014-04-13T09:51:00.001+02:002014-04-13T09:51:25.754+02:00Giovanna D'Arco - Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-84508540753591647802014-03-11T20:52:00.001+01:002014-03-30T14:07:41.773+02:00Manon Lescaut, Teatro dell' Opera, Rome, 06-03-2014<h3>
Manon Lescaut</h3>
<h4>
Teatro dell' Opera, Rome, Italy, 06-03-2014</h4>
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Review and photos by:</div>
<div>
<i>Marie Delannoy</i></div>
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On March 6, I had the chance to see the last performance of Puccini's Manon Lescaut. The attractiveness of this show was explained by the presence only of Anna Netrebko and conductor Riccardo Muti.
The staging was very classic as is the Italian public but extremely consistent.
A new stage was proposed in each act. The decor is always impressive, Chiara, daughter of maestro does not skimp on the means: tall ship, luxurious gazebo, house suspended with a balcony, beautiful costumes, ...
What is unfortunate is that such devices require whenever a break which cuts the enchantment of spectators.<br />
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Orchestral conducting was perfect! Muti is a master in the field and the Roman public adores. At the beginning of each act, a standing ovation was reserved for him.<br />
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The entire cast was good and fairly homogeneous. But Anna was clearly a cut above. His interpretation of the heroine of Puccini was just perfect. Can not say that it was taking a role as his mastery of song and stagecraft was perfect!<br />
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After the show, Anna lingered a little to his fans outside when it is clearly not intended to do so early. She signed autographs and posed for pictures. After that, she went happily walk with tenor eat at a nearby restaurant.<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-85331755628211598852014-03-03T20:36:00.000+01:002014-03-03T20:37:49.330+01:00Manon Lescaut, Teatro dell'Opera, Rome, Italy, 02-03-2014<h3>
<b>Manon Lescaut</b></h3>
<h4>
Teatro dell'Opera, Rome, Italy, 02-03-2014</h4>
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Review and photos by:<br />
<i>Herbert</i><br />
<br />
After a long break I went to Rome to see "Manon Lescaut" at the Teatro dell' Opera on Sunday.<br />
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It was a new procuction, directed by Riccardo Muti's daughter Chiara and conducted by the maestro himself.<br />
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Well, the setting was VERY traditional, but I have read that Italians don't like "modern" experiments on their opera stages. I would say: Better an "old-fashioned" production like this than some of these senseless "Regietheater"-operas one sometimes has to endure.<br />
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Muti is a genius, and the Roman audience adored him. He was welcomed with ovations at the beginning of each act. BTW Antonio Pappano was sitting in the central box!<br />
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The cast - apart from Anna of course - was quite alright. Manon is another new role for Anna, and yet again she seems to have sung and played it many times, because she is simply perfect. After her big aria in the second act there was a tornado of BRAVAs, and the show had to be interrupted for quite some time.
Also her death scene at the end was thrilling - she was alone on stage and her presence was fascinating.<br />
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After the show she left the house through the stage door, smiled at the crowd waiting for her, but then she walked away with her mobile phone at her ear (see photo below). <br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-82177726761921053972014-02-24T22:20:00.000+01:002014-02-24T22:21:37.542+01:00L'Elisir d'Amore, Met, NYC, NY 01-02-2014<h3>
L'Elisir d'Amore, Met, NYC, NY 01-02-2014</h3>
<i>Review and Photos by</i><br />
Yige Li<br />
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Okay, I know this is a much belated review, but I feel it necessary to still give one. Better late than never—after all, I will not have another chance to report a performance of L’Elisir d’Amore with Anya.<br />
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Let us admit it that voice of Anna Netrebko is no longer for Adina in the traditional sense. Though she was fully capable to light up her voice to meet the requirement of MUSIC, her voice is larger, darker and meatier than one would expect from this CHARACTER. And clearly, she knows it, too, which makes this her farewell Adina. I do not mean this was not a good Adina, however, it was DIFFERENT. Compared to her now-classical portray of this role in the Otto Schenk production in Vienna in 2005 released by Virgin Records, in which she created a very girlish character, driven by the kind of pride one could expect from a beautiful girl in love, her Adina here was a much mature person. Her treatment on Nemorino, whom she has clearly loved from the very beginning, was driven by fear of losing control of herself. And this makes the uneven balance of soprano and tenor not a problem as it could be in a normal production (since Anya’s voice is bigger than the usual lyric tenor that would be casted as Nemorino). She is a strong woman, and he is a boy. The Bartlett Sher production tailored for Anya, with all the problems being discussed by many, was, however, right on spot for this.<br />
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There are many great singers I appreciate, while Anya always holds a very special position in my heart. I am not sure it is just she is special, or I am among the special lucky group of people who have some “resonance” with her. Her performance always gave me the feeling of trueness. When it is a tragedy, it could be painful, as I suffer with the person onstage (Anya or the character, I am just too silly to tell) even AFTER performance. But when it is a comic one, oh, what joy! Anya was not trying to be funny and pleasing you. She was simply being happy playing all the tricks and she was such inspiring and open that made the audience feel with her. When coming to the romantic and lyric part, it was simply touching. She colored her voice with such sympathy that I had never gotten it from anyone else. And, she even made stiffness an effective expression. At the end of Act 1, when Adina asked people coming to her wedding, she began with a stiff sound then turned it into a kind of fake and forceful happiness—indeed, how could she be really happy about her wedding right after showing such deep sympathy toward Nemorino? And yet, the best part had not come until Adina bringing back the contract for Nemorino. Even then, she began with unsureness in singing and hided back the contract she brought with at the beginning (which leaded audience to smile). Later, she finally got emotionally released and bloomed into full passion—something belongs to a fuller persona than the usual girlish little Adina.<br />
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Anya’s co-star, Mr. Vargas was not in his best voice that night. In fact, before Act 2, it was announced that he was still suffering the sickness which forced him cancelling the previous two performances. Interestingly, his singing for the second part was actually better than the first part. I guess maybe the announcement released him from pressure? Still, he had enough interaction with Anya, made it a better performance than the one a week ago—in which, Mr. Cordella, the cover, who had the cover rehearsal though, never did a rehearsal with Anya nor performed with her before was put onto stage in short notice. The pressure to sing opposite the most beloved soprano is understandable, especially when it was broadcasted. I felt the (over-)carefulness of Mr. Cordella when he was interacting (I mean both sing- and acting-wise) with Anya. So did I feel that Anya was trying her best to ease and inspire him. I am not blaming anyone. Quite the opposite, I appreciate everyone’s effort. But under this situation, obviously, some spontaneity was missing. When with Netrebko and Vargas, two much familiar colleagues to each other, the spontaneity was restored.<br />
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Mr. Alaimo gave a believable reading for Belcore. With both larger voice and body than Mariusz Kwiecien in this production last season, he (or Mr. Sher, the director) cleverly chose to make the character more a buffo role, with silly self-confidence. And Anya rightly made Adina’s flirting with him less serious, more like a game.<br />
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As Doctor Dulcamara, Mr. Schrott was overacting. Though he clearly knows that one should not trying to be funny in a comic as he stated during the interview of the broadcast last season, this was exactly what he was doing. Adding a lot of whispers into his singing did make some funny moments, but also broke the music line—something a serious musician should always avoid (Just compare it to what Mr. Maestri did in this role last season, who treated the music line with detailed care). Unsurprisingly, these tricks worked on most audience. However, this kind of cheapness should never be encouraged.<br />
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Overall, this was a satisfying performance for my taste. Whether one would like it or not depends heavily (or even, should I say, solely) on his/her opinion on this Adina. Though it is clearly not a standard/typical Adina, and I am pretty confident saying this could not be an Adina “the composer intended”, the humanistic touch Anya put into this role is irresistible. Honestly, I even like it more than how “it should be”. While we praise those (sometimes criticized as over-)romantic approach of Bach’s masterpiece for keyboard on piano (which was obviously not the composer’s intention), why we could not embrace a “heavy voiced” Adina?
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Still, Anya decided to drop this role and devote her time to those more challenge new roles that her voice has developed to be capable to sing just in recent years. I could only wish her the very best on her new adventures. Meanwhile, I will always miss all those joyful singing and dancing and jumping onstage. I could not expect she doing everything in the given time. With all her exciting future roles, I guess missing Adina is the price we should pay for. Well, that is life.<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-82902755667532625862013-12-16T22:58:00.000+01:002013-12-16T22:59:18.925+01:00Il Trovatore, Staatsoper im Schiller Theater, Berlin, 15 December 2013REPORT<br />
by Herbert<br />
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Yesterday I went to see "Il Trovatore" again. This time the audience was absolutely excited. There were standing ovations, many many curtain calls and flowers for all singers and for Barenboim. After the show Anna left the Staatsoper through a side exit, but Placido Domingo spent a lot of time with his young and old fans.<br />
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PHOTO ALBUM<br />
All photos by Herbert
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-37934647352570766802013-12-03T08:03:00.000+01:002013-12-03T08:52:50.218+01:00Il Trovatore, Berliner Staatsoper, Berlin 29. Nov 2013IL TROVATORE<br />
Oper von Giuseppe Verdi<br />
<br />
29. Nov 2013 | 19:00 <br />
PREMIERE
STAATSOPER IM SCHILLER THEATER<br />
<br />
CONDUCTOR<br />
Daniel Barenboim<br />
<br />
DIRECTOR<br />
Philipp Stölzl<br />
<br />
SET DESIGN<br />
Conrad Moritz Reinhardt<br />
Philipp Stölzl<br />
<br />
CO-DIRECTOR | CHOREOGRAPHY<br />
Mara Kurotschka<br />
<br />
COSTUME DESIGN<br />
Ursula Kudrna<br />
<br />
VIDEO<br />
fettFilm (Momme Hinrichs | Torge Møller)<br />
<br />
LIGHT DESIGN<br />
Olaf Freese<br />
<br />
CHOIR<br />
Martin Wright<br />
<br />
DRAMATURGY<br />
Jan Dvořák<br />
<br />
<br />
COUNT LUNA<br />
Plácido Domingo<br />
<br />
LEONORA<br />
Anna Netrebko<br />
<br />
MANRICO<br />
Gaston Rivero<br />
<br />
AZUCENA<br />
Marina Prudenskaya<br />
<br />
FERRANDO<br />
Adrian Sâmpetrean<br />
<br />
INEZ<br />
Anna Lapkovskaja<br />
<br />
RUIZ<br />
Florian Hoffmann<br />
<br />
DANCERS<br />
Alexander Fend | Gernot Frischling | Kira Senkpiel | Filippo Serra | Leah Katz | Katerina Gevetzi | Kate Sandell | Eric Dunlap<br />
<br />
<br />
PHOTOS<br />
All photos by Herbert<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-46848698196687789482013-09-21T16:00:00.000+02:002013-09-24T14:12:06.642+02:00Dress Rehearsal, Eugene Onegin, Met, Sep. 19, 2013Piotr I. Tchaikovsky<br />
EUGENE ONEGIN<br />
<br />
Dress Rehearsal, Met, September 19, 2013<br />
<br />
CAST<br />
Conductor: Valery Gergiev<br />
Tatiana: Anna Netrebko<br />
Olga: Oksana Volkova<br />
Lenski: Piotr Beczala<br />
Onegin: Mariusz Kwiecien<br />
Gremin: Alexei Tanovitski<br />
<br />
THE PRODUCTION TEAM<br />
Production: Deborah Warner<br />
Set Designer: Tom Pye<br />
Costume Designer: Chloe Obolensky<br />
Lighting Designer: Jean Kalman<br />
Video Designers: Ian William Galloway, Finn Ross<br />
Choreographer: Kim Brandstrup
<br />
<br />
REVIEW by Berta<br />
The following review has been written by Berta and it was first published on <a href="http://piotr-beczalas-friends.blogspot.com.br/2013/09/the-dream-taem-onegin-final-draess.html">Piotr Beczala's Friends Fanpage</a>. It is now published here by the kind permission of Berta.<br />
<br />
EUGENE ONEGIN, MET OPERA, Final Dress Rehearsal - 19.09.2013<br />
THE DREAM TEAM<br />
<br />
It's been many years since I last saw <b>Tchaikovsky</b>'s Eugene Onegin, and the thought of seeing it at the Met again, with a true dream cast, has been on my mind since the new season was announced. So I already have my ticket for October 1, and of course there is the HD performance on October 5, to look forward to. But like all opera lovers, I am greedy. That just wasn't enough. Then, a very special person gave me a ticket for the final dress rehearsal before opening night. The Met doesn't fill up the house for the dress. There are special sections for the technical staff, sections for the costume department, special sections for the musical staff. My seat was 5th row, dead center, with no one in the first few rows to block my perfect view!<br />
<br />
There was a palpable excitement in the auditorium. This was truly something to look forward to. And with a cast that included <b>Anna Netrebko</b>, <b>Mariusz Kwiecien</b>, <b>Piotr Beczala</b>, and conducted by the great <b>Valery Gergiev</b>, I think "Dream Team" has taken on a whole new meaning!<br />
<br />
The sets were light colored, and airy, like a conservatory in Russia of the 1800s. The time period has been moved to the late 19th century, around the time of the opera's premiere. The costumes were beautiful, and very flattering, for a change. The cast was dressed impeccably. The ladies looked suitably middle-to-upper class, and Messers <b>Beczala</b> and <b>Kwiecien</b> looked as if they had just stepped out of the current (1800's) version of Vogue magazine! And <b>Netrebko</b>'s red gown in the third act is stunning!<br />
<br />
But the voices! Voices like these, singing their music, must be what every composer envisions, when he or she sits down to write music. <b>Mariusz Kwiecien</b> is the finest Onegin I've heard. He looked every inch the part of the supercilious, pseudo-aristocrat, looking down his nose at the Larin family, and their lovely older daughter, who has the misfortune to fall in love with him. In the Playbill, <b>Anna Netrebko</b> is quoted as saying that Mariusz is a "stage animal." I believe it. He inhabits his roles. He absorbs the stage. I've seen him do comedy, drama, and tragedy. I don't think there is any role in his fach, that he can't bring greatness to. And he sang magnificently! I was told that he was ill, but one would never know it. His elegant, lyric baritone voice was beautifully produced, and in the first act, when he returns Tatiana's letter to her, and tries to let her down gently, telling her he can offer her only friendship, not love, the gentleness in his voice is perfect.<br />
<br />
<b>Anna Netrebko</b> is at this time, Queen of the opera world. She just is. She's gorgeous, and sings like an angel. But she's also quite a moving, effective actress. She's not afraid to take risks, and most of the time, they work perfectly. Hard to believe in "Netrebko the wallflower," but, as Tatiana, she was shy, anxious, naïve, schoolgirlish, and in love with a man who could never love her the way she was. The famous Letter Scene could hardly be bettered, in my opinion. Beautifully acted, and exquisitely sung. The third act is all Mariusz and Anna, and they pulled out all the stops! At the end, Onegin is shattered, and so are we.
<br />
<br />
And now, to Lensky. The poet. Looking every inch the sweet, gentle man in love with the younger Larin sister, Olga, <b>Piotr Beczala</b> was at first high-strung, kind of giggly, playful, a man in love. But as we see in the second act, he is also a passionate man, driven to unreasonable jealousy, and unable to stop his downward spiral. The second act of Eugene Onegin is one of the finest examples of glorious singing, coupled with first rate acting, which builds to its expected unhappy end. Lensky's famous aria, "Kuda, Kuda, kuda vy udalilis" could have been written for the glorious voice of <b>Piotr Beczala</b>. He began very softly, and as his hope not to die, rose, so too, did the plangency of his voice, quieting down again, at the inevitability of his future. The audience was so still during the aria, it was almost as if the auditorium was empty. No one wanted to miss one golden tone. Until the last note of the orchestra died, and the spell was broken. Then the eruption of applause, bravos, whistles, even some stomping began. This was greatness. The duel scene was magnificent. Many people have questioned the fact that Onegin and Lensky used rifles, instead of pistols. I don't know the reasoning behind this, unless it's to make a bigger stage effect. But the fugue sung by Onegin and Lensky, as Lensky lays dying in his friend's arms, is heartbreakingly beautiful. I was shaking for several minutes at the end of Act 2.<br />
<br />
I must also mention <b>Oksana Volkova</b>, as Olga. Having seen her debut last season, as the slutty Maddalena in the Las Vegas Rigoletto, I was unprepared for her youthful, pure Olga. She was wonderful! Her deep, throaty voice was an interesting counterpoint to her naivete.<br />
<br />
The conducting of <b>Valery Gergiev</b> was elegant, and passionate, with a minimum of arm-waving. Yet he brought out all the beauty of Tchaikovsky's music.<br />
<br />
I cannot wait for October 1, to see this again. And October 5. And maybe, October 12, or 19????
<br />
<br />
<br />
REVIEW by Yige Li<br />
<br />
This was the first time I ever attended a final dress rehearsal, and I felt so lucky being able to see this before the season’s opening.<br />
<br />
Production-wise, it’s a good one, though, MET’s previous production by Carsen suits my taste better.
<br />
<br />
It’s kind of confusion that all the three scenes in act 1 are set at the same place. And in Act 1 Scene 3, instead of the usual entrance of Tatyana after the girl’s chorus passage, she sits in a chair with her back to the audience during the whole opening chorus’ singing. I’m not picky hoping a production would follow the libretto line by line. A Regietheater work could have some freedom, as far as the music and the spirit of the libretto are followed. But for a traditional tell-the-story-as-it-is production, it’s hard to understand why not setting the three scenes at the garden outside Larin’s house, Tatyana’s bedroom, another part of the garden, as the libretto suggests. And having Tatyana on stage from the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3 makes it impossible for her to rush onto the stage after the girls’ chorus, which, in my opinion is clearly written in the orchestra playing. Also, the stage lighting is bit “foggy”.<br />
<br />
Compare to the videos shown on the MET website, what I saw from my seat in the most center side box on Grand Tier (the third floor, above the orchestra level and parterre level, under dress circle, balcony, and dress circle, for the reference of those who are not familiar with MET), the bright part is darker, and the dark part is brighter. However, this was, after all, a rehearsal that the orchestra members wore daily cloths rather than all black when in performances, plus having producing team in the center of orchestra level with screens and light on their scores. This should be less a problem in a real performance. Also, this made the screening before every scene not as clear as one would expected. I am not fond of this design, feeling like watching movies in a cinema without all the lights off. But, again, this could be better in a real performance. And in Act 3, the so many columns often block our beloved characters from audience.
<br />
<br />
Still the production has many great moments of blocking and acting. For example, in Act 1 Scene 1, during the dance of peasants, Tatyana was forced to the corner leaving space to the happy dancing people, while in Act 3 Scene 1, it was the similar situation for Onegin, which beautifully illustrates the image of two outsiders. The hand-shaking and hugging between Onegin and Lensky after the canon singing of tenor and baritone, before the duel in Act 3 Scene 2, makes the two characters appear more conscious than in usual productions, and lead the death of Lensky (and the lost of Onegin) more tragic.<br />
<br />
And as it was mentioned by Mariusz in the MetTalk earlier on, in the last scene, when Onegin and Tatyana singing “happiness was within our touch, so close, so close, so close”, they were separated apart at the left and right side of the stage, which, together with the singing, gave a complex several-layer confliction between being close and distant.<br />
<br />
There is also a very great acting parallel between Onegin rejecting Tatyana in the end of Act 1 and Tatyana rejecting Onegin in the end of Act 3 (the following words are in white, for those who could not see it either live or HD transmission, you can read them by selecting them by your mouse, and for those who will see it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT read it, it will be much better that you learn it from stage), <span style="color: white;">in which they both gave a kiss--but for Onegin in Act 1, it’s a kiss from an elder brother comforting the little girl, while for Tatyana in Act 3, it’s a farewell kiss for not only the man she loved and loves but also for her love, her dream, and her teen-age, which is definitely a heartbroken moment.</span><br />
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Singing-and-acting-wise, our three leads were great. <b>Piotr Beczala</b> was a romantic and hot-blood poet. His voice was bit more heroic (heavy?) than what I remembered from last time I heard him live. Whether it’s the growing of his voice, or it’s the approaching of the character in this production, or it’s the effect of Russian language, I’m not quite sure. Anyway, the result was great.<br />
<br />
<b>Mariusz Kwiecien</b> was a handsome and cynical Onegin. Like Beczala, his voice has also become heavier than last time I heard him (in “L’Elisir d’Amore” last season in MET). Though it could very well be the difference between roles, I do think his voice is growing to heavier repertoires, considering he just made a successful role debut as Posa in ROH’s “Don Carlo” earlier this year.<br />
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And as for <b>Anna Netrebko</b> as Tatyana, it’s a perfect match. When having her role in Vienna this April, some reviewers commented it was a great success with the only question that why she didn't take this great role for her earlier. I disagree with that as I do think she take this role at a right time. True that her appearance is not as young and skinny as she was ten years earlier, but opera is firstly about singing--having a right voice is the essential requirement. And her heart is still young enough to play a teenager in love but also having the experience knowing how to play a married noble lady. She has a larger instrument than before as requested by the role, and a better lower register than before, which is important. There are some lines in Tatyana’s singing part going low, and one could not use chest voice to approach without thinking--after all, this is a pure soul not Lady Macbeth that one can make it however dark without being mistaken. And as always, her pianissimo moved me deeply. They’re not all about some beautiful notes, but emotion. These pianissimos had different colors: the waking of love in the Act 1 Scene 1 quartet; the hesitation in letter scene; the nervousness before Onegin’s entrance in Act 1 Scene 3; the emotional tiredness and conscious despair in the last act. And her acting is great but different as before. I have always loved her relaxing body on stage, but this time, it’s the nervous body that won my heart, which is just what the character needs. Her eyes are shiny as always but softer, deeper and more sensitive. I still could recognize the actress Anya I know, but this time, it’s a totally Tatyana-ized Anya.
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<br />
This showed a very promising performance to look forward to, the only thing lacking is the white-hot energy--better to be saved in the real performance (Didn't we always hear stories about a disappointing performance after a way too great rehearsal? And personally, I did realize a performance lacking bit of energy after a great performance.). And I have already had tickets for several performances next month in the pocket.
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P.S. A sentence after hearing the opening night from MET live stream: they did save energy for the real performance, and it was hot-white.
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PHOTOS<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M-COhlr2CV0/UkGAYo8v6VI/AAAAAAAAH7U/Md87c7fXaQU/s1600/L1040322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M-COhlr2CV0/UkGAYo8v6VI/AAAAAAAAH7U/Md87c7fXaQU/s640/L1040322.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; line-height: 13.600000381469727px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Standing ovation continuous and people from producing team asking them to have another bow. Photo: Yige Li</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9nfBeIntXw/UkGAgxXbotI/AAAAAAAAH7c/ZLjAqIpuNtk/s1600/stagedoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9nfBeIntXw/UkGAgxXbotI/AAAAAAAAH7c/ZLjAqIpuNtk/s640/stagedoor.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Anna at the stage door after the dress rehearsal. Photo: Yige Li</span></td></tr>
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VIDEOCLIPS<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/d56MMagyMXs" width="640"></iframe>
Excerpt from Tatiana's Letter Scene ("Puskai pogibnu ya") from Act I of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Anna Netrebko (Tatiana). Production: Deborah Warner. Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Opening Production of the 2013--14 season.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ccGKhjEOEuE" width="640"></iframe>
Onegin's aria ("Kogda bi zhizn") from Act I of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Mariusz Kwiecien (Onegin). Production: Deborah Warner. Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Opening Production of the 2013--14 season.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DG5zK7GBXwQ" width="640"></iframe>
Excerpt from Lenski's aria ("Kuda, kuda") from Act II of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Piotr Beczala (Lenski). Production: Deborah Warner. Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Opening Production of the 2013--14 season.Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-4107229339083764492013-08-19T02:25:00.002+02:002013-08-19T02:25:52.387+02:00Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, Salzburg 18. Aug 2013ORCHESTRA DELL'ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA<br />
<br />
In honour of the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Britten<br />
<br />
PROGRAMME<br />
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN • War Requiem, Op. 66<br />
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PERFORMERS<br />
Antonio Pappano, Conductor<br />
Anna Netrebko, Soprano<br />
Ian Bostridge, Tenor<br />
Thomas Hampson, Baritone<br />
Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor<br />
Wolfgang Götz, Chorus Master<br />
Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia<br />
Ciro Visco, Chorus Master<br />
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia<br />
<br />
BROADCASTS<br />
Ö1 radio broadcast on 8. September at 11.03<br />
ORF 2 TV broadcast on 1. November<br />
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PHOTOS<br />
All photos by Herbert<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-47213555553439423892013-08-12T16:35:00.000+02:002013-08-25T15:15:36.828+02:00Anna Netrebko Facebook Group<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mo7k1-BMvE/UgjvMNXTj6I/AAAAAAAAH1M/i7aOFQBFrws/s1600/Fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="312" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mo7k1-BMvE/UgjvMNXTj6I/AAAAAAAAH1M/i7aOFQBFrws/s640/Fb.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<br />
The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/anna.netrebko/">Anna Netrebko Facebook Group</a> is a nice social media meeting point for all Anna fans who like to be the first to know everything related to the diva: news, photos, videos, articles, new album releases, performances, reviews... anything! It is also the place to express yourself, as well as to meet and discuss with other fans.<br />
<br />
The group has currently more than 850 members from different countries all around the world and it is very active. If you like to become a member, you just need to ask to join the group. Your application will be processed ASAP.<br />
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I will be glad to welcome you to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/anna.netrebko/">Anna Netrebko Facebook Group</a>.<br />
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Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-64906990792386198152013-08-08T15:41:00.001+02:002013-08-08T15:41:19.404+02:00Giovanna d'Arco, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, Aug. 6, 2013PROGRAMME DETAIL<br />
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GIUSEPPE VERDI • GIOVANNA D’ARCO<br />
Dramma lirico in a prologue and three acts
by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)<br />
Libretto by Temistocle Solera (1815–1878), based on the drama Die Jungfrau von Orléans by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)<br />
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Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, August 6, 2013<br />
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Concert performance<br />
With German and English surtitles<br />
Duration of the opera approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes.<br />
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LEADING TEAM<br />
Paolo Carignani, Conductor<br />
Walter Zeh, Chorus Master<br />
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CAST<br />
Anna Netrebko, Giovanna d’Arco<br />
Francesco Meli, Carlo VII<br />
Plácido Domingo, Giacomo<br />
Roberto Tagliavini, Talbot<br />
Johannes Dunz, Delil<br />
Philharmonia Chor<br />
Wien
Münchner Rundfunkorchester<br />
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REVIEW<br />
By <i>Herbert</i><br />
I have just returned from Europe's largest sauna - the Felsenreitschule in Salzburg, where I attended this afternoon the premiere of "Giovanna d'Arco". I must say: RESPECT for the singers, the orchestra, the conductor and the chorus, because it was really hot. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic concert in a sold-out house, and there were endless standing ovations at the end.<br />
The cast was first class - Placido Domingo (Giacomo), Anna Netrebko (Giovanna) and tenor Francesco Meli (Carlo) filled the house with their voices and their personalities. When Anna sang Giovanna's death scene she appeared in the illuminated arcades of the Felsenreitschule (like in "Roméo et Juliette" in 2010!), walking in a golden dress like a Greek goddess from left to the centre, were she stood still and began to sing. It was awesome!<br />
Another highlight was the duet of Placido Domingo and Anna in the third act - wonderful music and excellent singing!
After the performance Anna and Placido Domingo appeared at the stage door for photos and autographs, and they were cheered by their fans.
ORF has recorded the show and it will be broadcast on radio Ö 1 on 17 August 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
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PHOTOS<br />
All photos by <i>Herbert</i><br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-52297918889561483182013-07-26T00:01:00.000+02:002013-07-26T09:32:36.068+02:00Otello (Act I)/Die Walküre (Act III), Verbier, July 25, 2013OTELLO, ACT I | DIE WALKÜRE, ACT III<br />
Verbier, July 25, 2013, 7:00 PM<br />
<br />
Verbier Festival Orchestra<br />
Valery Gergiev, conductor<br />
<br />
VERDI: OTELLO - ACT I<br />
Aleksandrs Antonenko (Otello)<br />
Anna Netrebko (Desdemona)<br />
Alexei Markov (Iago)<br />
Francesco Demuro (Cassio)<br />
Anthony Gregory (Rodrigo)<br />
TBA (Montano)<br />
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WAGNER: DIE WALKÜRE - ACT III<br />
Bryn Terfel (Wotan)<br />
Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde)<br />
Iréne Theorin (Brünhilde)<br />
Zhanna Dombrovskaia (Gerhilde)<br />
Irina Vasilieva (Ortlinde)<br />
Natalia Evstafieva (Waltraute)<br />
TBA (Schwertleite)<br />
Tatiana Kravtsova (Helmwige)<br />
Anna Kiknadze (Grimgerde)<br />
Elena Vitman (Rossweisse)<br />
<br />
Movie director : Anaïs Spiro<br />
Location : Salle des Combins (Verbier, Switzerland)<br />
Production : Idéale Audience - MUSEEC/medici.tv<br />
<br />
VIDEO<br />
Full concert available at <a href="http://www.medici.tv/#!/valery-gergiev-anna-netrebko-bryn-terfel-eva-maria-westbroek-verdi-wagner">medici.tv</a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/G6Dr41wGObw?list=UUx8Hvu3edWIwQhQZVvMT9aQ" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
PHOTOS<br />
All photos by Herbert<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-758724386340337142013-07-25T17:15:00.004+02:002013-07-25T19:24:40.757+02:00Anna Netrebko and Valery Gergiev at the general rehearsal of the first act of Otello in Verbier this morningOTELLO, ACT I | DIE WALKÜRE, ACT III<br />
Verbier, July 25, 2013, 7:00 PM<br />
<br />
Verbier Festival Orchestra<br />
Valery Gergiev conductor<br />
<br />
VERDI: OTELLO - ACT I<br />
Aleksandrs Antonenko (Otello)<br />
Anna Netrebko (Desdemona)<br />
Alexey Markov (Iago)<br />
Francesco Demuro (Cassio)<br />
Anthony Gregory (Roderigo)<br />
TBA (Montano)<br />
<br />
WAGNER: DIE WALKÜRE - ACT III<br />
Bryn Terfel (Wotan)<br />
Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde)<br />
Iréne Theorin (Brünhilde)<br />
Zhanna Dombrovskaia (Gerhilde)<br />
Irina Vasilieva (Ortlinde)<br />
Natalia Evstafieva (Waltraute)<br />
TBA (Schwertleite)<br />
Tatiana Kravtsova (Helmwige)<br />
Anna Kiknadze (Grimgerde)<br />
Elena Vitman (Rossweisse)<br />
<br />
Movie director : Anaïs Spiro<br />
Location : Salle des Combins (Verbier, Switzerland)<br />
Production : Idéale Audience - MUSEEC/medici.tv<br />
<br />
PHOTOS<br />
All photos by Herbert<br />
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656305273324419856.post-13614917542485470712013-06-12T16:51:00.002+02:002013-06-12T16:51:47.108+02:00Anna Netrebko: Verdi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Carloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13519033651140851117noreply@blogger.com6