The Passion of Opera

Puccini's Madama Butterfly  or Madame Butterfly  is, unquestionably, one of opera's most beloved tales. In many ways it seems fairly straightforward to produce. The snags come, however, in the way the emotional content must be communicated. The first act culminating in " Vogliatemi, bene ," and the opening " Un bel dí vedremo " of the second act must create enough passionate, romantic tension to hold through the entirety of the second act (with the important exception, perhaps, of the revelation of her son) and most of the third act to the point of Pinkerton's return and ultimate betrayal. Most of the actual time of the opera is spent waiting, and unless the anticipation sets up an electric feeling of suspense, that waiting can be very boring. This production by the Staatsoper was billed as being in two acts. I am not an expert on the various revisions Puccini did to Madame Butterfly  and I cannot say whether it was simply billed this way becaus...

Not only was this visit to the Wiener Staatsoper a first for me (a Handel Baroque opera), but also, apparently, a first for the Staatsoper. I was informed that they either have not, or very unusually have utilized before this production of George Frideric Handel's  Alcina  period instruments, tuning, and technique for a Baroque work. Despite this focus on historical accuracy and musical fidelity, the staging and the set were relatively modern in many ways, taking some liberties with even the ideas of the original story (an arrival on a balloon rather than a hippogryph, for instance). I will say that the production felt very long, with a lot of  da capo  arias. That said, it was extremely well put together, and the abilities of the singers, though not without a few stumbles, were astounding. I must here enter one apology: I do not know Alcina well enough, and the information on the internet is scarce enough such that I will be unable to give aria names, but will...

This marked my first foray into live Russian opera. I performed in Smetana's Czech The Bartered Bride , though the text was sung in English. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin ( Евгений Онегин/Yevgény Onégin ). Unfortunately, I found the performance to be, overall, relatively emotionally flat, saved in part by an outstanding performance by Pavol Breslik as Lensky in the second act. First, general information and synopsis followed by cast list:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Onegin_(opera) EUGEN ONEGIN | Peter I. Tschaikowski Louis Langrée |  Dirigent Falk Richter |  Regie Katrin Hoffmann |  Bühne Martin Kraemer |  Kostüme Joanna Dudley |  Choreographie Carsten Sander |  Licht Shugo Ikoh |  Regieassistenz Agnes Hasun |  Bühnenbildasistenz   Olga Guryakova |  Tatjana, Tochter von Larina Markus Eiche |  Eugen Onegin Pavol Breslik |  Lensky, Dichter Ain An...

Don Giovanni is, unequivocally, one of the most cherished canonical operas in existence. It is a drama in the Shakespearean style, a mixture between comedy and tragedy. These factors present two difficulties to any company mounting a production. The first, which has always been, is maintaing the balance between tragedy and comedy. The second, which becomes more true every year, is how to make the beloved opera feel fresh. This production, though not without its foibles, accomplished both. General information & synopsis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni Cast information: DON GIOVANNI    | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Diese Produktion wurde ermöglicht mit Unterstützung von LEXUS Patrick Lange |  Dirigent Jean-Louis Martinoty |  Regie Hans Schavernoch |  Ausstattung Yan Tax |  Kostüme Fabrice Kebour |  Licht Sandrina Schwarz |  Bühnenbildassistentin   Adam Plachetka |  Don Giovanni Myrt...