Profile reviews
2Überzeugend die Interaktion mit Bryony Dwyer, einer großartigen Musetta mit ausdrucksstarkem Gesang, neckischem Spiel und punktgenauem Gekicher.
One of the reasons that Turandot is a problem opera is that the two main roles are so unsympathetic, so it’s left to Liù to conquer the audience’s heart. Anita Hartig accomplished that in no uncertain terms: throwing her soul into the tragedy of the character and giving us a voice which perfectly combined strength and sweetness. Both the scene where she explains that Calaf once smiled on her and her subsequent death scene were the vocal highlights of the evening. Faced with such competition, how can the singer of the title role respond?
Past Production Reviews
6Die musikalische Leitung des Abends hat Jordan de Souza. Mit sparsamen, sehr deutlichen Gesten hat er das Geschehen immer unter Kontrolle. Die Tempi überzeugen, die Lautstärken dürften noch unter Kontrolle zu bekommen sein. Die Philharmonia Zürich im hochgefahrenen Orchestergraben folgt ihm höchst konzentriert und mit viel Spielfreude. Ein Extra-Lob verdienen die wunderbaren Holzbläser. Der Chor der Oper Zürich absolvierte seine nicht immer einfachen Auftritte mit schönem Klang und bewundernswerter Motivation.
En fosse, avec une alacrité inaccoutumée dans cet ouvrage, le jeune et bouillonnant chef canadien Jordan de Souza dirige une brillante Philharmonia Zürich, aux sonorités contrastées et à la riche palette de nuances. Toute la flamme, l’énergie, la rage et la poésie qu’appelle le chef d’œuvre de Mozart sont ici restituées avec autant de force que de conviction, et la direction musicale n’est ainsi pas la moindre des satisfactions de notre soirée lyrique suisse !
Anita Hartig and Ellie Dehn share similar voice types, which makes their fourth-act shenanigans when Susanna and the Countess swap identities more convincing than usual. Each has a feather-light timbre – indeed, there were moments in "Dove sono" when Dehn's could have done with guy ropes to weigh it down – and they bring such airiness to their big duet, "Sull'aria", that they all but waft away on the breeze. The scene stealer in this revival is Heather Engebretson as Barbarina, who peeps in like a schoolgirl then pipes up like a diva. The young American is a name to watch and a perfect partner for Kate Lindsey's gangling, hopelessly priapic Cherubino. Of the opera's other comic roles, the great mezzo Ann Murray is on her best vinegary form as Marcellina, but the Bartolo and Basilio of Carlo Lepore and Krystian Adam are a touch under-characterised. Ivor Bolton conducts a ROH Orchestra composed of stay-at-homes from the company's Japanese tour, no doubt bolstered by deps, but the standard is as high as one would expect of a band bearing the house name. Despite some fastish tempo choices, matters are mostly (but not invariably) secure between pit and stage, so Mozart carries the day and bliss is king.
Überzeugend die Interaktion mit Bryony Dwyer, einer großartigen Musetta mit ausdrucksstarkem Gesang, neckischem Spiel und punktgenauem Gekicher.
…y muy acertada la incorporación como Schaunard de un muy activo Josep-Ramon Olivé, uno de los mejores elementos de este segundo reparto junto a la Musetta de Katerina Tretyakova.
One of the reasons that Turandot is a problem opera is that the two main roles are so unsympathetic, so it’s left to Liù to conquer the audience’s heart. Anita Hartig accomplished that in no uncertain terms: throwing her soul into the tragedy of the character and giving us a voice which perfectly combined strength and sweetness. Both the scene where she explains that Calaf once smiled on her and her subsequent death scene were the vocal highlights of the evening. Faced with such competition, how can the singer of the title role respond?
