Past Production Reviews
5Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabitoemphasize the consistent restoration of women's rule in their spacious production of Bellini's "Norma". In the priestess Norma, who serves her gods and yet does not want to live chastely, Bellini depicts in glowing colors the disturbing double life of a woman who is extremely capable of love. However, she has also re-appropriated her dominion herself and has moved into the temple with her children. As a spiritual authority, Norma gives direction to her oppressed people. At the same time, there is a secret love agreement with Pollione, which he breaks when he falls hopelessly in love with Adalgisa. In her anguish, she entrusts her love to the High Priestess. In wild revenge, Norma first wants to kill her and Pollione's children, which the production captures in garish images. in trying Forcibly kidnapping Adalgisa from the temple, Pollione is seized. Norma orders a woodpile to be built for a priestess who has betrayed her country and her gods. But she does not mention Adalgisa's name, but her own. Then she is led to execution. All of this is only hinted at in the production (stage and costumes:Anna Viebrock ; scenic direction of the revival: Anika Rutkofsky ). There are always references to the modern world - from the telephone to the pull-out bed. Even if mystical and metaphysical moments are largely missing in this interpretation, the directing of the characters is all the more credible. One understands, above all, in the convincing performance of the excellent Spanish soprano Yolanda Auyanet,that Norma has the special dignity of a goddess, while she is only criminalized in Alexandre Soumet's play. At the same time, Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito make it clear that Norma is not Medea. Her vengeance is not so merciless, she is ready for a limitless self-sacrifice that leaves the people first shaken and then all the more angry. The strength and power of the mass rebellion stands out in this production in an extremely rousing and breathless way. Under the fiery direction of the young Italian conductor Giacomo Sagripanti, the Stuttgart State Orchestra performs with esprit and grandeur. Bellini's tonal language speaks with a thousand tongues, bringing boundless human passions to life. The brass players also appear at the side entrances and give the production a strange military character. One senses how strongly this work must have influenced Giuseppe Verdi, for example. Yolanda Auyanet lets the ecstatic surge of prayer in “Casta Diva” blossom in passionate cantilenas – and invoked in the cabaletta her marriage bond with Pollione in a most moving way. Yolanda Auyanet traces the contrast between prayer and cabaletta with an even timbre and top tones that rise to the limit. However, the magic of bel canto is also revealed in the touching embodiment of Adalgisa by the extremely emotional acting and excellent singing Diana Haller. Diminished intervals and chromatic passages of the score are then implemented in a gripping manner in the highest moments of despair. The outstanding Staatsopernchor Stuttgart ( studyer: Bernhard Moncado ) plays a central role in this , always dominating the stage in an almost all-encompassing manner. The radiant tenorAs Pollione, Massimo Giordano evokes his mental turmoil more and more believably, only to finally emphasize the larger-than-life presence of this character Giacomo Sagripanti has a special feeling for Bellini's overheated tonal language, which considerably strengthens and accelerates the singing culture and virtuosity of the singers. Liang Li portrays Oroveso as the head of the druids with a sonorous bass, while Regina Friedek as Norma's confidant Clotilde and Daniel Kluge as Pollione's friend Flavio provide interesting role portraits. Katarina Tomic and Konstantin Vogel can also be seen as Norma and Pollione's children . Cheers, frenetic applause.
When going to any Calixto Bieito production, you can be reasonably sure that normal rules will not apply. When going to his take on Rameau's Platée, which was a pretty off-the-wall number even in its original version as a ballet bouffon in 1745, some level of craziness was even more likely. But nothing quite prepares you for the level of high energy wackiness with which you are assaulted by Bieito and Oper Stuttgart. The fun starts about a third of the way through the overture, when a black-clad figure wanders from the front of the stage round to the railing above the podium, starts making bored gestures at the conductor, and eventually shoves him out of the way and starts enthusiastically conducting the orchestra himself... which he proceeds to do for the rest of the evening, since this is musical director Hans Christoph Bünger. In fact, the one non-wacky part of the evening is the orchestral performance, which is bright, upbeat and sweet-toned throughout. No hint of period instruments here, which provides a reminder that modern instruments can sound just as wonderful when playing Rameau's tuneful and energetic Baroque music as they can on newer material. Platée's premise is that Mercury and various others cook up a plot to reassure Juno about her husband's fidelity by staging a fake wedding between Jupiter and the ugliest nymph they can find: the unfortunate target being the swamp nymph Platée. The amount of play-within-a-play-within-a-play, cross-dressing, doubling up of parts and general opéra-bouffe antics is enough to keep you in a severe state of confusion even when in Row 4 of the audience, and I'm not even going to attempt to give details. But with the staging and singing performances, it didn't really matter. The title role is by a long way the biggest and tenor Thomas Walker gave a bravura performance. The nature of the original voice type, the French haute-contre, is debated by scholars: Walker sang in something like a normal light tenor voice, but stretching upwards into counter-tenor territory with the joins barely audible. His voice was constantly full of character, and he minced around the stage delivering his comic visual gags as if he'd been born in a Victorian music hall. The other big role is "La Folie", who is at the centre of the very long wedding feast divertissement in Act II (Platée was written for the wedding of Louis XV to the apparently rather plain Maria Theresa – the fact that Rameau not only retained his head but subsequently received a royal appointment being testament to the fact that the French royals of the day must have had a sense of humour). Lenneke Ruiten dominated the stage, resplendent in tutu, whiteface, goth eye make-up, with microphone stand and electric guitar (the original calls for a lyre), bringing the house down with a rockstar-style "Bonjouuuuuur, Stuttgart"! She also proceeded to show impeccable Baroque vocal credentials (as, in fact, she had done in the role of L'amour earlier on), sounding clear, strong and flexible. Her rock star aria "Que les plaisirs les plus aimables" was an absolute showstopper. The supporting cast was strong, with no real weak links. I'll single out Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė, with a particularly attractive bell-like voice in her small role as Platée's friend Clarine, and Cyril Auvity, splendid as the conniving Mercury and the poet Thespis (who is supposed to be composing all this as we go). It wouldn't be Bieito if there wasn't any sex on stage, preferably gay sex, and we had plenty of erotic gags ranging from the relatively discreet sight (four bare feet waggling suggestively) to the not-even-slightly-discreet (the largest strap-on penis you are ever likely to see on an operatic stage, with unspeakable things being done with feather dusters), ranging from the quite subtle down to basic toilet humour. I'm fairly neutral about the erotic content – some of it was fun, some of it a bit tedious – plus some staging gags that were merely bizarre, like the Queen Elisabeth II lookalike munching flowers during the wedding. But I really loved the production visuals. Anna Eiermann's costumes were a riot of black, white and gold. Lydia Steier's choreography was constantly entertaining.What really wowed was the staging of the divertissement that followed La Folie's "Que les plaisirs": as the music was taken down to an exquisitely played lyrical slow movement, the hundreds of light bulbs that had been high up and blue (representing Juno's rain storm) turned to a warm, golden light and were lowered to the level of the chorus, who swayed them gently as the music wrapped itself around you. It made for a rare visual and musical treat.It made for a rare visual and musical treat.It made for a rare visual and musical treat. As I close, I muse on my last three operas – the high energy madness of Platée, the tortured psychological existantialism of Szymanowski's Król Roger and the traditional Italian melodrama of La forza del destino – and I can merely marvel at sheer quality and variety of opera on offer these days. We're truly in a golden age of performance.
Not only due to the pandemic: the Stuttgart State Opera is showing Juditha Triumphans, Oratorio spirituale e militare, by Antonio Vivaldi, who is still having a hard time conquering the stages (back) with his operas, even if such a great singer as Cecilia Bartoli uses for him. So it should be an oratorio that is staged and has it all. The director Silvia Costa (also stage) takes the fact that in the libretto by Jacopo Cassetti based on the biblical book Judit only female choirs appear as Judith's entourage, which accompany her to the camp of the Assyrian general Holofernes, as an occasion, in the first part a feminist one To show an army marching and parading from the sides of the stage. All female soldiers are dressed in white uniforms and berets (Cost:Laura Dondoli ). After that, various collective actions are carried out, raising the flag (but not the Israeli flag, but the Jewish star in different illuminations is the omnipresent symbol), bringing in first black, then white submachine guns, surrounding the camp with barbed wire (Nato wire). The wounded are brought in and cared for in a large tent with a coat of arms. Then mysterious acts are also celebrated, such as taking blood from the torsos of the body. All this to Vivaldi's beautifully lively, harmonious music, which actually sings about love, graceful nature and the beauty of Judith. This is played lively and emphatic by a relatively small group of the state orchestra with mandolin; a continuo with theorbos and bass violone, harpsichord and organ positive supplemented. The director is Benjamin Bayl , who knows how to create an elastic flow of music that can actually contrast with the action on stage. In the 2nd part, the turning point occurs. The beheading of Holofernes has already happened, and we see a headless statue slowly falling forward. The protagonists and the collective are now dressed in white and red (skirts and pants), and the latter acts on a stepped platform. Juditha wears a red gloved hand on one hand, and Holofernes is doubled with a puppet wearing the mask of the severed head after presenting Juditha in the undergarment. (Now jubilant songs with drums and trumpets.) The women's choir (E.: Bernhard Moncado ) sings transparently and balanced. Two choral solos belong to Laura Corrales and Anna Matyushenko . At the same time, this third performance is only a celebration of the beautiful female voices (although perhaps not intended by Vivaldi). Giacomo Puccini probably has the right of first fruits for this with his 'Suor Angelica'. Four sonorous mezzo-sopranos are available as Vagaus/servants of Holofernes, Abra/Juditha's confidant and Ozias/high priest of the Jews. The fourth is the title character, Juditha herself, outstanding in the diminutive guise of Rachael Wilson, of burgeoning voice and glittering timbre, rightly hired by the Stuttgart Opera in 1919. The others are Diana Haller, a leader in the mezzo field in Stuttgart for years, Gaia Petrone , a young Italian as Abra who loves her mistress, and Lindsey Coppens as a member of the International Opera Studio. Juditha/Rachael's opponent Holofernes is performed majestically by the tall alto Stine Marie Fischer , who recently attracted attention as Erda im Rheingold.
Silvia Costa (director and stage; costumes: Laura Dondoli) reinterprets the story of Antonio Vivaldi's oratorio "Juditha triumphans" and transfers it very carefully to our time. And the first part takes place during the day, the second at night. The commander Holofernes besieges the Jewish city of Bethulien on behalf of the Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar. And the population is faced with the choice between surrender and death. To gain mercy for her people, the widow Judith goes to Holofernes' camp. Dazzled by her beauty, the commander falls in love with her and for this reason gets drunk at a banquet in Judith's honor. Judith now seizes the opportunity and decapitates him with his own sword. The head is then taken back to Bethuli with the help of the maid Abra. The discovery of the body by Holofernes' servant Vagaus puts the Assyrians to flight. Bethulia is finally liberated. In her production, Silvia Costa wants to combine current challenges and historical references. In its interpretation, which is entirely in white and red, it concentrates on the music of the arias and what is revealed in them. It is crucial that all the characters are sung and performed by women. Because Vivaldi worked for an orphanage with a music school. The daily routine is closely observed in a military camp, where a tent takes center stage. And in the second part, the action focuses on an arena where the attention is drawn to women. You are deliberately using violence here. At the same time, the process of decapitation is linked to that of birth and childbirth. As two individuals, Judith and Holofernes consciously break away from society. Judith's silence opens at the same time the voice of Abra, who announces victory, and that of Vagaus, who feels anger. In this production, the viewers are deliberately confronted with personal questions. In the second part you can see the huge statue of Holofernes falling from the pedestal. Judith removes an arm covering the body of Holofernes. Finally, the decapitated head of Holofernes is seen in front of Judith's face, which is hiding behind it. Some connections could have been presented more precisely, but overall this production impresses with a plausible concept. A Jewish star shines in the background. Under the sensitive and fast-paced direction of Benjamin Bayl , the Stuttgart State Orchestra performs very energetically here. This is how the richness of the instrumental colors comes to the fore. The introductory chorus of the Assyrian soldiers already wins due to the precise intonation of the ladies of the Stuttgart State Opera Chorus (rehearsal: Bernhard Moncado) special weight. The eleven-bar middle section in B minor dissolves, as it were, in the radiant D major of the trumpets and timpani. The final chorus "Salve invicta Juditha formosa" also has an overwhelming dynamic brilliance. Incidentally, the sequence of recitatives and arias in the oratorio is structured in the same way as Vivaldi's operas. This operatic emphasis is also expressed by the excellent singers - above all Rachael Wilson as Juditha and Stine Marie Fischeras Holofernes. Juditha's arias are all developed in the ABA form. The solo concerto form gains in importance, which is also reflected in the characteristic treatment of the ritornello. In addition to sequences of fifths, one also recognizes a minor subdominant relationship. Modulatory links are of paramount importance - an F major aria, for example, enters in C major. In the aria "Nil arma, nil bella, nil flamma furoris, si cor bellatoris est cadens in se" Stine Marie Fischer very convincingly shows the heroic attitude through large intervals in the ritornello. Diana Haller shines as Vagaus with almost overwhelming coloraturas. Other convincing roles include Gaia Petrone as Abra, Linsey Coppens as Ozias andLaura Corrales and Anna Matyuschenko with intense choral solos. A solo viola d'amore is used in an aria by Juditha "Quanto magis generosa". The viola is notated in scordatura, the aria is in E flat major. In addition to the use of the clarinets, the virtuoso ornamentation of the oboes is particularly striking. Incidentally, in one of Juditha's arias, the mandolin is also used as a soloist. The prudent conductor Benjamin Bayl fans this extremely colorful palette of tones with the Stuttgart State Orchestraagain and again cautiously, carefully and with the ability to change. The tremolo passages have an electrifying effect, the pizzicato also spices up the rhythmic finesse. So everything stays in an even dynamic flow, even in the da capo form of the arias. Stormy and enthusiastic final applause.
