Royal Danish Opera / Recensioni

A special mention for Fredrik Bjellsäter’s attractive tenor as the junger Diener, and Frida Lund-Larsen’s warm and resonant contralto as the 1. Magd.

Peter Langdals iscenesættelse, Karin Betz’ scenografi og Jesper Kongshaugs lysdesign smeltede sømløst sammen til en oplevelse af helhed. De periodetypiske kostumer fungerede perfekt med det tidløse design, hvor operaens massive scene blev foldet ud til et afsindigt langt kig ind til bagscenen, med vippende sektioner, der effektfuldt understregede alt fra tumult under jubelscener i kirken til tumult på taget af fængslet Engelsborg. Handlingen kan potentielt føres op til nutiden med alt fra kvindefrigørelse til despoti. Scarpias credo om, at sejren smager ham dobbelt godt, når den er vundet med vold, og Toscas kamp og kapitulation overfor magtmennesket er lige til #metoo. Det klæder denne Tosca, at den lader tilskueren selv tænke og trække perspektiver, frem for at servere pointer indstøbt i beton

盱衡整部製作，創意與傳統兼具，時尚與復古並存，充份展現了十九世紀浪漫主義的精神、義大利歌劇的美學、別出心裁的創意、精雕細琢的舞台設計；再從細節觀察，舞台上的所有元素，不論是聽覺與視覺都是高規格、高品質的呈現，每一個場面調度皆精準無比。 ... 整體來看，聲樂家們的敬業精神是令人感佩的。看到兩位男中音（飾演費加洛的丁一憲與飾演巴托羅醫生的吳翰衛）在舞台上同場飆戲，相當精彩。他們以穩健的演唱功力紮實定錨，讓這些極具挑戰的花腔、裝飾音、一長串快速音群的咬字與音準，得以沖宵竄騰且精確到位。譬如費加洛〈好事者之歌〉(Largo al factotum della citta)、巴西里奧〈騙得了我這醫生?〉(A un dottor della mia sorte) 等，都表現出不急不徐的精準詮釋。

Double-bound, semi-current, harmless, satirical entertainment theater at the Opera in Copenhagen with "Den glade Enke 2.0". Or have I been wrong and it is a life-threatening image of the eternal prostitution of cultural life? But as always: a chapel playing, as far as the survival of art was concerned. "The Happy Widow" from 1907 was then placed in a ridiculous diplomatic environment, which has now moved up to an equally old-fashioned theater environment. In an updated version, the story now takes place in a theater that lacks money and is in the clutches of busy officials, while politicians' demands for popularity, breadth and earnings torment everyone. On top of an overly reverent bow to the grotesque demands of the time for diversity in gender, body, etc. The many questions Art must ask questions! A mantra that is often said. And it's undeniably what Kasper Holten and Adam Price's new version do. The more pampered opera and operetta audience is probably a big question mark, but not by life's big fundamental question, (to be or not to be), but rather by everything else: Droit morale towards the composer and author Frans Lehár Obligations of the Opera Department The use of opera singers / actors in operettas The need for entertainment of the time Today's absurd demands for diversity in gender, appearance, ethnicity, but just not age! Aesthetics / functionality It may sound dry, but "the happy Widow 2.0" requires a closer health check: Moral right The seasoned folk high school and theater man Arne Skovhus once said in the rebellious 1970s, when the theaters had a hard time selling tickets: "If the churches were full every Sunday, there would be something to think about". As chief executive of the Royal Theater with an accounting balance of more than DKK 1 billion, Kasper Holten has something to ponder. So he would rather resort to a full house than to the opposite. Together with the handyman Adam Price, he has therefore created the new widow version so that the theater can fulfill several of its obligations: Large production at the opera, entertainment and happy ending, catchy music, easy-to-understand sales material etc. and hopefully subsequent positive reflection in ticket sales . But what about Franz Lehár, who in 1907 wrote a coherent piece of music over a novel from the middle of the 19th century? I'm neither an operetta fan nor crazy about stories of loose, younger women marrying old, fat, rich men to escape the clutter of the underclass. Such stories abound as fungal growth within the lighter opera and operetta literature: La Boheme, La Traviata and thus The Happy Widow. It is uninteresting, old-fashioned and sexist. Therefore ok from here to make the story about and also to write a new libretto, which unfortunately is sometimes grumpy with pressure in the wrong places, so it becomes fatal to the enjoyment. But nice with Danish subtitles for the Danish-singing actors. Then we understand the action! But the music in "The Happy Widow 2.0" stops many times, not least in the first part. There is too much talk with loud shrillness and artificial opera voices. It is a shame. In the second part, Lehár's score is supplemented by Aretha Franklin's top number: "Respect", originally written by Otis Redding in 1965 - here sung by a formidable Lise Baastrup. The hall boiled, the biggest applause of the evening and so afterwards. But a little too smart, right? And is it legal against Lehár's thoroughly composed score? Obligations of the Opera Department What does the Royal Theatre's opera department need? Of course sell tickets, but also play the great classics and newer works! During the short work of the Englishman John Fulljames, the opera department has been lively, although there are only a few soloists left and many other productions purchased. With a new political agreement, the repertoire must be more "user-friendly", social democratic, etc. Here a rewritten operetta fits well - and otherwise the theater must now also play musicals and thus enter into unequal competition with the private producers who often put houses and cottages in. as security every time a new product is produced. Uses of opera singers / actors With "The Happy Widow 2.0", Holten and co. lucky to have Morten Staugaard, who today is a baritone / bass at the Royal Theater, but originally trained as an actor. Therefore, it is plausible and extremely well-functioning with him as the theater director running around and looking like a strange relic of the past with checkered trousers, goat goatee and hairstyle a la Einstein. Unfortunately, there is not much music left in his role. Opposite this are especially the sopranos and tenors with problems in the many speech scenes. Both Gisela Stille, as the widow, and Denice Beck, the director's wife, are fine as singers in the two supporting parties, while their retort treatment sets us back decades. The baritone Palle Knudsen, in the role of Danni or Danilo, is in turn a joy to listen to and watch. Everything is in order and he is allowed to sing out. Likewise with Gert Henning-Jensen's figure, With the actress Lise Baastrup in an extra role as the DJ in the theater, the distance to good acting becomes significant. She knows her stuff, fills the stage when, as a busy official, she has to save the threads and also gets her own "moment of fame" with the song "Respect". Not without reason, she became the darling of the premiere audience. A little unfair to the others, because they struggled with the heavy lyrics and the many stairs, while they also had to have control of song and music. Conclusion It will not be me who reports the performance to either the operetta police or kvinfo. For "The Happy Widow 2.0", the theatre's huge machinery is set in motion with a well-playing chapel in the orchestra pit and the entire opera's keyboard in operation. But the question of the national stage's intentions hangs in the air: is there seriousness in the jokes, or does the theater just hope that the cheerful music and the "funny" yellow poster can attract the audience?

Like the conducting, the singing was robust, although Arapian had some ravishing, sotto voce moments where the orchestra was almost transparent.