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4Der Regisseur Vincent Huguet unternimmt den Versuch, den Kosmos menschlicher Begegnungen, Begierden, Betrug, Verletzungen, Abhängigkeiten, sowie die sich daraus ergebenden Gefühle von Verlust, Melancholie und gar ein wenig Hoffnung zu zeigen, die ganz offenbar in diesen Opern thematisiert werden und mit oder trotz aller Freiheiten unverändert Aktualität besitzen.
The premiere of this new production of Le nozze di Figaro during lockdown was originally intended to be a pilot project with a small, negative-tested live audience in attendance. However, due to the increasing Covid incidence numbers in Berlin, this plan was discarded. So – once again – audience access was only via the livestream on the Staatsoper Berlin's website. Certainly, all cultural institutions are trying to hang on to and even expand their audience reach with online solutions. This production also marks the start of a new Mozart–Da Ponte cycle with Daniel Barenboim conducting and Vincent Huguet as director, with Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni to follow in the 2021/22 season.
This story fascinated Christoph Willibald Gluck and his librettist Ranieri de' Calzabigi. On the threshold between the Baroque and Classical periods, the opera, originally based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, was premiered to great acclaim at the Burgtheater in Vienna, 1762. It is this version, in Italian, that is employed here. Paolo Fantin's abstract, minimalist stage design is often transformed thanks to a floating cube that repeatedly reveals a new interior space, a type of heart chamber. This is where the most heartfelt outbursts of emotion take place. This is where Euridice dies, but is also brought back to life with a torrent of water. In Act 2, the entire stage space is transformed into a funnel leading into the underworld, with Orfeo digging his way through what feels like thousands of metres of black material after he has appeased the Furies. Thanks to Alessandro Carletti's very successful lighting, the various scenes and levels of the upper and lower worlds take on additional pastel-coloured dimensions, the psychological significance of which, however, is not immediately apparent. Klaus Bruns provides the timeless, banal costumes for the protagonists – Orfeo and Euridice are like you and me. Choreographer Thomas Wilhelm gives the Furies a life of their own as a unit, just as he conjures up a witty ballet in Act 3, where Euridice's triplicated shadows dissolve again and again, much to Orfeo's consternation. Thanks to Michieletto's detailed direction of the characters, the three soloists give their roles a sense of reality – the ancient myth remains relevant today since the basic emotions of love and trust it deals with are universal and timeless. Michieletto gives the production a bittersweet happy ending by repeating the first scene. All for naught? Amore has the last word. As Orfeo, countertenor Carlo Vistoli is present on stage almost the entire time. Vocally and dramatically he was fully committed, although his timbre did not necessarily have the unearthly sweetness as noted by Gluck, but rather resembled a slender, razor-sharp steel. As Euridice, Nadja Mchantaf was on stage repeatedly from the beginning, but only sings from the second act, venting her anger and frustration at Orfeo with a powerful soprano. Michieletto enhanced the role of Amore and converted the character into a magician, brought to life by Josefine Mindus with a sweet and clear soprano. Amore also undergoes a transformation, from a poorly dressed amateur not quite up to her craft in the first act to a professional magician in a glittering costume by the end. Daniel Bates is known as an Early Music specialist with his ensemble La Nuova Musica. Here he conducted the Komische Oper Orchestra with a somewhat heavy and loud hand at times, the filigree quality of the orchestration often lost. The Vocalconsort Berlin provides the chorus with its commentary function, sometimes as depressed patients in hospital, sometimes as faceless black-clad Furies, always on musical top form.
Not for one moment does the opera tire or bore the audience thanks to the dancers’ choreographies and video art projection onto the screen that render the idea of a magical world. However, it was the quality of the singers and orchestra that ensured the success of the performance. First of all, Cecilia Bartoli, in the title roles, gave an intense unforgettable interpretation, her Alcina was touching, needy, her fear of getting old and losing her power and charm was delivered with the hues of her voice as well as the acting. Philippe Jaroussky was a credible undecisive Ruggiero from the beginning when he was under the spell to the end when he finally finds the courage to break the spell. Sandrine Piau was an amazing Morgana, her coloratura was pure and her acting was very apt to the comic role of this character, Kristina Hammarström gave us a really great interpretation of Bradamante in her resolution to free Ruggiero. The rest of the cast was equally fine, including the young Sheen Park of the Vienna Boys Choir in the difficult role of Oberto. The conductor Gianluca Capuano and the orchestra Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco are specialist of the baroque repertoire and performed the difficult score with minute attention to details. The show was an amazing experience throughout and, except for a few members of the audience who were clearly nostalgic for old baroque productions, it was greatly appreciated.
