Another recruit for the dark side. Fresh from popping out her second baby, Diana Damrau has been in Liverpool recording a disk of "popular songs from films and musicals, such as Snow White, The Wizard of
Oz, The Snowman and Mary Poppins" together with "classics from
the world of operetta".
OK so it's not quite a Xmas album with Joe McElderry but it's one step down a slippery slope. And some singers can't help sliding all the way to the bottom:
| | |
|
The ROH announced earlier today that Diana Damrau has pulled out of autumn's Robert le diable because she's pregnant. As the bomb was dropped via the less-than-universal medium of Twitter instead of the usual press release, it's probable the many readers booking tomorrow won't have heard the news. Clearly customer relations are not a priority right now, so consider this a public service announcement.
(The bun is still in the oven, by the way - the infant above is one she made earlier.)
| | |
|
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Nationaltheater Munich, 12 November 2011
For all its garish wallpaper, vintage frocks and toy animals, this new production is not a lot of fun. You can forget about the gondolas for a start.
Richard Jones takes a decidedly sober view of what might make someone hit the bottle. Jones's own youth informs much of his work, so perhaps it's not surprising he shows Hoffmann's creative identity to be moulded by past experiences.
Hoffmann is not the usual garrulous taproom raconteur, but a depressive alcoholic at a artistic standstill. Rolando Villazon, playing against type, tones down remarkably effectively - the clown behind the mask, and not just the clown. (And yes, it was Just Acting - he reverted to the usual japes at the curtain call.) He makes a tough act for Barry Banks to follow when the show comes to ENO next spring.
| | |
|
It doesn't take long for Rolando Villazón to prove he's not off whatever he's usually on in this Bavarian State Opera video. It's an introduction to Richard Jones's new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann (the one that's coming to ENO next spring), which opens in Munich tomorrow night.
The title role is the most demanding thing Rolando has done since his recent operation - but even more impressive is Diana Damrau's assumption of all three lady parts.
Production photos by Wilfred Hösl for Bavarian State Opera below.
Continue reading "Hoffing with Rolando - UPDATED with more video" »
| | |
|
Le Comte Ory - Metropolitan Opera, 5 April 2011
No, not the big screen version, the real thing. Tuesday night's performance was filmed as a dry run for the big HD event, with the cameras a distracting presence on the periphery, and what I assume was clumsy amplification lending a pronounced echo to certain voices. As so often at the Proms, I had the lurking feeling that those of us in the house were a second class audience, a mere applause machine dragged in to provide 'atmosphere' for the consecration to hard copy. And despite some truly fabulous singing, the show was never quite engaging enough to shake off the doubts.
| | |
|
And you thought they were just a bunch of corporate sh1tbuckets. EMI show their human side with a an Ebay auction which benefits an incredibly good cause - Red Cross Japan Relief. A full 100% of proceeds will be passed to the charity.
On offer are a collection of very special items donated by EMI and their artists, ranging from Katy Perry's cupcake-shaped trampoline (condition - used) to Daft Punk's rare Ferrari (bidding starts at £15,530).
Of more interest to classical fans might be an hour's private singing lesson with the goddess of the very high C's, Diana Damrau. Bid for yourself or as a gift for someone who really needs it.
Or what about Angela Gheorghiu's very own kimono? Warning - EMI aren't promising that it'll turn up after you've paid for it.
Coming up in later auctions - a signed Martha Argerich ashtray? A private gig from the Berlin Philharmonic? The Bernard Haitink Monstah Book of Jokes (fits in a very small envelope)? We can but dream.
*for one hour only. Package is for one (1) person. You may bring a guest to watch. Location is Munich opera house. Date of the experience is mid-September and based on Diana’s schedule. No travel or accommodations are included. Lesson will last up to 60 minutes. A background check may be required for the winner and guest. If the winner or guest fails the background check, they forfeit the prize. Please bid accordingly. This package does not include any items/services that are not detailed in the above description. Any upgrades, extended stays or changes to the provisions of this package are the sole responsibility of the winner. This package must be for use by the winner and his/her invited guest only. They are not transferable by the winner or any of his/her invited guests, and may not be sold, otherwise transferred or used for any other purpose, including promotional, commercial, advertising, or other trade purposes. The package may be given as a gift only. Respect for Diana Damrau and her staff will be expected at all times. Inappropriate behavior by any member of the winning party could result in the immediate conclusion of the experience with no refund. No lawyers have been harmed in the marketing of this prize.
| | |
|
Die schweigsame Frau - Prinzregententheater Munich, 23 July 2010
Die schweigsame Frau's relative lack of success is sometimes excused as bad timing. An adaptation of Ben Jonson's play The Silent Woman, it's inoffensive comic fluff. But the fact that its librettist Stefan Zweig was Jewish ensured the opera was banned by the Nazis after just three performances in 1935.
Now it languishes in a corner of the repertoire, picked up and dusted off only occasionally. But much else that was prohibited in Germany during Hitler's reign - Mahler especially springs to mind - has recovered its position, and more. Do the reasons lie more in the work itself than the unfortunate circumstances of its debut? This new production for the Munich Opera Festival gives it a fair chance, but I can't say that I was blown away. By riddling it with ironic pastiches of his own older works, Strauss was perhaps acknowledging that he had little new to say.
| | |
|
Diana Damrau doesn't let a little thing like being nearly 8 months pregnant keep her off stage. She was back for the second night of Strauss's Die schweigsame Frau (of which, more later) at the Prinzregententheater last night, complete with bump.
Most of her costumes were floaty enough to disguise it, but the frightening Brunnhilde-cum-bellydancer gown screencapped below built it into her act instead.
The ankles may be swollen but the voice is still intact, and there's one more show (on the 30th) before she takes a short break.
| | |
|
This is from the second episode of Antonio Pappano's new BBC series Opera Italia. Here he rehearses Lucia's mad scene with Diana Damrau:
UPDATE - find the full programme on the next page, as uploaded by Teresa of http://rolandovillazon.blogspot.com
Continue reading "more Opera Italia with Pappano - UPDATED with full programme video" »
| | |
|
Ariadne auf Naxos - Bayerische Staatsoper, Prinzregententheater, Munich, 16 July 2009
This Robert Carsen production was the big hit of last year's Munich Opera Festival. This year it was revived with the original cast for a final handful of dates at the intimate and acoustically spectacular Prinzregententheater before it transfers to the larger Nationaltheater in September with a new cast.
With city centre traffic totally snarled up in the Merkel/Medvedev summit motorcade, it was a long hot (32°C) walk to the theatre. Never have I been so grateful to sit on cold hard seats for two hours - this production is played, controversially, without a break. As the prologue ended, the Komponist (Munich's reigning Queen of Pants, Daniela Sindram) handed the score down to Bertrand de Billy in the pit, then strolled to the front of the stalls to watch the whole opera section - in character of course:
Carsen so successfully integrates the two sections that this doesn't seem gimmicky - it's just another one of the identity games that are played throughout. Transformation is everywhere. As we entered the theatre, a ballet troupe were rehearsing on stage, surrounded by mirrors that reflected and replayed their every move. Later the dancers reappeared in the opera section, clad in Carsen's frequently-favoured Tanztheater aesthetic with long black dresses and flowing hair.
There was a brief glimpse of another of his trademarks in the Prologue (was gentle self-parody the aim?) as some of the cast appeared in caricature mask heads. Things were never quite what they first seemed - some of the elegantly robed and tressed dancers turned out to be big hairy men - the acting troupe (look carefully):
Continue reading "Ariadne auf Naxos mit Diana Damrau in München" »
| | |
|
L’elisir d’amore - Royal Opera House, 12 May 2009
Only 18 months old, and already this Laurent Pelly production is looking tired. Actually, that's not quite fair. It's more that it leans too heavily on wow factor. Once you've seen the mountain of haystacks, the tenor on a tractor, the soprano on a Mobylette, and the most adorable Jack Russell ever - well, that's it really. You don't need to see it again. In 2007 I was persuaded, but second time around the sparkle of novelty has gone. Still, the fifties setting has an innocent charm, even if the relentless mugging of the cast grates after a while.
The best thing in the production by some distance is Diana Damrau's Adina (in SJP wig). Her bantering brother/sister relationship with Giuseppe Filianoti's Nemorino was beautifully handled, and sweetly touching when it melts into love. Effortless rippling coloratura topped off the silvery brilliance of her singing.
Filianoti is another question. His acting is terrific - never was there a more amiable dimwit. And he has a real rapport with Damrau. He sings cleanly I suppose, he hits the notes. But his tone is patchy, his colouring limited, and his top end is effortfully stretched, with only a spot of naughtily-interposed falsetto saving Una furtiva lagrima from crash-and-burn.
What about the rest? Thankfully Simone Alaimo's well-practiced Dulcamara was the real thing - I suspect in spite of the direction rather than because of it. I couldn't see why the lovely Adina would fall for Anthony Michaels-Moore's stiff and formal Belcore though. A little more oily charm was needed. Eri Nakamura had enough stage presence to make Giannetta's two minutes of glory memorable.
I'm not sure what conductor Bruno Campanella was aiming for. Clean, vibrato-free playing was combined with slowish, sometimes sluggish pacing - was he simply being considerate of certain singers? At least the pit/stage co-ordination was as accurate as we can hope for, and we were spared the ghastly village band sound favoured by many visiting conductors.
************** more photos on next page **************
Continue reading "L’elisir d’amore resuscitated at the Royal Opera House" »
| | |
|
There's always plenty on in London musically speaking, but May looks particularly busy.
For starters, at the Royal Opera House, Diana Damrau and Giuseppe Filianoti take a roll in the hay for the first revival of Laurent Pelly's L'elisir d'amore. Il trovatore and Lohengrin are still around too.
At the ENO, David Alden's hotly-anticipated new Peter Grimes opens. Stuart Skelton, Amanda Roocroft, Gerald Finley and Felicity Palmer sing, Edward Gardner conducts. The second new production of the month is film director Abbas Kiarostami's first venture into opera, Così fan tutte.
Purcell's King Arthur is performed in concert at the Barbican on 6 May by Le Concert Spirituel. There are limited *free* tickets for under-26's for this one (check out the freeB link on the Barbican site).
17 May is Handel-fest day. Christopher Hogwood's Academy of Ancient Music bring Arianna in Creta to the Barbican. Miah Persson, Lisa Milne and Sonia Prina appear as originally scheduled, but Kristina Hammarström replaces the previously-announced Angelika Kirchschlager.
The performance starts at 6.30pm, so there should be (just) enough time to get there from Zurich Opera's Agrippina, which begins at 2pm in the Royal Festival Hall. The impressive cast joining Marc Minkowski and Zurich Opera's specialist period ensemble, Orchestra La Scintilla, includes Vesselina Kasarova, Eva Liebau, Marijana Mijanovic and Anna Bonitatibus.
The other operatic event worth mentioning is not in London at all, but in Manchester. Over two nights, 9 and 10 May, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra perform Götterdämmerung in concert at the Bridgewater Hall, with Katarina Dalayman as Brünnhilde. If this was in London, tickets would go in a flash, but there are still plenty of seats available. Manchester is clearly a harder sell. It rather underlines the folly of the Royal Opera House's plans to create a Mancunian outpost. Northern opera lovers may be dedicated - there just aren't a lot of them.
On 31 May, Rene Pape joins Vladimir Jurowski and the LPO at the Royal Festival Hall for the UK premiere of Torsten Rasch's 2003 song cycle Mein Herz brennt. This is (loosely) based on the music of headbanging German industrial metallers Rammstein - a fact the Southbank promo guff intriguingly fails to mention. Not as scary as it sounds though, as the source material is engulfed by Jurowski's favoured big-boned retro-nouveau Eastern bloc neo-romanticism (or Vladcore for short).
On a smaller scale, there are lots of recitals this month, including the big one, Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky at the Royal Festival Hall on 19 May.
At Wigmore Hall Kate Royal sings Schumann and Brahms on 7 May, and there's a solo recital from the great Jordi Savall the day after. On 19 May (the same date as Netrebko/Hvorostovsky unfortunately) Mojca Erdmann, Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber tackle Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch. The Wigmore's busy Haydn weekend begins on 29 May with an András Schiff lecture recital at 2pm.
And there are a few more Wigmore day time events worth mentioning. On 12 May at 2pm there's a *free* recital of Kurtag and Schubert by Jonathan Biss, which will be recorded for the Wigmore's own label. On 18 May at 1pm Anne Schwanewilms sings Debussy, Strauss and Wolf, and on 25 May at 1pm Ingrid Fliter plays Chopin and Schumann.
Philip Glass makes a rare appearance at the Barbican on 26 May for an evening of chamber music.
The fabulous Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain plink and twang at the Cadogan Hall on 5 May.
One of the most intriguing events of the month is a Barbican concert on 30 May. Various artists including the Britten Sinfonia perform the Music of Moondog , and there are companion pre, post and interval events, including an 11.30pm concert at St Giles Cripplegate, Moondog Around Midnight .
| | |
|
Hänsel & Gretel - Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 9 December 2008 (opening night)
The Sandman of Pumeza Matshikiza and Dew Fairy of Anita Watson were charming, but neither could avoid the odd scratchy note. Nerves? Both are well cast and should improve as the run goes on.
But Anja Silja was the star of the show. The voice is not the most accurate or the most beautiful, though in darn good shape for someone who's been singing professionally for fifty years. Her witch has a panto look, but a disturbingly authentic menace. I know the opera, I know the story, but as with all great actors, I never quite knew what Silja was going to do next.
Or was Sir Colin Davis the star of the show? He drew a wonderful performance from the orchestra, somewhat stately in pace, but deliciously nuanced. Some people think Hänsel und Gretel is just a cute children's opera; for Sir Colin it's a gateway drug to Tristan und Isolde. The score may not have Wagnerian heft, but it has a driving narrative thrust and glimpes of real harmonic invention. Sir Colin whipped up the drama where needed - the terrifying explosion of the witch's kitchen brilliantly handled - but the gentle lyricism of the dream scene, or the bouncing mock-Viennese waltzes rang just as true. If there was magic in the air, it was all in the pit. Can Robin Ticciati and the second cast match up?
| | |
|
Banksy
A welcome confluence of circumstance.
A BBC2 broadcast of Covent Garden's Hänsel und Gretel sometime over the Christmas period (date not yet known), plus the start of live online streaming for BBC1 and BBC2, means that you should be able to watch Hänsel und Gretel online.
Depending on which performance they choose to film, the cast includes Angelika Kirchschlager and Diana Damrau, or Alice Coote and Camilla Tilling as the children, with Thomas Allen or Eike Wilm Schulte and Anja Silja or Ann Murray in support. Colin Davis (in possibly his last ROH show) or Robin Ticciati conduct.
The Royal Opera House website may have further information on its TV page here at some point.
| | |
|
Diana Damrau / Julius Drake - Wigmore Hall, 4 November 2008
Berg Seven Early Songs
Barber Mélodies passagères Op. 27
Iain Bell Daughters of Britannia
Strauss Drei Lieder der Ophelia Op. 67
Strauss Malven; Einerlei Op. 69 No. 3; Ständchen Op. 17 No. 2; Freundliche Vision Op. 48 No. 1; Wiegenlied Op. 41 No. 1; Muttertändelei Op. 43 No. 2; Amor Op. 68 No. 5
For her Wigmore debut, Diana Damrau went for an wide-ranging programme that allowed her to display a mastery of several styles and languages. It let on that there's more to her than the high-flown coloratura chirruping she's known for.
Precise in every note, equally at home in English, French and German, capable of the most exquisite floating pianissimos and faultless messa di voce - technically, it was staggering. Yet despite the breathtaking technique, I couldn't help feeling there was something missing for most of the evening. And that was a sense of detailed engagement with the text. The opera singer's ability to nail mood and emotion was there. But the lieder singer's feel for poetry emerged only in some of the Strauss songs she closed with. Her technical arsenal was more structural than semantic, with a particular tendency for showstopper FX on final lines and a disregard for verbal nuance.
It's perhaps unsurprising that the group of songs written specially for her, Iain Bell's Daughters of Britannia, suited her abilities best. Bell's bold characterisation and plain language may not be particularly innovative or poetic. But Damrau could assume a series of sharply-hewn and convincing personas as she slipped into the shoes of Boudicca, Maid Marian, Lady Godiva and the rest.
As the deranged heroine of of Strauss's Ophelia songs, or the tender mama of his Wiegenlied and Muttertändelei, again she transported us. She is clearly some actress, as she's shown time and again on the opera stage. But when it came to being herself, despite all the artistry, there was just something missing.
| | |
|
Recent Comments