Intermezzo

Rolando Redux

Werther - Royal Opera House, 11 May 2011

Wednesday's Werther, the third night of the run, found Rolando Villazon more relaxed than he was on opening night, and singing a lot better as a result. Next to the big, easy voice of Sophie Koch he still sounded underpowered, but he found a better balance between control and tension. 

The orchestra again played brilliantly. Pappano kept them on a tighter leash this time, which helped Rolando - and the splashing fountain was banished, hopefully never to return.

I found the view from the right hand side of the auditorium more expansive than the left, where I sat on the first night (both restricted view). Not much of a bonus with sets this bland, though.

more photos >>>>>>>>>>>>

Rolando Villazon as Werther - the video evidence

Complete with coughing for that authentic Covent Garden experience.

 

Rolando Villazon IS Werther at the Royal Opera House

Werther - Royal Opera House, 5 May 2011

Rolando Villazon made what I think it's fair to call a triumphant post-surgery return to Covent Garden tonight. In the title role of Werther, he displayed no worrying strain or cracks. He once described his voice as a horse that wanted to be ridden by a man - well tonight it was a perfectly-schooled prize dressage pony, with a glossy sheen.

La Commedia è finita

 
"I don't think he's yet ready, and if he'll ever be ready for that new job of directing an opera."

Reliable local bloggeur Les pêcheurs de perles delivers a scathing assessment of Rolando Villazón's directorial debut in Lyon last night.

Globe-trotting grumpster Rupert Christiansen of the Telegraph concurs: "I doubt directing will be Villazón’s future any more than it was Callas’s."

Rolando Villazon sends in the clown

Rolando Villazon brought in renowned mime and clown Nola Rae to help out with his directorial debut, Werther, which opened tonight in Lyon.

Pourquoi?  asked the Nouvel Observateur.

"You want me to tell you? ... Well no!" was the response.

So you'll just have to work it out for yourself from the production photos:

Rolando Villazon confirms Covent Garden Werther is ON

Will he, won't he? Well, he's still on the Covent Garden cast list. His vocal health seems much-improved.

And interviewed by Opéra magazine about his directorial debut with Werther in Lyon later this month, Rolando Villazón confirmed he's still expecting to sing the role himself at the Royal Opera House - and record it too.  

He said of his own Lyon production, where the title role is to be filled by Arturo Chacón-Cruz: 

"I don't want it to be 'my'  Werther, but my interpreters'. The one I'm going to record soon, and portray at Covent Garden in May in Benoît Jacquot's production, will be very different. "

Here's a brief and not very revealing Lyon promo (thanks Teresa59 for uploading):

If Rolando changes his mind, it's worth noting that Andrew Richards (who deputised successfully for Jonas 'sicknote' Kaufmann in the same production in Paris recently) seems to be free in May.....

Jonas Kaufmann's Werther - live from your sofa

Set your opera alarm for Tuesday 26 January 7.30 (20.35 CET), when there's a *free* webcast of Paris National Opera's 'new' production of Werther (which is actually the Royal Opera's dodgy old one - well done whichever Covent Garden chappie fobbed it off on Johnny Frenchie).

In the title role is Jonas Kaufmann, who has received ecstatic reviews from a swooning French press. The cast also includes the splendid Sophie Koch as Charlotte and the mahogany baritone/mahogany acting skillz of Ludovic Tézier as Albert.

There are three different sites you can watch from: Paris Opera's own, ARTE TV's and Medici.tv. If you're in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium or Switzerland you won't be able to access Medici until 3 Feb, but you will of course be able to watch ARTE's live TV broadcast.

After the live broadcast, the video will be available on demand for 60 days. So you can watch Jonas over and over and over again..............

To whet your appetite, this was apparently recorded at a recent Paris performance: