Intermezzo

ENO's Fidelio

Fidelio - Coliseum, 1 October 2013

A current Twitter meme invites you to #AddaWordRuinanOpera.  At this stage of the season it seems that prefacing any title with the word ENO's would work.

I first saw this Calixto Bieito production a couple of years ago in Munich, where it debuted, with a starry Kaufmann-led cast and sterling conducting from Adam Fischer.

ENO's revival is lower-division. Their budget stretches to fewer prisoners, and I don't think they managed to squeeze the exact Munich set and lighting on to the Coliseum stage - the effect at any rate is less Cube and more climbing frame.

The two hats of Calixto Bieito

Calixto Bieito's Fidelio opens at ENO on 25 September - and his Die Soldaten just three days before that, on 22 September in Zurich. 

Fidelio has already been staged (and revived) in Munich. Die Soldaten is a brand new production of a long and complex work. So which production will get the lion's share of Bieito's personal attention?

Of course directors often delegate revivals and transfers to other people, and there's nothing wrong with that - unless the show is sold on the director's name, as all ENO productions are this season.

If ENO's strapline "Fidelio - Directed by Calixto Bieito" is currently missing a " 's assistant", now would be the time to add it.

Fidelio for all in Munich

Fidelio - Nationaltheater Munich, 8 July 2011

 

Balloon-bedecked crash barriers split Max-Joseph-Platz in two on Friday night. On one side, operagoers in satin and stilettos shuffled through a narrow gap in the barriers to reach the Nationaltheater. Settling down on picnic blankets over the rest of the large square were the somewhat less glamorous audience for the free outdoors live screening of the evening's opera.

Free Jonas Kaufmann

Tonight, 8 July, at 8pm CET (that's 7pm UK), the Bavarian State Opera will stream Fidelio live from Munich on their website.

Calixto Bieito's production, which premiered in December 2010, features Anja Kampe as Leonore and Jonas Kaufmann as Florestan. Adam Fischer conducts and the event will be introduced by TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk, who is like the Jonathan Ross of Germany only without the obscene phone calls.

I won't be turning my laptop on  - because I'll be live from Munich too. (May tweet, may not.)

Fidelio at the Royal Opera House - Nina Stemme puts her pants on

Fidelio - Royal Opera House, 29 March 2011 (first night)

Nina Stemme is the Hilary Swank of opera. She nailed the manly look; she even nailed the speaking voice for Leonore's first words. If it hadn't been for the giveaway Scandi accent, I'd never have guessed. The illusion evaporated only when she began to sing. This was her first stage appearance in the role of Leonore, which fits her dark, gleaming soprano like a glove.

Royal Opera House loses another conductor

 
Following in Fabio's footsteps, Kirill Petrenko has pulled out of Fidelio, which opens next week. No, he hasn't had a better offer - he's suffering from back problems. Didn't he cancel some Rosenkavalier dates last time he was here? I can't remember.

Can't complain about his replacement, Mark Elder; David Syrus covers the final two dates.

*UPDATE* - the Press Release has more details.