Salzburg 2013 schedule

Today the official 2013 Salzburg summer season was announced. As previously rumored Don Carlos, Der Meistersingers, Nabucco, Rienzi and Cosi Fan Tutte will for part of the line up. The new season will also include Lucio Silla, Falstaff, Norma, Gawain and Giovanna d'Arco. Among the rosters include Jonas Kaufmann (Don Carlo), Anna Netrebko (Giovanna d'Arco), Placido Domingo  (Giovanna d'Arco), Rolando Villazon (Lucio Silla),  Cecilia Bartoli (Norma), Thomas Hampson (Don Carlo), Anja Harteros (Don Carlo), Edita Gruberova (Recital) and many more.

Met Opera Review: The Elixir is a dose of Charmless Mediocrity

By Francisco Salazar
(For the October 5, 2012 Performance)

When one goes to see Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, audiences expect laughs, fun and to feel good. On this evening the opposite was seen. There were occasional laughs stirred by Donizetti and Felice Romani's incredible text and a few by Bartlett Sher's uninspired direction. And of course there were the final routine curtain call applause.

What the evening lacked was a real show stopping moment. Instead what was seen were singers who moved around without any direction upstage and downstage and lots of "parking and barking," the term that refers to standing around. There was also uninspired singing and languid playing by the orchestra. Not to mention the production felt as if it was 20 years old.

Bartlett Sher's new production of L'Elisir is beautiful on the outside but ugly and messy on the inside. Sher's production opened the season of September 24 to mixed reviews as it replaced John Copley's colorful production. I had seen the dress rehearsal on 20th and while I wasn't thrilled I still had high hopes.

Sher's production is based on both the works of Oliver Messel from the 50s and the original design of the opera from 1840. He brings an arid and old fashion look to the work. It recalls the traditional sets of legendary directors Otto Schenk, Franco Zeffirelli and Del Monaco.  When the curtain opens, there is a nice village elaborately set up with trees, houses, tables and beautiful costumes. It looks as if this production will be played straight out with its usual comic flair. Except it starts to fall apart the moment Sher infuses his ideas of the Risorgimento (a time period when the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century). Sher introduces Belcore, Seargent of the regiment,  and his soldiers as aggressive and violent. Belcore will do anything to get the love of Adina, even throwing her to the ground and even dueling with her.

LElisir D'Amore opens tomorrow

The Met opens its 2012-2013 tomorrow with a beautiful new production of L'Elisir d'Amore starring Diva Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani. Maurizio Benini conducts the new production by Bartlet Sher.

For more information on the production view our preview linked here
For reactions on the rehearsal click here
For pictures of the production click here 
For videos of the production click here
For more L'Elisir information check last year's review and preview

L'Elisir D'amore rehearsal Reactions

Just got back from this mornings L'Elisir d'Amore rehearsal. Here are our impressions

I would like to preface this article by stating that this is not intended to be a review but simply a reaction to the dress rehearsal I was present for of the Met's new production of Gaetano Donizetti's "L'Elisir D'Amore." I refrain from considering this a review for a number of reasons. First off, I will make many comments on the singers (which were all excellent) because this was a rehearsal and they were not singing at an hour optimal to their voices. As such I will focus mainly on addressing my reaction to Bartlett Sher's new production which will open the season this coming Monday September 24. But bear in mind that since this is a rehearsal any comments I make on what I saw may very well be altered or changed by the time Monday rolls around.

As stated by General Manager Peter Gelb, "L'Elisir" represents the first time in his now seven year tenure as manager that the reputable opera company opens with a comedy. An exquisite "Madama Butterfly," a strong "Lucia Di Lamermoor," a gala dedicated to singer Renee Fleming, "Tosca," a unique new production of "Das Rheingold," and "Anna Bolena" were the opening nights of the Gelb period. All of these nights showcased dramatic works that in some ways emphasized the splendor of opera.

But now comes a comedy, an everyman's story of a shy lover who wants THE girl in town but she plays to hard to get. The story plays out like everyone's favorite romantic comedy, but with delightful music. It should be a fun night at the opera with the right singers and production. Continue reading 

L'Elisir D'Amore Preview 2012-2013 Season

Anna Netrebko leads the cast in Bartlett Sher's new L'Elisir d'Amore

The Production

Last year when the Met announced that they were doing a new production to the L'Elisir d'Amore I was ecstatic that they would finally get rid of the 1991 John Copley production. I have never been a fan of the colorful and cheerful sets nor the clumsy and hokey costumes. However after seeing it with a cast with the likes of Juan Diego Florez, Diana Damrau, Mariusz Kwiecien and Alessandro Corbelli, I had realized that it wasn't the production that bored me, it was the lack of energy that was produced on stage. After April's performances of the work, I was sad that I would never see this production or such cast again. Additionally I was upset that the Met had not made an HD for it. Therefore when the programs for the new season arrived I was honestly not thrilled by the casting or the decision of a new production to open the season. Originally the season was supposed to open with a new production of Eugene Onegin but was moved to 2013-2014. The 2013-2014 season was supposed to open with a new production of La Boheme but was cancelled after the Tosca fiasco in 2009. As a result Gelb had to come up with a quick change and what he decided was a new L'Elisir since he already disliked the current production. Bartlet Sher who has been great with comedy in his two Met productions of Le Comte Ory and Il Barbiere di Siviglia was hired. For his concept, Sher decided to research, Donizetti's old sketches to see what the original intention was. as a result for the new production he has decided to use backdrops and John Copley style flats. Based on the pictures of the production, it looks like a combination of the Vienna Schenk production and the Copley production using brown for most of his sets and vibrant colors for his costumes. This will most likely be good as it will bring in all the traditional minded folks into the house and there will be no boos on opening night. However the question that comes into play is where does Peter Gelb's revolutionary modo come into play if this new production looks and breathes the same air as the older generation productions Gelb is trying to get rid of. While I think I will enjoy this production I have a feeling I will be disappointed by the casting and by the safeness. However I may be wrong.
This production will be part of the HD transmission.

L'Elisir d'Amore Production pictures

More Met pictures

The Met released more pictures today and I have a feeling there will lots to come as the season opening comes closer. The following show more L'Elisir d'Amore and more backstage of Turandot and Il Trovatore.

Notable DVD and CD releases for the Month of July

This month a slew of DVDs are released from the greatest theaters in the world. 

The featured DVD of the month is from the Royal Opera House. Il Trittico conducted by Antonio Pappano stars Eva Maria Westbroek, Lucio Gallo, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Ermonela Jaho. The production is by Richard Jones. The performance was hailed as glorious and rewarding.