© Valenca Palau les Arts
Valencia´s stunning opera house is holding its 5th Festval del Mediterrani. Luigi Cherubini´s Medea being its most remarkable new production.
Director Gerardo Vera together with Alejandro Andujar responsible for stage design, Juam Gomez Cornejo for light and Alvaro Luna for video creation develop a convincing dramatic and vival presentation of the story. Stage design is simple and remains the same with minor changes - a wide step being the centrer piece and bringing dynamism by persons running up and down the steps, but showing social class differentiation and power on others. And then Medea sung by Violeta Urmana being in perfect condition. Omnipresent she follows her destiny taking bitter revenge for Jasons infidelity. Its her being a woman in a men s dominated world and using all her gens to realize her destructive plan. Winning in the end is not her sweet victory.Once again her voice shows flexiblity and elasticity. Never shrieky butdark and twisty, her singing is most beautiful.
A great companion is her servant Neris. Maria Jose Montiel has the fitting penetrating strength in the voice to deal with such a dominant Medea, respectful but self confident. Serguei Skorojodov has a warm tenor, with a melancholic Russian timbre well fitting to Jason in his undetermined situation and worries of feelings. Valencia born Ofelia Sala lacks the glitter in the voice for Creonte´s daughter Glauce. Whereas Creonte by Dimitr Beloselski shows again another young Russian bass with good potential.
Zubin Metha, President of the Festival and long time related to Valencia brings the necessary understanding for this opus at the edge of opera comique to romantic German opera. Clear instrumentation and transparence is linked with full warm orchestral tutti and harmonic sound. He supports the singers and let the orchestra show its ability as well.
the 04 of July, 2012 | Print
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