A dramatic conception that was complex to decipher and perhaps even polemic, a surprising and spectacular visual coldness and a totally convincing musical resolution were the three main axis of the performance of Rigoletto presented by Liceu. It is difficult to dramatically face the great titles of the repertoire because it is a matter of finding the right balance between redundancy and extravagance, two extremes that are both artistically sterile. In this production of the Verdian...

A  little known Wagner, and with a dubious reputation, basically because of its exclusion from the true ‘corpus’ at Bayreuth, wherefrom it was banned together with Die Feen and Rienzi by composer and family. It’s strange that in the most sacred place of Wagnerism it’s impossible to see an opera that, following a wonderful work by Shakespeare much more ambiguous, complex and finally interesting than the libretto written by the author, the typical ‘opera...

Benedikt von Peter, currently head of at the Theater Bremen and designated head of Lucerne theater from 2016 onwards, has gained reputation for sophisticated deeply analytical directions of operas, opening new views on characters, their relations and plots. Focussing on libretto and strongly on the musical composition, he gains new aspects which he consequently transfers into his realisation. Some key elements of his view on Aida have been published before the opening evening. He...