Harry Fehr’s New Production of The Elixir of Love at the London Coliseum

This year the opening of the Munich Opera Festival is consecrated to Verdi celebrating his 200 birthday with a new production of Il Trovatore directed by the French  Olivier Py. As expected we had a lot of action or better movement on stage. Everything is turning - the whole stage with monstrous building of no clear significance, small metal constructions being turned by stage workers and single wheels hanging around. All is black fitting to the dark content of the story....

This year, Salzburg has chosen Harrison Birtwistle´s opera Gawain as their contemporary opera production. And it fits to the bicentennial anniversaries of Verdi and Wagner as well as 100 birthday of Benjamin Britten. Harrison Birtwistle´s Gawain is Englands version of mediaval mystery tales and legendary heroes next to Wagner´s German historical affections. Gawain is a redeemer and hero as Parsifal. We find ourselves at King Arthurs Court at Christmastime, Gawain...

The festival Alte Musik in the Tyrolean capital Innsbruck has built up its reputation for their presentation of operas in traditional but elaborated and well balanced interpretations played on original instruments and sung by young promising singers. This year Mozart ´s la clemenza di Tito was selected in the version of the Kaerntnertortheater (1804) created by Johann Simon Mayr and Joseph Weigl. They wanted tó " italianize" this opera seria and added further...

Part of the Arena celebrations of Verdi´s 200 birthday was a special Gala with a selection of 3 acts out of Verdis popular trilogy La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore. Verdi's Opus constitutes most of the Arenas programme and the Arena could not be imagined without Aida mass scenes bringing elefants and camels on stage or Nabucco´s prisoner choir sounding in the historical mystical Roman setting. So it was a must to have a special tribute to the...

Verdi´s  bicentennial celebrations continue at the Teatro alla Scala with a new production of un Ballo in Maschera. Once again the young Italian director Damiano Michieletto and his team have created a modern interpretation of this story of love and political intrigues. We are at the headquaters of the political leader Riccardo in an American style  election campaign. We meet colourful panels and t shirts to motivate his team splendidly represented by the Scala choir....

Venice, the Teatro la Fenice and Richard Wagner have close ties. Wagner loved the city and spent his last months here. So it is natural that the Fenice celebrates his 200th birthday with a special concert, a grand gala together with Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden - both famous for there exceptionel closeness to the composer and their outstanding quality of interpretation. So this evening has sensed a specific aura and the gathered audience witnessed an...