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

The last performance of the Festival del Mediterrani was dedicated to Richard Wagner, Tristan and Isolde in a "halfstaged" performance. Valencia´s wonderful operahouse designed by Spanish architect Calatrava is itself a perfect scene. Always compared to a fish or boat, swimming in the water, entering the opera house is the perfect start for the performance. You get yourself on bord of the ship, the performance being held in the opera´ s own...

The new installation of the “Ring der Nibelungen” at the Bavarian State Opera is continuing with the performance of Siegfried. The artistic duo Andreas Kriegenburg and Kent Nagano are consequently realizing their concept of telling the story of the Gods and related human beings in a very simple and individual way.Andreas Kriegenburg director´s concept is concentrating on an empty stage using a lot of people to represent the necessary decoration or equipment. This is...

It is Cecilia Bartoli´s first year as artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. Following Ricardo Muti she put it under the theme Cleopatra. Händel´s Opera Giulio Cesare in egitto being the main opus of the 4 Day festival. Certainly she is the key artist herself but she is surrounded by a distinct selection of stars accompanying her throughout. For the direction, costums, light and choreographie she invited the Belgian/ French Duo Moshe Leiser and Patrice...

Harry Kupfer´s production of 2000 is very restricted and back to the essantials of good singing and acting of all participants. The stage throughout all acts is dominated by a big amor fallen on stage, his wings widespread symbolising the fallen love, ready to be freed again. Daniel Barenboim conducts his Staatskapelle Berlin  monstrous voluminous sometimes missing the romantic passages and signs of salvation and liberation. Strong forte pushes the singers to give their...

Director Christof Loy `s first work for the Deutsche Oper in Berlin is a fine elaboration of the characters and their psychological drama in the Bohemian society of the late 19 th century. It is the emotion, the conflict of the Kostelnicka Buryja his interpretation is based upon. The story is told out of her reflexion after having been imprisoned for her deed. The stage design by Dirk Becker supports this access with a clear simple poky box as a synonymous for the enclosure of the...

In a remake of the original setting of Götz Friedrich, Patrizia Ciofi and Teodor Ilincai are the loving couple Valery and Alfredo. Those two represent a young generation of opera singers on the edge to an international career. Patrizia Ciofi has already been successfully on the Berlin stage in the recent performance of Tancredi by Rossini  whereas Teodor Ilincai has jumped in to replace Vittorio Grigolo as Alfredo. Ciofi's Valery is very fragile, an emotional virgin. No...