A Glimpse of the Future? New season speculation......

So Christmas is officially over, the dark and dreary days of winter are here, and opera lovers' thoughts turn to....the 2015/16 opera season of course.  Yes, before we know where we are, opera houses will be announcing their selections for the 2015/16 season.  Of course, we don't have to wait until the official announcement.  Some fun is to be had by speculating about what the new season might bring....will La Gheorghiu sing at the Met again?  Why on earth is Jonas singing that when he could be singing  Wagner/Verdi/Puccini (insert composer of choice)? 

Luckily we don't have to wait!  Or at least, we can have a bit of fun while we do. There are a couple of internet sites out there that have a fair stab at predicting what might be happening at the Met and the Royal Opera House in the not so distant future.  There has been a small twitterstorm today following speculation that Jonas Kaufmann will be singing Otello at ROH in the not too distant future (2017) so I thought I'd make life easier and post some links and information.

Just remember these sites post speculation and not necessarily fact!  There will be speculation, guesses and pure wishful thinking no doubt.  Until the season is actually published by the opera house all bets are off...or as they say around these parts "it ain't over until the fat lady (or tenor) sings".

Metropolitan Opera House New York

The Future Met Wiki has a fairly comprehensive list of future seasons at the Met, going right up to 2019/20...although admittedly detail is sketchy for that particular season! For 2015/16 they currently (as of 13 Jan 2015) have the following listed:

New Productions 2015/16

Verdi's Otello
Dates: Opening Night
Conductor: Yannick Nezet-Seguin
Production: Bart Sher
Designer: Catherine Zuber (costumes)
Otello: Aleksandrs Antonenko
Desdemona: Hibla Gerzmava / Sonya Yoncheva / Angela Meade (?)
Iago: Zeljko Lucic / Dmitri Hvorostovsky


Berg's Lulu
Dates: Nov / December 2015
Production: William Kentridge
Conductor: James Levine
Lulu: Marlis Petersen
Geschwitz: Susan Graham
Alwa: Daniel Brenna
Dr. Schon / Jack the Ripper: Johan Reuter
Animal Trainer / Athlete: Martin Winkler
(Co-production with the Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, & Canadian Opera Company)

Puccini's Manon Lescaut
Production: Sir Richard Eyre
Manon: Kristine Opolais
Des Grieux: Jonas Kaufmann
(Co-production with the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden)

Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles [The Pearl Fishers]
Production: Penny Woolcock
Leila: Diana Damrau
Nadir: Vittorio Grigolo / Matthew Polenzani (?)
(Co-production with the English National Opera)

Donizetti's Roberto Devereux
Production: David McVicar (?)
Elisabetta: Sondra Radvanovsky
Roberto Devereux: Matthew Polenzani

Strauss's Elektra
Production: Patrice Chéreau
Dates: April 14 to May 7
Elektra: Nina Stemme
Klytemnestra: Waltraud Meier
Chrysothemis: Adrianne Pieczonka
(Co-production with the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Finnish National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, & Berlin Staatsoper)

Revivals 2015/16

Donizetti's Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena: Sondra Radvanovsky

Rossini's The Barber of Seville
Holiday abridged version in English

Puccini's La Bohème
Rodolfo: Piotr Beczala
Mimi: Maria Agresta
Musetta: Marina Rebeka / Ana Maria Martinez?
Marcello: Levente Molnar / Quinn Kelsey

Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
Nedda: Barbara Frittoli
Canio: Roberto Alagna
Santuzza: Lyudmila Monastyrska

Rossini's La Donna del Lago
Malcolm: Daniela Barcellona

Donizetti's Don Pasquale
Ernesto: Javier Camarena
Norina: Angela Gheorghiu/Eleonora Buratto
Don Pasquale: Ambrogio Maestri

Donizetti's L'Elisir d’Amore
Adina: Aleksandra Kurzak
Nemorino: Vittorio Grigolo / Roberto Alagna

Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Conductor: James Levine

J. Strauss's Die Fledermaus
Adele: Lucy Crowe

Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Sharpless: Artur Rucinski
Conductor: Karel Mark Chichon

Donizetti's Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda: Sondra Radvanovsky
Elisabetta: Elza van den Heever / Angela Meade

Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro

Verdi's Rigoletto
Duke of Mantua: Stephen Costello/Piotr Beczala
Gilda: Olga Peretyatko

Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
Simon: Placido Domingo
Amelia Grimaldi: Angela Gheorghiu/Barbara Frittoli
Gabriele: Joseph Calleja

Wagner's Tannhauser
Tannhauser: Johan Botha
Elisabeth: Eva Maria Westbroek

Puccini's Tosca
Tosca: Maria Guleghina
Scarpia: Bryn Terfel

Verdi's Il Trovatore
Leonora: Anna Netrebko/Angela Meade
c. Marco Armiliato

Puccini's Turandot
Turandot: Lise Lindstrom / Christine Goerke
Calàf: Marcelo Alvarez
Liu: Hibla Gerzmava/Leah Crocetto


Just remember, all are subject to change. I seem to remember Jonas Kaufmann slated for Don Carlos (French) at the Met until relatively late in the day for 2014/15. Ended up being re-run of the Italian version and no Jonas!

Royal Opera House Covent Garden

A similar site for the Future Royal Opera House Wiki has less listed but still makes interesting reading and who knows - you may be able to add something! Both Wiki's are editable so if you know something then join in the fun! Anyway, the Royal Opera 2015/16 wiki has this so far:

(amended 14th Jan 2015)

New Productions 2015/16

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) and Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Canio - Aleksanders Antonenko
Tonio/Alfio - Dimitrias Platanias

Orphee et Euridice (Gluck) Autumn 2015
Director: John Fulljames
Orphee - Juan Diego Forez


Carmen (Bizet) Autumn 2015
Don Jose - Bryan Hymel

Lucia di Lammamoor (Donizetti)
Lucia - Diana Damrau
Enrico - Artur Rucinski
Edgardo - Stephen Costello

Il Trovatore (Verdi)
Conductor - Antonio Pappano
Manrico - Gregory Kunde
Leonora - Carmen Gianattasio
Azuncena - Ekaterina Semenchuk

L'Etoile (Chabrier)
Director - Mariame Clement
Set/Costume Designe - Julia Hansen

Mitridate, Re di Ponto (Mozart)
Conductor: Christophe Rousset

Werther (Massenet) ?Revival
Conductor - Antonio Pappano
Werther - Vittorio Grigolo
Charlotte - Joyce DiDonato

Revivals 2015/16

Il Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Il Conte - Stephane Degout

Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss) October 2015
Ariadne - Renee Fleming/Elizabeth Meister

Tannhauser (Wagner)
Original direction: Tim Albery
Costume designer: John Morrell
Elizabeth - Emma Bell

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky)
Director - Kasper Holten
Conductor - Semyon Bychkov
Tatiana - ?Anna Netrebko
Lensky - Michael Fabiano

Il Trittico (Puccini) Feb/March 2016
Suor Angelica - Ermonela Jaho

That's all for now but feel free to comment or join in the speculation!

Toute mon âme est là! - Werther Met HD Broadcast

After reading so many reviews and blogs and tweets about the current run of Werther at the Met Opera, needless to say I was practically champing at the bit to experience this production, if not live, then probably the next best thing.  The fact that Werther is portrayed by the 'tenor du jour' Jonas Kaufmann only added to the anticipation.  I'll try not to let this blog post descend into 'fan girl' gushing but its going to be hard!  As it happens, this was also to be my very first experience of a Met HD broadcast in the cinema which was also an intriguing prospect, so I'll expand a bit more about that aspect of my experience.

My cinema of choice was the Curzon in Mayfair, a little gem with only two screens and a world away from the large multi-screen cinemas more commonly found.  Seating just over 300 in total, the auditorium was ample without being oversized, with comfortable seats, attentive staff and a nice line in Prosecco, Chardonnay and Merlot which you could sip at your seats - very civilised indeed!  The auditorium was about three-quarters full as a guess - not bad for a 5pm start I thought.  My fellow opera fans were slightly more 'mature' than I...which is quite something given that I'm not exactly a spring chicken myself!

My once concern before the broadcast started, was the thought of the possibly overwhelming volume levels.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind my opera loud when it needs to be, but this is Werther, and something a little more subtle is required, rather than the normal volume at cinemas which tend to rattle the walls!  Luckily my doubts about the quality of the picture and volume were soon put to one side - I couldn't really fault either, apart from a couple of little 'glitches' in the stream, but they only last for a couple of seconds.

So, to the opera itself.

I don't really have a big history with Werther.  I know the most famous tenor aria of course, but I've never seen a live performance before.  I have seen the DVD of the 2010 Paris production, also coincidentally starring Jonas Kaufmann and Sophie Koch as his Charlotte. I enjoyed the performances of both very much but the actual direction of this DVD I find annoying in the extreme.  Unfortunately the director shows us shots of the singers waiting in the wings, the back of the conductor and the orchestra and more or less kills the mood that the singers are working so hard to establish.  Bizarre.

Luckily this new production by Sir Richard Eyre was filmed in a pretty straightforward way for the broadcast.  Close-ups were more or less on-cue and appropriate, the singers always totally in character, the larger picture also lovingly detailed.  The production itself was in the traditional mould but none the worse for that.  There were a lot of projections - this seems to be a 'thing' now and I think that directors are still getting the hang of how to use and more importantly how much to use!  My recent Don Giovanni at ROH, used them a little too frequently I thought.  Here they were used sparingly but effectively, especially when they eased transition from one scene to another, the house and garden of Charlotte and her family, magically transforming into a ballroom where Charlotte and Werther dance and fall in love.  I would be interested to know how effective the projections were in the theatre as opposed to the broadcast - they certainly seemed impressive on the big screen.

This was the last performance in this particular run of Werther and I think it probably showed in the performances.  Rarely was there a moment when any of the cast were not totally committed and in character - a difficult feat to pull off when the camera is constantly on you.  And yet I believed in all of the characters - even the annoying ones!

This opera is a slow burner - there is a lot of scene-setting in Acts 1 and 2 and Sophie Koch as Charlotte paced her performance accordingly, only allowing us a glimpse into her changing emotions in Act 3 and then the ultimately tragic consequences in Act 4.  She is a believable warm presence as Charlotte, with a voice to match and an utterly convincing actress in this part.  David Bizic as her husband Albert was new to me and his voice was smooth and darkly coloured. But this is not an especially grateful singing role for a baritone, with few opportunities to shine.  Lisette Oropesa has a bright-voiced winning soprano and in the role of Sophie she is sweet without being saccharine, suggesting hidden depths and empathy with her sister's plight.

But let's face facts here - Werther is all about the tenor.  And when the tenor is Jonas Kaufmann you can be sure you are in for an emotional roller coaster ride.  The voice of course is wonderful, perhaps darker and more burnished than before, which is unusual itself when this role has traditionally been sung by the likes of Alfredo Kraus, Nicolai Gedda and more recently Roberto Alagna.  Kaufmann makes it work though, his darker tones suggesting a more brooding presence from the start. But its not just the voice - wonderful as that was - its the full commitment to the role that impresses.

The final act is a master-class in acting from both singers as Werther commits suicide (quite graphically here) and Charlotte arrives too late to save him - but not too late to comfort him and finally admit her love.  There were moments here when I was quite literally holding my breath.  And, strange as it sounds, there were also moments when I actually forgot that they were singing and everything was just the drama being played out. That for me is the ultimate in operatic acting.

So for me, my first Met Live HD experience was a thrilling one and one I'm definitely going to repeat at some stage.  No it can't replace the special thrill of being in the opera house and hearing singers live, but when that's just not possible then this is the next best thing.

Die Walkure...or how I learned to love the Ring Cycle. A little.

Before I start to review my latest DVD purchase I just need to make a little confession.  "My name is Karen and I don't enjoy Wagner."  I feel like I should be standing up in some sort of therapy group and making that admission, such is the look of amazement you get when you admit this in most operatic circles.  But my view is that that I can't enjoy every composer with the same level of enthusiasm and I just don't 'get' Wagner.  Not entirely sure why.  

Maybe because I wasn't brought up listening to his music in the way I was with Italian and French opera.  Or maybe its the extreme length of some of his opera - I  mean, almost 6 hours (including intervals) for Parsifal? Really?  But most of all I think that I've been put off in the past by the type of singing I've encountered in Wagner - the 'park and bark' style that hopefully is now going out of fashion. For me, Wagner is the sort of opera that is so easy to  mock and unfortunately is shorthand for the stereotypical image that opera is subject to.  You know the one I mean,  a rather large lady dressed in breastplate and horns singing her heart out not very tunefully.

See what I mean.  This is what I imagine when I think Wagner.  And especially the Ring Cycle.  I mean , why tell a story in one opera when you can do it soooo much better in four - Wagner gives the word 'epic' a bad name. And then there's the plot which involves dwarves, gold, dragons and Nordic gods and goddesses.  Think Lord of the Rings with better music. Not really my thing.  I prefer real people, whether they are Kings and Queens or Parisian bohemians, direct human emotion is what I'm looking for and I expect my opera to give me that in bucket loads.  So I don't get Wagner.

Which is not to say that I don't like his music - I do.  I've got the requisite CD with the 'best bits' and can hum along to the Ride of the Valkyries with the best of them.  I just don't want to watch or listen to a whole opera.  Until now.

Yes, its that tenor again.  Jonas Kaufmann.  Even so I approached Die Walkure with trepidation rather than outright enthusiasm and my heart sank when I ripped through the cellophane to discover 2, yes 2 dvd's.  Of course there would be - this is Wagner.  Still, there was nothing on the tv and I'm on leave from work so no rushing off for that early night - I could watch this to the bitter end if necessary.  But I must admit that I found myself thinking I could always whizz through the non-Jonas bits if necessary.

So, on to the review.

Another reason for my slight apprehension is that this is a DVD from the Met Opera, showcasing their latest production of the Ring Cycle by Robert Lepage, featuring what has come to be know as 'The Machine'.  To say that there have been mixed reviews is putting it politely. There's no way to adequately describe this contraption so you're going to need a visual.

That's the Ride of the Valkyries by the way.  No horses as you might have noticed.  That picture doesn't really do it justice though.  This is a fully articulated platform that serves as stage, occasionally as horse, but mostly it seems, as a surface for the many projections throughout the opera.  It looks clumsy and dangerous and I for one wouldn't like to be clambering around its many facets and I can only imagine the technical jiggery-pokery needed to ensure everything was alright on the night.  Anyway, let's just say it was effective in parts and didn't overly detract from the opera itself.  However I did get the feeling that so much attention had been paid to The Machine, that not enough was spent with the singers and the story they were trying to tell.  A little more time spent there would have reaped benefits.

Luckily a world class cast was assembled in most of the roles and if its top class singing you're after then look no further than Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Marie Westbroek playing the incestuous twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, separated when young and now joyfully reunited here.  Even in Wagner (and some might say especially in Wagner) Kaufmann's singing is a joy and never descends into stereotypical Bayreuth Bark territory, strong, dark and luscious tone that even I could listen to, Wagner sceptic that I am.  Ms Westbroek matched him with some sublime singing and a touching characterisation of the downtrodden wife she has become when Siegmund finds her.  However, they were both hampered in Act 1 by The Machine taking up half the stage necessitating all the action taking place downstage.   No matter, I was hooked by the love story (yes I'm a romantic) and couldn't wait for the rest of the opera.

Act 2 brought the second reason why I ventured into the Ring Cycle.  Bryn Tefel, Welsh bass-baritone playing the King of the Gods, Wotan.  He has an enormous presence, both physical and vocal, but uses both aspects with taste and always with focused intent.  This is the first time I've encountered his Wotan and I was not disappointed.  In fact I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer emotion he managed to convey in his portrayal of this mighty god.  He might be a god, but he has the same problems as many human beings, a nagging wife, an errant daughter and a son who he loves but cannot now protect.

And so onto the Die Walkure herself, Brunhilde, here sung by the American soprano Deborah Voight making her debut in the part.  Since I have nothing to compare it to and not being a musician I can only say that I found her singing good without being outstanding - especially in comparison with her colleagues. She also acted the part adequately again without being outstanding.  Supporting roles were taken well with special mention going to the rest of the the Valkyries who sang and capered around the machine without betraying too much nervousness.  

All in all, and much to my surprise  I did actually enjoy the whole opera and didn't fast forward through anything.  In fact at one point I was reduced to tears when Siegmund dies in his father Wotan's arms.

Nicely played by both singers and gave me exactly what I was looking for - direct human emotion that I could understand.. I was equally impressed by the complexity of the father/daughter relationship between Wotan and Brunhilde.  A lot has been written about Verdi's various depictions of fathers and daughters but I really think Wagner hit the nail on the head here, and all the more touching for being totally unexpected.  By me at least.

So, am I a Wagner convert?  I wouldn't go that far.  But at least I think I've come to appreciate the music a little more.  And if Kaufmann and Terfel ever bring their Wagner partnership to the Garden - I'll be right in the queue for a ticket.  And I think that's definitely progress.

My next review will definitely be of a live performance - Nabucco at Royal Opera this weekend.