Monday, April 21, 2014

Peter Sellars – Two of his Classic Mozart Productions on the Tube

Nearly everyone has an opinion about Peter Sellars' productions of...well everything he's ever directed. He's been around for a while, now and he is not going away—I think his work has really matured over the years. He surfaced as an opera director with his 1990-ish films of the three great Mozart/DaPonte operas. (You might argue with the term "classic" when describing his productions. However, like them or not, they are classics of their genre.) 

I encountered these three productions when they were first broadcast on PBS. I was fascinated by Le nozze di Figaro, a bit annoyed by Cosi fan Tutte, and completely put off by Don Giovanni (I switched it off in the middle of the "Champagne Aria," finding the production icky and some of the singing unbearable.)

Now, with more life experience, more opera experience, more experience with Regietheater (although I am not sure these two really count as regie—feel free to discuss/disagree in the comments section below), and a completely different world outlook, I re-approached these operas with curiosity. The good news is that we can experiment with and form our own opinions on Mr. Sellars' Cosi and Giovanni for free on YT (for now). Thanks to the enterprising Opera Nerd for posting them!







6 comments:

  1. The one you couldn't watch is the most famous.

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    1. And that's the one I know the best (and like the best, so far.)

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  2. I saw Cosí then and I remember I loved the idea of treating it as a non-funny comedy, but disliked the actual production (the choreographic movements, some of the singing). Watching it again is very interesting - after having watched many productions over these years, including Guth's and the one with the giant egg (mercifully, I forgot the authors of such horror) this one looks dramatically solid and quite mainstream (Added bonus of a Don Alfonso that's a Homer Simpson lookalike)

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    1. I kind of like the egg one. The directors/designers were Karl-Ernst & Ursel Herrmann - it was part of the Salzburg M22 festival back in 2006.

      Have you seen the Berlin Staatsoper production from 2002? That is a very good funny/not funny interpretation of Cosi. And it stars the amazing Dorothea Röschmann.

      Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments!

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  3. I definitely need to check these out. I remember the DG from way back (also Sellars' Giulio Cesare from the same period I think). Since then I've seen a lot of Sellars; his various Adams collabs, L'Amour de Loin, Theodora and Hercules come to mind. I'm curious to see how I'll react to his earlier work now.

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    Replies
    1. I was thinking specifically of you when exploring these two videos, knowing you follow his current work. (And I appreciate reading your reviews and impressions)
      I'm looking forward to reading your reactions to the Mozarts.
      Sellars has also staged what I think is a marvelous St. Matthew Passion (Bach) for the Berlin Philharmonic. It's sort of a staged/concert version now available in the original of a few years ago (with Magdelena Kožená pregnant and Mark Padmore as the Evangelist - very moving) and a new version just done this year-- both are pay per view) I think he's done the St. John, too.

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