Upcoming Opera Online from Belgium (Especially Mozart!)

Here's my semi-annual blog post. I am putting it here mostly for me, because I really want to be sure to see these three Mozart/Daponte operas!

I just experienced the Tales of Hoffmann from La Monnaie as well. I was a bit disappointed in the concept with most numbers sung in front of a microphone (I get why they did it, but I found it annoying after the fifth or sixth time), and by Patricia Pettibon, who seemed very stressed. 

Love, like, or hate them, I am always glad to experience productions from La Monnaie. And, as I said, I am looking forward to these Mozarts (and Pique Dame and Rosenkavalier.) Their video streams usually are up for about six weeks, starting right after closing night. Some are available on other platforms. Hoffmann is on arte.tv, and it's geoblocked in the United States; but you can access it with a VPN.

Here's the trailer for the upcoming Figaro.

Thanks to anyone who's still reading me. I will try to update my little blog a little more often!

Operas Online (Now and Later) from La Monnaie

This is a quick reminder to myself, as well as to my readers that La Monnaie makes all of its productions available online, for at least a limited period of time—not only on their own website, but on other platforms, too. (For example, Dialogues des Carmelites is no longer on the La Monnaie site, but you can still see it via OperaVision.)

Their productions are always interesting, often provocative, and feature outstanding directors, conductors, and singers.

So many operas...so little time.

Rinat Shaham in Cendrillion at La Monnaie on The Opera Platform

One of my favorite mezzos, Rinat Shaham, as Massenet's Cendrillion at La Monnaie. This broadcast is available starting today from The Opera Platform (an offshoot of Arte Concert, where you can also see Anna Netrebko and Francesco Meli in Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco) 

Here's an excerpt from Cendrillion with Rinat Shaham and Sophie Marilley:

Note: you may want to track down a libretto (here is one in French only) since the website says: Kindly supported by La Monnaie, THE OPERA PLATFORM presents CENDRILLON free of charge as video on demand. This opera is a full-length performance offered in addition to our regular programme. Therefore subtitles will not be provided.

La Monnaie Don Giovanni – Age Restricted on the Toob

Another opportunity to see/hear the entire performance of Warlikowski's Don G. from La Monnaie. But you have to prove you're old enough. (They probably should make you prove you're open-minded enough!) 

@Rinatshaham = Mezzo Elvira Awesomeness

I just tweeted the above comment, then did a quick search on Israeli mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham and found this great interview at the Operatraveller blog. I first encountered Ms. Shaham as Cherubino in the marvelous ROH Nozze di Figaro. Carmen is her signature role, but she occasionally ventures into the higher realms of roles such as her recent debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at La Monnaie (available online for about five more days. Go watch it. Now! Seriously.)

Operatraveller saw this Don G live, and in the review commented (and I concur):

Rinat Shaham’s Elvira also made the role her own. The voice so rich and easily produced, the tessitura holding no terrors.  She was also a captivating actress, fully encapsulating Elvira’s strength yet also mapping the journey when she realizes her betrayal.  

Only 10 More Days to Watch this NSFW Don Giovanni from La Monnaie

At least the opening bit—the film during the overture, and some of the action in the opera box (and a few other bits)—is not safe for work (NSFW). 

I try not to be a prude; but every once in a while, I channel my Mom and purse my lips and say things like, “That’s quite unnecessary!” Then I channel my Dad, who would say something like, “Well! How ’bout that?” (…meaning, “I’m not sure quite what to think!”)

As I do so often, I waited till (virtually) the last minute to watch the current production of Don Giovanni at La Monnaie; and I haven't seen all of it yet. So far, I’d say we have a wig-fest for a sex-obsessed Donna Anna (Barbara Hannnigan, who seems like an odd choice, but is quite effective.) And another freaking-out Don Giovanni with a foot fetish and some interesting oral fixations (Jean-Sébastien Bou, whom I’d love to like better, but frankly he seems maybe the weakest voice in the cast—of course Don G is often the weakest character.) And another ironic, patient, and tolerant Leporello* (Bass-baritone Andreas Wolf, sounding charmingly baritonish.)

The entire cast seems fully committed to Krzysztof Warlikowski's vision.

Don Giovanni – Jean-Sébastien Bou

Leporello – Andreas Wolf

Donna Anna – Barbara Hannigan

Donna Elvira – Rinat Shaham

Don Ottavio – Topi Lehtipuu

Zerlina – Julie Mathevet

Masetto – Jean-Luc Ballestra

Commendatore – Willard White

Choeurs de la Monnaie, Symfonieorkest van de Munt/Ludovic Morlot

Stage Director – Krzysztof Warlikowski

*This is kind of off-point, but I think Leporello and Donna Elvira are my favorite characters in this opera. I’d like to see a spin-off for them! 

In Case You Missed It – Orphée from La Monnaie Replay

I did a "kind of" review of this production when it was streaming from La Monnaie last summer, stating, in part:

While I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this production...Stéphanie d'Oustrac...is an amazing singer/actor. In what, for the singer, is essentially a concert performance, she evokes Orphée 's full range of emotions.  

In case you missed the performance, or want to check it out again, here it is at the Toob. If you haven't seen it, I do recommend setting aside about an hour and a half to view/listen to it.  If you have a little less time, go directly to the scene leading up to Je perdu mon Eurydice.

Moving (if somewhat manipulative) Orphée from La Monnaie

I really want to write a full-on review of this performance. But, as so often is the case, I am not 100% sure how I feel about it. I feel manipulated; but I'm not sure I mind. 

Overlaying a new story over an established plot is not a new idea. That's what great directors (sometimes) do. While Romeo Castellucci is no Stefan Herheim, I believe he has an interesting and effective new way to approach Orphée et Eurydice. Castellucci equates Eurydice's plight to the story of Els, a young Belgian woman suffering from Locked-in Syndrome, or a pseudocoma. She is completely paralyzed, and seems comatose, but is fully aware of here surroundings; and with accommodation, she can communicate. The story of her condition and how her family has responded is quite moving; so moving that it actually threatens to overtake the opera completely at some points. 

La Monnaie's Orphee – Some Background

Photo: Bernd Uhlig

After a prompt from Lydia (definitelytheopera), I decided to look up some additional information (in English) on this new, moving production of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice. The official videos at the La Monnaie site are apparently quite informative; but only if you understand French and/or Dutch better than I do. Thus my Anglo-centric search for more info. 

So, here is notice that appeared in early June in the KULTURKOMPASSET blog that previews the concept of the production. 

Here is an article about Locked-in Syndrome (LiS) or pseudocoma from The Brain Foundation; and an interview with LiS Survivor Richard Marsh

And here are two reviews in English: from the blog londongrip; and from the New York Times.

This is a co-production with the Weiner Festwochen, and it was seen in Vienna in May, sung in Italian. Over at The Opera Critic, you can find links to reviews (in German) of those performances, plus a few reviews (in French) of the current La Monnaie incarnation.

More About Orphée – Online Soon from La Monnaie

Opera Cake (the blogger) calls La Monnaie's new Orphée et Eurydice "simply devastating," and says we need to see in person. While OC did not reveal why (but promised a fuller review soon), I've a feeling some of it has to do with the projections (see below, and other photos at La Monnaie's site.)

Unfortunately, many of us in the U.S. can't pop over to Brussels within the next few weeks. So we won't be able see it in person. We will have get by with watching it online. And we can do that on-demand for about 20 days, starting this coming Wednesday, July 9.

© Bernd Uhlig

Orphée et Eurydice 

Christoph W. Gluck/Hector Berlioz

Orphée  Stéphanie d'Oustrac

Eurydice Sabine Devieilhe

Music direction Hervé Niquet

Staging, set design, lighting & costumes  Romeo Castellucci

Two Py, Not Square (Dialogues des Carmélites and Hamlet)

Stage director Olivier Py is busy all over Europe these days. Videos of two of his latest productions can be viewed online (and they're not on YT, so they won't magically disappear without warning.) On a post over at the Parterre Box*,  redbear commented:

...his Theatre des Champs-Elysees “Dialogues” [is] a “perfection rarement atteintes” and the “Hamlet” in Brussels last month “brillante.”

At Arte Live Web, where you can watch a video of Dialogues des Carmélites (featuring French divas Véronique Gens, Sophie Koch, and Patricia Petibon as Blanche) for about six more months, we learn:

Francis Poulenc's composition is based on the eponymous drama by Georges Bernanos and is an outstanding masterpiece of French opera of the 20th Century. The historical setting and the extraordinary protagonists make "Dialogues of the Carmelites" as an impressive allegory on human existence, death and the relationship of people to each other and to God.

Then check out Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet at La Monnaie; and not just because there's a nude barihunk (thank you, barihunks.com). It also is an opera we don't get to hear that often, and it's an impressive production. Marc Minkowski conducts, and Stéphane Degout is the wonderful Hamlet (he was a super Pelleas last season, too); Degout's brief nakedness adds a special creepiness to a mother giving her grown son a bath. Mathieu Rémy as Laertes is a tenor to watch out for, too. You can see the full opera on France's Culturebox until June 2014. 

My fluency in French is slightly below survival level, so even though I know the basic plot of each opera, I found these synopses from the Metropolitan Opera very helpful:

Hamlet

Dialogues des Carmélites

*A rather interesting (and impressively civil) discussion regarding pros and cons of Regieoper.

Reminder of Online Operas to be Thankful for (Some for a limited time!)

Video

If you haven't watched La Clemenza di Tito from La Monnaie yet, you have only a few more days to do so. Go watch it. Now!

And, for one day only, the Bayerische Staatsoper's new production of Die Frau Ohne Schatten starting at 6 PM (CET), which is around noon New York time on Sunday, December 1.  

Audio

Next Monday and for seven days thereafter, you can hear the recent Wozzeck from Covent Garden with Simon Keenlyside and Karita Mattila on BBC Radio 3.

Dvorak's Armida is still available for listening (for a few days) at Sveriges Radio, who also have a recent performance of Britten's Gloriana (also Covent Garden, with a cast including Toby Spence and Kate Royal) for about a month. 

Finally, the latest Orfeo ed Euridice from Paris with Franco Fagioli as Orfeo and Malin Hartelius (sigh) as Euridice (yes, it's in Italian, which actually sounded rather odd (but awesome) to me, since the most recent performances I've heard were in French) on francemusique.com. This wonderful performance is available for about four weeks. 

La Clemenza di Tito (Part 2: Personal Drama Played Out in Public)

Act 2 Finale

In some productions, Sesto is on the verge of a nervous breakdown (same for Vitellia and Tito, too, in other productions.) I think this Sesto is just a wimp. Anna Bonitatibus sings and acts gorgeously, but all I want to do is slap Sesto and sign him up some self-esteem classes. 

Kurt Streit portrays the Tito’s stress and exasperation, but sounds strained. (Actually most tenors do. It must be true that Mozart hated tenors. The slow rising of standard concert pitch over the years can’t take total blame for the awkward tessitura of Mozart’s tenor roles.)

Servilia and Annio – The Strongest Characters in La Clemenza di Tito? (Part 1)

Act 1 Finale

Are Servilia and Annio the strongest characters in La Clemenza di Tito? Not usually, but in this production, they seem to be the ones who have the most focus and most drive. I last saw Simona Šaturová as a strong Violetta in La Monnaie's rather kinky La Traviata. Here, she is a Servilia who really has her shtuff together, knows who she is, and doesn't take crap from anyone, not even Vitellia! Her Act 2 aria, Se altra lagrima is not just a simple plea in a pretty waltz time. 

La Clemenza at La Monnaie

Check out this new production of La Clemenza di Tito online at La Monnaie's website for a limited time (through Nov. 30*). Kurt Streit is Tito, Veronique Gens is Vitellia and Anna Bonitatibus is Sesto. 

I've only seen the first two scenes. The set is a big bedroom/office (maybe a hotel room?) There's a big video screen over center stage that shares intriguing and/or significant closeups (often of someone who is not singing, but usually reacting to whomever is singing). Both Sesto and Annio look and move convincingly like guys, and Tito is on stage at a desk stage left from the start. I haven't gotten far enough in to find out how that's going to play out. 

Sometimes videos from La Monnaie appear elsewhere later. Sometimes not. So watch it now!

*Update 11/10/13 My original intelligence said Nov. 21, but I just noticed on the La Monnaie site it says the 30th. (Also, I now have a crush on Swedish mezzo Anna Grevelius as Annio, but I am not sure if I have a crush on her, or on him.)

Related Posts:
Servillia and Annio (Review, Part 1)
Personal Drama... (Review, Part 2)

Pelléas et Mélisande – La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels

I am sure I could find people to argue with me about this, but I think Pelléas et Mélisande is such a strange opera that there really is no wrong way to stage it. There certainly is no literal way to stage it! This work becomes whatever the listener/viewer makes of it. 

Stéphane Degout and Dietrich Henschel

Keris9 at Opera Journal just reviewed this production from La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels. It will only be available for streaming from the opera company website till May 24, so I decided to get out this notice and link to the review now, instead of waiting till I can review it myself.

Go watch it now! We can talk about it later.

La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels
Ludovic Morlot, Pierre Audi, Anish Kapoor, Stéphane Degout, Monica Bacelli, Dietrich Henschel, Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo, Frode Olsen, Patrick Bolleire, Alexandre Duhamel, Valérie Gabail

La Monnaie Internet Streaming through May 24, 2013

Update 05/26/2013: This is now available at arte.tv (for about 6 months.) No subtitles.

La Traviata and The Perfect American – Still on View at Arte Live

This is a reminder that the La Monnaie La Traviata will be available on Arte Live for about 75 more days. And here it is:

Simona Šaturová thoroughly inhabits Violetta, and Sébastien Guèze is cute and impetuous as Alfredo. If you have any interest at all in Regieoper and you are not ultra-sensitive, I recommend you take a look and listen while it's still available. It's a somewhat disturbing production, but it's not boring. Here is my review of this Traviata.

Bejun Mehta – Burger Queen?

Opera singers have to put up with some pretty fluffy interview questions:  

Barbara Streisand or Pierre Boulez? 

Maria Callas or Cecilia Bartoli?

Gym Queen or Burger King? 

Who thinks up these questions? 

La Traviata at La Monnaie, Brussels – More Disturbing Than Shocking

Šaturová as Violetta

The Brussels staging of La Traviata by Andrea Breth generated quite a bit of controversy. I found it relatively unpleasant but not terribly shocking, and I am glad I saw/heard it, though I might not visit it again. Here they are depicting a more realistic grimy underworld of prostitution and drugs versus a more standard romanticized 18^th Century series of ever-so-slightly decadent, but elegant formal parties. 

The staging definitely is uncomfortable, especially in the party scenes. The female nudity is more depressing than erotic; perhaps the stark black and white setting serves to distance us. But I think the point could be made without so much overt S&M activity. It wouldn't take much compromise to make this less controversial. Then again, why should the director and company compromise their vision?  (That’s a rhetorical question, but I don't mind if a discussion/argument breaks out here.)