2010-2011, 2011-2012 2012-2013: Scandinavian Theaters

 2012-2013

Kungliga Operan in Stockholm


New Productions:

October 2012: The Magic flute [dir- Ole Anders Tandberg, cnd- Andreas Stoehr, cast: Ida Falk WInland, Susanna Stern, Daniel Johansson...]

November 2012: Un ballo in maschera [dir- Tobias Theorell, cnd- Pier Giorgio Morandi, cast: Emma Vetter, Susanne Resmark, Andrea Carè...]

February 2013: Turandot [dir - Marco Arturo Marelli, cnd- Thomas Söndergaard, cast: Nina Stemme, Riccardo Massi, Yana Kleyn...]

May 2013: Peter Grimes [dir- Johanna Garpe, cnd- Lawrence Renes, cast: John Daszak , Ingela Brimberg, Marianne Eklöf, Gabriel Suovanen...]


Interesting Revivals:

The Valkyrie [dir- Staffan Valdemar Holm, cnd- Lawrence Renes, cast:  Emma Vetter, Michael Weinius, Johan Edholm, Ann Louice Löglund, Lennart Forsen,...]

Carmen [dir- Vincent Broussard, cnd- ??, cast: Katarina Dalayman, Michael Weinius, Jeremy Carpenter, Yana Kleyn...]

Il barbiere di Siviglia [dir- Knut Hendriksen, cnd- Jean-Christophe Spinosi, cast: Malena Ernman, Michele Angelini, John Erik Eleby, Ola Eliasson...]

Den Norske Opera in Oslo

September 2012: Il barbiere di Siviglia [dir- François de Carpentries, cnd- Sergio Alapont, cast: local]

March - April 2013: Robin Hood [dir- Andreas Homoki, cnd- Peter Szilvay, cast: local]

August 2012 - May 2013: L'isola disabitata [dir- Hilde Andersen, cnd- Robert Horvath, cast: local]

May - June 2013: Salome [dir- Stefan Herheim, cnd- John Helmer Fiore, cast: local]

NB: in January 2013 they will rerun their acclaimed production of The Rape of Lucretia [dir- Thaddeus Strassberger, cnd- Magnus Loddgard, cast: Katija Dragojevic, Marita Sølberg...]







Det Kongelige Theater in Copenhagen
Penderecki - YAY!!!


New Productions:

Messiah [dir-David Freeman, cnd- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, cast: ???]

Semiramide [dir- Nigel Lowery, cnd- Rani Calderon, cast: Henriette Bonde-Hansen, Barry Banks, Florian Pock...]

The Cunning Little Vixen [dir- Francisco Negrin, cnd- Thomas Søndergård, cast: local]

Die Teufel von Loudun [dir- Keith Warner, cnd- Lionel Friend, cast: ???]

Il trittico [dir- Damiano Michieletto, cnd- Carlo Rizzi, cast: Maria José Siri, Tamar Iveri, Roberto Frontali...]




Revivals:

Madame Butterfly [dir- Lars Kaalunds, cnd-Steven Sloane, cast: Maria Luigia Borsi, Hui He, Héctor Sandoval,... ]


Carmen [dir- David McVicars, cnd- Alexander Prior, cast: Anna Caterina Antonacci, Andrew Richards, Levente Molnár...]


Tannhäuser [dir- Casper Holten, cnd- Roland Böer, cast: Ann Petersen, Willard White, Tina Kiberg, Palle Knudsen...]

Göterborgs Operan

Tristan Tristan....


New Productions:

September 2012: Rusalka [dir- David Radok, cnd- Olaf Henzold, cast: Elisabet Strid, Nikolai Schukoff, Susanne Resmark, Annalena Persson...]

February 2013: Tristan und Isolde [dir- Wilhelm Carlsson, cnd- Stefan Lano, cast: Lars Cleveman, Annalena Persson, Katarina Karnéus, Tommi Hakala, Mats Almgren ...]

April 2013: Simon Boccanegra [dir- Claus Guth, cnd- Giancarlo Andretta, cast: Anders Larsson, Malin Byström, Arturo Chacón-Cruz, ....]


Revivals:
November 2012: Turandot [dir- Vladimir Moravek, cnd- Tobias Ringborg, cast: Francesca Patanè, Francesca Patanè, ...]

April 2013: Il barbiere di Siviglia [dir- David Radok, cnd- Olof Boman, cast: Ida Falk Winland, Martin Vanberg, Åke Zetterström... ]







Kansallisooppera in Helsinki



September 2012: The Makropulos Affair [dir- Olivier Tambosi, cnd- Mikko Franck, cast: Karita Mattila, Jürgen Müller, ....]

October 2012: Don Carlo [dir- Manfred Schweigkofler, cnd- Pietro Rizzo, cast: Mika Pohjonen, Tommi Hakala, Lilli Paasikivi, ....]

December 2012: Rigoletto [dir- Georg Rootering, cnd- Mikko Franck, cast: Paolo Gavanelli, Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, ....]

January 2012: Thais [dir- Nicola Raab, cnd- Mikko Franck, cast: Malin Byström, Luc Robert, ....]

April 2013: Bluebeard’s Castle / I pagliacci [dir- Vilppu Kiljunen, cnd: ??, cast: local]

May 2013: Tristan und Isolde [dir- Elisabeth Linton, cnd- Pinchas Steinberg, cast: Robert Dean Smith, Marion Ammann, Tommi Hakala, Lilli Paasikivi, Matti Salminen]

2011-2012

Den Norske Oper in Oslo

Notable new productions:

•  El Cimarron (opera by Hans Werner Henzes) ]dir- Lars Kaalund, cnd- ??, cast: Gregg Baker...]
•  La Boheme [dir- Stefan Herheim, cnd- Kirill Karabits, cast: Vasily Ladyuk, Marita Sølberg, Giovanni Battista Parodi]
• Tristan und Isolde [dir- Daniel Slater, cnd- John Helmer Fiore, cnd: Gary Lehman, Karen Foster, Tuija Knihtilä]

Note also War sum up (manga opera?!)



Det Kongelige Teater in Copenhagen

Notable new productions:

• Cosi fan tutte [dir- Guy Joosten, cnd- Daniele Callegari, cast: Peter Lodahl, Johan Reuter, Tuva Semmingsen...] 
• Cav/Pag (in December) [dir- Kasper Holten, cnd- Stefano Ranzani, cast: Jose Cura, Iréne Theorin, Francesco Hong, Susanne Resmark, Randi Stene, Hanne Fischer, Tuva Semmingsen, Sine Bundgaard...] 
• Alceste [dir- Christof Loy, cnd- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, cast: Mireille Delunsch, Gregory Kunde...] 
• Parsifal [dir- Keith Warner, cnd- Hartmut Haenchen, cast: Stig Fogh Andersen, Stephen Milling, John Lundgren, Randi Stene...] 
• Albert Herring [dir- Keith Warner, cnd- Roland Böer, cast: Gert Henning-Jensen, Ylva Kihlberg, Gisela Stille, Hanne Fischer...]

They will also rerun their FroSch (that will be premiered in May 2011!) as well as Livlaegens besog by Bo Holten (a phenomenal Johann Reuter will be singing in both productions)

Göteborgs Operans

New production

• Salomé [dir- Peter Konwitschny, cnd- ??, cast: Annalena Persson...] (production presented last year in Amsterdam) 
• Tosca [dir- Lorenzo Mariani, cnd- Shao-Chia Lu, cast: Ingela Brimberg...] 
• Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk [dir- Graham Vick, cnd- Mats Almgren, cast: Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Pär Lindskog...]
  

They will also present the Christof Loy's production of Lucrezia Borgia already shown in several reruns in Munich

2010-2011

Det Kongelige Teater in Copenhagen

This is one of the top European opera houses (the new opera house is definitely the most beautiful modern buildings you could see anywhere these days). The house that produced the most extraordinary Ring so far cannot but be good.

1. Dancer in the Dark [dir Kasper Holten] a new opera by Poul Ruders conducted by Michael Schønwandt
2. Lulu [dir Stefan Herheim]
3. Boris Godunov [dir Dmitri Tcherniakov]
4. Roméo et Juliette [dir Olivier Py]
5. Die Frau ohne Schatten [dir Kasper Holten] and again with Michael Schønwandt conducting. Cast includes Tina Kiberg and Linda Watson

There will be a rerun of the last year's production of Tristan und Isolde with a superb cast that includes Stig Andersen, Irene Theorin, John Lundgren and Stephen Milling. Also notable is their production of La Boheme with Anna Netrebko singing in it. Serse with amazing Tuva Semmingsen


Den Norske Oper in Oslo

I am yet to visit this theater that apparently looks as good as the new opera-house in Copenhagen. New production by Herheim - Lulu - is a good bait for me, so I hope this time nothing will stand on my way to Oslo

1. Guantanamo - what now? Composer and multi media:  David Chocron; Director: Cliff A. Moustache [Oh don't pretend you're not intrigued! ;)]
2.  Orphée [dir/cor Mats Ek] much praised production by Mats Ek is to arrive to Oslo in January and then to Geneva in March 2011
3. Lulu [dir Stefan Herheim] with Heike Scheele designing the sets. The phenomenal Gary Lehman and Heidi Stober should be a guarantee for helluva show (co-produced with Copenhagen)
4. Peter Grimes [dir Paul Curran - also the art-director of DNO] production premiered in Santa Fe 5 years ago

Kungliga Operan in Stockholm

If the top production are  made in Copenhagen, Stockholm's opera remains the most prestigious in terms of its glorious past and an amazing gallery of the world's top opera singers. Many/most of the Swedish top opera singers today do not sing at their Natl theater though...
New productions:

• Triumph and Tragedy [dir Mårten Forslund] a new opera composed by Paula & Malmborg Ward
• Andrea Chénier [dir Dmitri Bertman] with Katarina Dalayman and Lars Cleveman
• Don Pasquale [dir Philip Zandén] 
• Stifelio [dir Tobias Theorell]
• Zémire et Azor [dir Josette Bushell-Mingo] this 1-act opera by Grétry will be sung in Swedish

There will aslo be a revival of Norma with Paulina Pfeiffer as Adalgisa (!), as well as La Boheme, with Paulina Pfeiffer as Mimi. Also interesting should be a revival of their Elektra because of Katarina Dalayman singing the title role. Finally they will also make one more run of their famous Orphée directed/choreographed by Mats Ek that is currently seducing audience on many of the European operatic stages.

Suomen Kansallisooppera (Helsinki)


Potentially interesting

1. Eugene Onegin with Jorma Silvasti and Soile Isokoski
2. Die tote Stadt [dir Kasper Holten]  with Klaus Florian Vogt and Camilla Nylund
3. Parsifal [dir Harry Kupfer]

Die tote Stadt looks great on the paper. Other than this, I also saw two scary Giancarlo del Monaco's production on the program, namely Elisir d'Amore and The Barber of Seville ;)


Göteborgs Operans


Potentially interesting

1. Don Carlo with Annalena Persson
2. Italiana in Algeri with Ann Hallenbergand Maxim Mironov
3. Alcina with Agneta Eichenholz