Macbeth in Leipzig: The Great Dictator by Peter Konwitschny

Macbeth, Oper Leipzig, December 15 2011

Conductor ..... William Lacey

Director ..... Peter Konwitschny

Duncan ..... Bert Franzke 

Macbeth ..... Marco di Felice

Banquo ..... James Moellenhoff

Lady Macbeth ..... Amarilli Nizza

Macduff ..... Giuseppe Varano 

Malcolm ..... Norman Reinhardt

Kammerfrau der Lady .... Jean Broekhuizen

Chorus of the Oper Leipzig (Alessandro Zuppardo)

Gewandhausorchester

Ausgebrannt...

Apparently the rehearsals leading to the premiere of The Queen of Spades in Graz [trailer here] were very intense and Peter Konwitschny (one of the rare true artists among opera producers) simply burned out. He was hospitalized for exhaustion before the premiere, and he's been staying at that same hospital in Graz for more than six weeks already -- which obviously means that his health problems were very serious.

 
Konwitschny is the artistic director of Oper Leipzig, where the preparations of his new production of  Macbeth are underway. The premiere is scheduled for December 10, and will most probably happen without Big Pete.
Get well soon, big man! We need you!

Konwitschny's Tannhäuser in Dresden

Tannhäuser, Semperoper Dresden, April 22 2011

Musical Director ..... Peter Schneider
Staging ..... Peter Konwitschny


Landgraf Hermann von Thüringen ..... Michael Eder
Tannhäuser ..... Stephen Gould
Wolfram von Eschenbach ..... Christoph Pohl
Walther von der Vogelweide ..... Tom Martinsen
Biterolf ...... Tilmann Rönnebeck
Heinrich der Schreiber ..... Aaron Pegram
Reimar von Zweter ..... Tomislav Lucic
Elisabeth ..... Marjorie Owens
Venus ..... Tichina Vaughn
Ein junger Hirt ..... Christiane Hossfeld
Erste Edelfrau ..... Beate Siebert
Zweite Edelfrau ..... Ute Siegmund
Dritte Edelfrau ..... Barbara Leo
Vierte Edelfrau ..... Claudia Mößner

Staatsopernchor
Sinfoniechor Dresden e.V.
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

The Konwitschny Affair, or Why Salome rubbed me the wrong way?

"Salome" by Konwitschny had everything I need to consider it an excellent show, and yet there was something rubbing me the wrong way. After digging a bit deeper I think I've found the answer: I saw "Armida" by Calixto Bieito in Komische Oper Berlin this spring. And yes, Bieito has set a standard that Konwitschny's "Salome" simply didn't fulfill.

Salomé : Amsterdam V. Paris 1:0

I had a privilege to see two different productions of Salome in only a couple of weeks. One is an old production (Paris Opera) and the other is new (Amsterdam Opera).

Paris show was old and tired, and simply nothing seemed to be in its place: this must have been the most uninspiring "Salome" ever. On the other hand the new production in Amsterdam was controversial, properly sung, and Konwitschny spurred the tons of boos (again)! The comparison sadly reminds us once again how terribly low the Paris Opera has fallen since past September.