Opera meets Theater: Superb Neuenfels production of Reimann's Lear

Lear, Komische Oper Berlin, December 20 2011

Tómas Tómasson

Director ..... Hans Neuenfels
Conductor ..... Friedemann Layer
Co-director ... Henry Arnold

King Lear ..... Tómas Tómasson
King of France ..... Tilmann Rönnebeck
Duke of Albany ..... Hans Gröning
Duke of Cornwall ..... Christoph Späth
Earl of Kent ..... Thomas Ebenstein
Earl of Gloucester ..... Jens Larsen
Edgar, son of Gloucester ..... Martin Wölfel
Edmund, illegitimate son of Gloucester ..... Andreas Conrad
Goneril. daughter of Lear ..... Irmgard Vilsmaier
Regan, daughter of Lear ..... Erika Roos
Cordelia, daughter of Lear ..... Caroline Melzer
Fool ..... Elisabeth Trissenaar
Servant ..... Volker Herden
Knight ..... Michel Podwojski

Lohengrin opens Bayreuth Festival today: Is Hans Neuenfels channeling Art Spiegelman?

Lohengrin is essentially a story about how to manipulate people, how to play with their customs, their culture and tradition, with their social order, and with their emotions. Stefan Herheim's production of Lohengrin at the Staatsoper in Berlin was to me the best Lohengrin I could see so far. The event was extra-special as Klaus Florian Vogt made a perfect match for Herheim's Lohengrin and was impeccable vocally. Dorothea Röschmann added her wonderful Elsa, and Michaela Schuster delivered a wickedly clever Ortrud [yes, in Herheim's Lohengrin Ortrud sees the manipulator in Lohengrin right from the beginning.]

Other memorable Lohengrin we could see last year was the Richard Jones' production for the Bayrische Staatsoper that you can find on DVD. The production is unusual and exciting but the concept simply didn't work for me. There,  Jonas Kaufmann was a brilliant Lohengrin and the hype before the show was entirely focused on him. The surprise, however, was Anja Harteros' Elsa who not only stole the show but blew away everyone in that production, including Kaufmann. That was one of the most amazing singing by a woman I've ever seen in any opera house.

Yummy cakes from Dalloyau in Paris (the first two choc-cakes are the Opera Cake and Opera 20-10)

Today is the opening day of the Festival in Bayreuth and --as I already mentioned several times-- it will be live broadcast via BR-Klassik starting from 16:00  (cet) on this link. See also this link to consult the cast members list. Kaufmann should shine 1000 colors today, but I expect a lot especially from Andris Nelsons.

Intermezzo posted a dozen of pics from the final dress rehearsal on her blog today, which lead me to believe that Neuenfels has taken Art Spiegelman-ian view on Brabant. A suivre...

I need one ticket for the third show - August 6.  
Huge thanks in advance to anyone who could help!

New pics below

Neuenfels' Traviata at the Komische Oper

La Traviata, Komische Oper Berlin, May 21 2010

   Conductor Lutz Rademacher

   Director Hans Neuenfels

Violetta Valéry Brigitte Geller

Flora Bervoix Elisabeth Starzinger

Annina Caren van Oijen

Alfred Germont  Peter Lodahl

Georges Germont Anton Keremidtchiev

Gaston, Vicomte de Letorière  Adrian Strooper

Baron Douphol  Hans-Peter Scheidegger

Marquis d'Obigny  Ingo Witzke

Doktor Grenvil  Tilmann Rönnebeck

Der Zuhälter  Christian Natter

Joseph  Jan Proporowitz

Ein Kommissionär   Matthias Spenke