Next weekend: Rigoletto a Mantova

After Tosca in Rome, La Traviata in Paris, RAI TV is preparing Rigoletto in Mantua (very close to Verona) that will be live broadcast to more than 100 countries next weekend. The show will be split in two days and the broadcast is scheduled for Saturday 4 [at 20:30 (cet)], and Sunday 5 September [at 14:15 and 23:30 (cet)]. Check your local listings...

It is supposed to be fully live and it will be directed by Marco Bellocchio. Even though Marco is a brilliant film director, I don't expect much from his operatic adventure as these mammoth-size projects are regularly in the claws of traditionalists.

Rigoletto is not my fave Verdi at all, but since this will be a global operatic event I wouldn't want to miss it either.

The RAI Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Zubin Mehta, and Placido Domingo will be  Rigoletto (!) for the whole weekend. Julia Novikova will be our Gilda, Vittorio Grigolo  The Duke of Mantua,  Ruggero Raimondi Sparafucile, and Nino Surguladze Maddalena.

The above pic is a collage of 4 photos taken during the rehearsals by C. Giglioli, and below is one with Placidone, plus a 'long' trailer.

Ed: Videos available on YouTube - click here

Ariadne auf Strasbourg

Opéra National du Rhin (ONR) in Strasbourg, February 20, 2010

Director André Engel

Conductor Daniel Klajner

The prima donna/Ariadne Christiane Libor

Zerbinetta Julia Novikova

The Composer Angélique Noldus

The tenor / Bacchus Michael Putsch

Harlequin Thomas Oliemans

Scaramouccio Xin Wang

Truffaldino Andrey Zemskov

Brighella Enrico Casari

Naiad Anaïs Mahikian

Dryad Eve-Maud Hubeaux

Echo Anneke Luyten

Julia Novikova & Christiane Libor auf Naxos

Greetings from Strasbourg where we go tonight to see the last show of the new André Engel's production of Ariadne auf Naxos with two SUPERB singers, namely Julia Novikova [saw her recently in Rigoletto at the Komische Oper Berlin -- magnificent Gilda], and Christiane Libor [one of the top promising wagnerian sopranos, who we loved in Die Feen last year at Châtelet in Paris]. Engel is either good or not-good -- it's rarely in between, so I'm hoping for the best...

Here is one pic from this production [lifted from the ONR website]

 

in which you can see Libor (Ariadne in red) and Novikova (Zerbinetta in black).