Opera Festivals 2010: Aix does it better

And so the Summer of Opera Festivals 2010 is over. It's been good even if somewhat surprising that the most interesting things happened in July (and not in August).

General impression: There are far too many festivals. Many city mayors across Europe support the Opera Festivals financially because they are good for their (cities') image, it's a bonus for tourism, it helps creating some jobs...
I want to believe that quantity implies a few quality productions every year, although this year wasn't particularly good example (except perhaps in Aix).

I believe the (main) purpose of Opera Festivals should be to propose new stuff, to define new directions in performing and staging the well known operas, and to bring to our attention good contemporary operas as well. It's hard to counter-punch that argument without questioning the artistic purpose of Opera Festivals altogether: one may as well extend the standard operatic season and include a couple of more operas in your usual Opera Houses and pretend they were success!

I am perfectly aware that matching the artistic intentions with your financial capacities is very hard, but that's what distinguishes good from mediocre Festival directors, i.e. good from mediocre festivals.

With that in mind,  The Best Festival 2010 was undoubtedly the one in Aix-en-Province:

Salzburg 2010: Assorted pics (3) - austroduck mozart and...

OK, some more pics to fit with a title of this blog... But before, here is a pic of that `hideous' squeaky thing that I also found at the shop of the Modern Art Museum [always in Salzburg]. Its name is apparently austroduck mozart [and its price-tag says ~10€] :-)

Salzburg 2010: Assorted pics (2)

Now, what is wonderful about Salzburg is that you can have your relaxing, and yet active, holidays in the surrounding mountains. Since they are only 30-50 km (~30 miles) away from the city center, you can spend a few days like that: tracking and enjoying the countryside during the day and go to see an opera in Salzburg in the evening.

 

Salzburg 2010: Assorted pics (1)

Here is the first of two posts containing a selection of assorted pics I took in Salzburg 2010. Hope they give you a bit of Salzburg flavor and you decide to go and see it all yourself next year. If you book your hotel (and even better, various bed & breakfast deals!) in January or February, you may get some good deals and staying in Salzburg will not be expensive.

This is a central street of Salzburg downtown. It's always lively pedestrian-area, touristy, but pleasant anyway. When you cross the bridge you can find a street very similar to this one [that other street is called Linzer-Gasse]. Still this central street remains more attractive because in the middle of it you'll find the birth-house of Wolfgang A.

Salzburg 2010: Why did Lulu sink!?

Lulu, August 11 2010, Felsenreitschule Salzburg

Patricia Petibon in Act-3 of Lulu in Salzburg

Marc Albrecht ..... Conductor
Vera Nemirova ..... Stage Director
Daniel Richter ..... Set Design


Patricia Petibon ..... Lulu
Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, Countess Geschwitz
Cora Burggraaf ..... A Theatrical Dresser, A High-School Boy, A Groom
Pavol Breslik ..... The Painter, A Negro
Michael Volle ..... Dr. Schön, Jack
Thomas Piffka ..... Alwa, Dr. Schön's son, a composer
Franz Grundheber ..... Schigolch, an old man
Thomas Johannes Mayer ..... An Animal Tamer, An Athlete
Heinz Zednik ..... The Prince, The Manservant
Andreas Conrad ..... The Marquis
Martin Tzonev ..... The Theater Manager, The Banker
Emilie Pictet ..... A Fifteen-year-old Girl
Cornelia Wulkopf ..... Her Mother
Astrid Monika Hofer ..... A Woman Artist
Simon Schnorr ..... A Journalist
Gerhard Peilstein ..... The Professor of Medicine, The Professor, The Police Officer
James Cleverton ..... A Servant


Vienna Philharmonic

Salzburg 2010: Verona at the Felsenreitschule - Trebs and Piotr rocked the house!

 Triumph after the memorable premiere: Beczala, Netrebko, Sher, Nézet-Séguin, Petrenko, Braun, Spyres

Roméo et Juliette, August 10 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor
Bartlett Sher, Stage Director

Anna Netrebko ..... Juliette
Piotr Beczala ..... Roméo
Mikhail Petrenko ..... Frère Laurent
Darren Jeffery ..... Le Comte Capulet
Russell Braun ..... Mercutio, friend to Roméo
Cora Burggraaf ..... Stéphano, page to Roméo
Michael Spyres ..... Tybalt, nephew of Capulet
Susanne Resmark ..... Gertrude, nurse to Juliet
David Soar ..... Le Duc de Vérone
Mathias Hausmann ..... Le Comte Paris
Andrei Bondarenko ..... Grégorio
Adrian Strooper ..... Benvolio, nephew of Montaigu


Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus

Salzburg 2010: Don Giovanni

Center of Salzburg -- next to Tomaselli café. Look at the banner...

Don Giovanni, August 9th 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg

Yannick Nézet-Séguin ..... Conductor
Claus Guth ..... Stage Director

Christopher Maltman ..... Don Giovanni
Dimitry Ivashchenko ..... Il Commendatore
Aleksandra Kurzak ..... Donna Anna
Joseph Kaiser Joel Prieto..... Don Ottavio
Dorothea Röschmann ..... Donna Elvira
Erwin Schrott ..... Leporello
Anna Prohaska ..... Zerlina
Adam Plachetka ..... Masetto

Vienna Philharmonic
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus

Salzburg 2010: Une Elektra électrisante

Look how the city of Salzburg was getting ready for the premiere! One of many banners all over the city...

Elektra, August 8 2010, Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg

Daniele Gatti ..... Conductor
Nikolaus Lehnhoff ..... Stage Director


Waltraud Meier ..... Klytämnestra
Iréne Theorin ..... Elektra
Eva-Maria Westbroek ..... Chrysothemis
Robert Gambill ..... Aegisth
René Pape .....Orest
Oliver Zwarg ..... Orest's Tutor


Vienna Philharmonic
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus

Salzburg 2010: Lulu, Richter...

Even though it's not my first trip to Salzburger Festspiele I'm getting increasingly excited [taking off tomorrow]  ;)

The reason?! You might have already noticed that I'm an admirer of fine art -- I try and find the stuff I like in any style but I most resonate with modern and contemporary art -- so the program in Salzburg this year looks like a perfect hit to me: Daniel Richter created the sets for Lulu, and Jonathan Meese for Dionysus. Now combine these creations with live theater and a good/dramatic opera, and you get my dream-Lulu.

Cut from "Daily": Patricia Petibon and Vera Nemirova after the premiere of Lulu

I tried not to read any review about Lulu, to keep my enthusiasm [and potential surprises] intact. I did, however, google about Daniel Richer and came across the following video:

Salzburg 2010: Elektra approaching fast...

The main event of this year's Salzburg Festival is supposed to be the new production of Elektra,  directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff and with our fave Daniele Gatti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.  I guess I'm not too much enthused as the show will take place at the Grosses Festspielhaus, which will certainly dilute the impact of the music. To that add Lehnhoff, who's not exactly what I like the most in opera, although I appreciated his Lohengrin, Parsifal, Tannhauser, and even Tristan. All of these productions were important as they went a step beyond the conventional reading but the substance was somehow missing... Also important is the fact that Lehnhoff is appreciated by traditionalists so his productions prepared them to stomach more creative works such as those by Herheim, Warlikowski, Bieito, Kusej, and even those by Guth, or Carsen...

Theorin and Westbroek as Elektra and Chrysothemis [photo ©Baus]

The cast is the most appealing element of this Elektra: Waltraud Meier (Klytämnestra), Iréne Theorin (Elektra),  Eva-Maria Westbroek (Chrysothemis), Robert Gambill (Aegisth), René Pape (Orest). 

Good news is that there will be a radio broadcast of the show scheduled for August 21 at 19:30 (cet) on this link.
Ed:  I don't know whether or not Norma with Joyce DiDonato as Adalgisa will be broadcast from Salzburg. If I find out anything in Salzburg I'll post it here.

I realize many people around me often misunderstand the directors' intentions in various productions of Elektra, and it's usually because they are not familiar with the background story of Electra and her fatherS. I hope you won't find this post too patronizing (please don't!), but rather helpful (?) 

Salzburg 2009 (2)

Now I'll be more specific about the Festival.
You book your tics BEFORE going there. You fill out the web form in February and it all works very smoothly. If you forgot to book your seats for some of your favorite shows on the program, there is a good probability to buy the tickets on the site. You first have to check at the main box office, and ONLY if they tell you the show is sold out you go to one of the numerous agencies in Salzburg who are selling the tickets and charge you 10-15 extra euros per middle priced tic.

Salzburg 2009 (1)

The Salzburg Festival 2010 has started, the first three operas have already been premiered and the reviews seem to be very positive -- if that means anything any more, after we realized that >80% of reviewers are tired or lazy to look deeper in any of the today's artistic creations. Try and read some reviews about the new opera by Wolfgang Rihm,  Dionysus, and you'll notice a sad fact that they expect the operatic creation to be cliché-ed and conform to what they think should be the way to design the stage for an opera.  In contrast, I suspect the stage design by Jonathan Meese --one of the most brilliant Contemporary Fine Arts creators-- is a particularly exciting element of this Dionysus...  I hope to catch the last show and then I'll be able to comment more on the show and the reviews. A suivre

Since I plan to go to Salzburg next week,  in these 2 posts I'll bring you a bit of my impressions from the Festspiele 2009. 

Broadcast from Salzburg and Bayreuth

Like every year, this year's 'important' festivals are those in Glyndebourne, Aix, Munich, Bayreuth and Salzburg (OK the one in Bregenz is apparently wonderful too, which I'll hopefully see a bit this year).

I very much enjoyed the Salzburger Festspiele last year and decided to return next August for about a week long stay. One of the cool things in Salzburg is that Siemens install a huge screen on the main town-square and practically every evening they show one opera for free to all the tourists and locals in town. Of course the sausages, brezels and beers are all over the place too. ;)
If you plan to go to Salzburg this summer, here is the program of free operas to see on the Town Square. Note in particular that the new production of Lulu will be live broadcast on August 1st at 8 pm (cet).

If you cannot make it to Salzburg or Bayreuth, one opera of each of the two festivals will be live broadcast via Siemens website. Last year I saw the premiere of Cosi fan tutte on that site, before actually going to Salzburg, and the quality was impeccable. You should just buy a ticket prior to the webcast,  which then allows you to see the show live and as many times as you want within 30 days following the live broadcast. They also provide you with libretto in three languages... They will update their website sometimes next week and if you're interested check out here.
The two operas to be broadcast this year are:

1. SALZBURG: Lulu on August 1st, at 20:00 19:00 (cet)*. This new production should be good not only because Vera Nemirova will direct it but also because Patricia Petibon will sing the title role. If you can see it live in Salzburg it should be great because it will take place in the Felsenreitschule which is very wide but not too deep a theater, so wherever you're seated you're always near the stage.
2. BAYREUTH: Die Walküre on August 21 at 16:00 (cet). I didn't see the Tankred Dorst's show (not my fave director), but I bet it will be very well sung. Christian Thielemann conducting the brilliant Bayreuther orchestra must be a treat too (this Ring from Bayreuth is released on CD, I listened to it several times and it's very good, imho)

* Just received a mail from Salzburger Festspiele saying:

Please be informed that all performances of Lulu will begin one hour earlier than previously planned (at 7.p.m. instead of 8.p.m.) due to the scheduled performance duration of 4 hrs. including 2 intervals.

 The longer duration of the performance is a result of our decision to present a version which includes a third act created by Friedrich Cerha.

Moreover...