Stuttgart Staatsoper 2011-2012: Good luck Jossi Wieler!

I guess many of you already "studied" the 2011-2012 Stuttgart Staatsoper program. It is interesting as ever, except that this time it is special because 2011-2012 will be the first season since Jossi Wieler took the intendancy of this remarkably inventive and lively theater. Good luck Jossi!

In the next season they plan to present 6 premieres: La damnation de Faust (??), La sonnambula (Wieler/Morabito), Die glückliche Hand/Osud (Wieler/Morabito), Wozzeck (Andrea Moses), Platée (Bieito), and Don Giovanni (Andrea Moses).

To that add the revival of what's arguably the finest ever production of Alcina (Wieler/Morabito), Elektra (Konwitschny), Norma (Wieler/Morabito, with the classiest duo there can be: Catherine Naglestad and Marina Prudenskaya)

Among many other revivals, particularly recommendable are Bieito's groundbreaking Flying Dutchman, as well as his Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. This latter show was premiered last month and I am sooooo sorry that I couldn't go to see it (been crazy busy lately) That show was the last big new premiere with Albrecht Puhlmann running the house. Puhlmann's era will probably be remembered by the rise of Calixto Bieito who presented most of his great productions in Stuttgart, Basle and Berlin-Komische -- theaters that gave him carte blanche to create...

In the following video-trailer of Il Trionfo, Calixto talks about his new production (bless him!) and ends it by a 'love letter' to Albrecht Puhlmann... well, sort of

Monde à l'envers de Philipp Stölzl

Philipp Stölzl must be the most suited current director to produce both interesting and loopy show of the Strauss' Fledermaus. Delightfully competent and always inventive artistic management of the Stuttgart Staatsoper recognized that quality in Stölzl, and 10 days ago they premiered their new Fledermaus with Philipp directing.

From the new Stuttgart Staatsoper production of Die Fledermaus by Philipp Stölzl. Photo © Martin Sigmund

Unfortunately I won't be able to see the show in this run but we can 'drool' together over the production photos (all  Photos © Martin Sigmund) and a video trailer enclosed in this post [also see this review (in German)]

Opera Houses in Germany

Superb Parsifal in Stuttgart

Stuttgart, April 1, 2010

Johann Tilli, Christiane Iven and Andrew Richards

Director Calixto Bieito
Conductor Manfred Honeck

Gurnemanz Johann Tilli
Amfortas Gregg Baker
Parsifal Andrew Richards
Klingsor Claudio Otelli
Kundry Christiane Iven
Titurel Matthias Hölle
1. Gralsritter Heinz Göhrig
2. Gralsritter Mark Munkittrick
Vier Knappen Yuko Kakuta, Diana Haller, Torsten Hofmann, Hans Kittelmann
Blumenmädchen Julia Borchert, Petra van der Mieden, Tina Hörhold, Yuko Kakuta, Agata Wilewska, Michaela Schneider

No sausages at the Stuttgart's Staatsoper ;)

Compared to my previous trip to Stuttgart --where I saw the most unforgettable premiere of Der Rosenkavalier directed by Stefan Herheim-- this time the long intermissions were not all about sausages with mashed potatoes and cabbage. ;)

This time I went to see one more unforgettable show: Parsifal directed by Calixto Bieito. I'll post a short/personal report on the production later today. It already received so many --mainly positive-- reviews, and I feel like I have very little to add except for putting a few personal comments...

The opera is 5 hours long and since it starts at 5:30 pm, you need to eat something during the breaks. Instead of sausages they now serve potato salad with some spinach rolls, Bretzels, petits fours, and there is also Quiche: a (g)astronomical improvement for vegetarians and vegans such as Yours Truly!

Tonight la prima of Parsifal in Stuttgart, Dialogues des Carmélites in Munich, and Daphne in Frankfurt

On the website of the Staatsoper Stuttgart there is a short promotional video where his awesomeness, Calixto Bieito, talks about his take on this masterpiece-opera.

Parsifal for me is coming from poverty, no cultural education, and somebody is manipulating him to be a hero, to be a kind of Jesus Christ... and he's the new model of the society.

Watch out for Andrew Richards who's singing the title role in Stuttgart. He's got the potential to be as good as Christopher Ventris and Klaus Florian Vogt.

 Click on "Read more" to see a trailer for each of the three shows [Parsifal, Dialogues des Carmélites, and Daphne].