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

Komische Oper 'Festival 2011: Mighty Meistersinger

Since I was in town and since I loved this production first time I saw it  [and since I couldn't get a ticket for  Matsukaze], I decided to see Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Komische Oper Berlin. Repetitio est mater studiorum ;)

Samson et Dalila in concert

Samson et Dalila, Salle Pleyel in Paris, May 17 2011

Tomas Tomasson and Elena Bocharova (and the members of the orchestra du Capitole - Toulouse)

        Tugan Sokhiev ..... conductor

    Elena Bocharova ..... Dalila
    Ben Heppner ..... Samson
    Tómas Tómasson ..... Le Grand-Prêtre de Dagon
    Nicolas Testé ..... Abimélech
    Alain Gabriel ..... Un messager philistin
    Gudjon Oskársson ..... Un vieillard hébreu
    Charles Ferré ..... Premier Philistin
    Tomislav Lavoie ..... Deuxième Philistin
    Alfonso Caiani ..... choirmaster
   
   
    Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
    Chorus of the Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse

Castellucci's Parsifal in Brussels

Parsifal, La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels, January 30 2011

Opening scene -- seen during the overture of Castellucci's Parsifal in Brussels

Music direction ..... Hartmut Haenchen
Director ..... Romeo Castellucci
Choreography ..... Cindy Van Acker
Bondage artist ..... Dasniya Sommer

Amfortas ..... Thomas Johannes Mayer
Titurel ..... Victor von Halem
Gurnemanz ..... Jan-Hendrik Rootering
Parsifal ..... Andrew Richards
Klingsor ..... Tómas Tómasson
Kundry ..... Anna Larsson
Vier Knappen ..... Ilse Eerens
Angélique Noldus
Gijs Van der Linden
Guillaume Antoine
Klingsors Zaubermädchen ..... Hendrickje Van Kerckhove
Anneke Luyten
Angélique Noldus
Ilse Eerens
Tineke Van Ingelgem
Margriet van Reisen
Stimme aus der Höhe ..... Anna Larsson


La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Youth Chorus

"Tout art doit être dérangeant."

Romeo Castellucci

Ah that great Armide again

Armida, Komische Oper Berlin, December 13 2010

Superb Elena Semenova in the revival of Calixto Bieito's production of Armida

Conductor ..... Konrad Junghänel
Director ..... Calixto Bieito

Armida ..... Elena Semenova
Hidraot ..... Tómas Tómasson
Rinaldo ..... Norman Shankle
Artemidoro ..... Christoph Schröter
Ubaldo ..... Günter Papendell
Der dänische Ritter ..... Thomas Ebenstein
Phénice ..... Olivia Vermeulen
Sidonie ..... Julia Giebel
Aronte ..... Hans-Peter Scheidegger
Der Hass ..... Karolina Gumos
Ein Dämon in Gestalt der Melissa ..... Anna Borchers
Der Mann mit der Schlange ..... Carsten Wykrota

Chorus and Orchestra of Komische Oper Berlin

Homoki and Lange and the superb Meistersinger at Komische: Tómasson, Ebenstein, Jentzsch, Lie...

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Komische Oper Berlin, December 12 2010

    Conductor ... Patrick Lange
    Director ... Andreas Homoki

     Hans Sachs ... Tómas Tómasson
     Veit Pogner ... Dimitry Ivashchenko
     Kunz Vogelgesang ... Christoph Schröter
     Konrad Nachtigall ... Carsten Sabrowski
     Sixtus Beckmesser ... Tom Erik Lie
     Fritz Kothner ... Günter Papendell
     Balthasar Zorn ... Peter Renz
     Ulrich Eißlinger ... Stephan Spiewok
     Augustin Moser ... Thomas Scheler
     Hermann Ortel ... Karsten Küsters
     Hans Schwarz ... Hans-Peter Scheidegger
     Hans Foltz ... Hans-Martin Nau
     Walther von Stolzing ... Marco Jentzsch
     David ... Thomas Ebenstein
     Eva ... Ina Kringelborn
     Magdalene ... Karolina Gumos
     Ein Nachtwächter ... Marko Spehar

Chorus and Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin

Kinder! Macht Neues! Neues! Und abermals Neues! Hängt ihr euch ans Alte, so hat euch der Teufel der Inproduktivität, und ihr seid die trurigsten Künstler!

Richard Wagner, letter to Franz List (Sept. 8 1852)