Alek Shrader in Salzburg

I am not going to Salzburg this year for at least three reasons and my only regret is that I won't see one of my dearest operas, The Makropulos Affair, with our favorite Angela Denoke who --together with Johan Reuter and Aleš Briscein-- will certainly make this new Christoph Marthaler production extra special. To that add Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and you get more than a trip worthy material!

My problem is that this is about the only thing I am truly interested in in Salzburg this summer. Macbeth by Peter Stein, and with his bitterness Maestro Muti in the pit, is not exactly what would make me run to the Felsenreitschule even if I were in Salzburg right now.
As for Die Frau ohne Schatten (FroSch) it is an opera I like very much music-wise but again that alone would not make me make a trip to Salzburg in spite of its smashing cast [sadly the runs of FroSch and Makrop do not overlap, since they are both given at the big Festspielhaus]. Another thing about FroSch is that its premiere was live broadcast on German and Austrian TVs and since the video will be around soon...

Alek Shrader in Salzburg

Finally a revival of the Claus Guth production of Da Ponte Trilogy is of course a nice treat, but since I already saw all three operas both at the Haus für Mozart in Salzburg and on DVD, I guess it's fine to let my place to other folks to discover and enjoy the wonderful festival atmosphere in Salzburg (when the weather is good, that is).

Kát'a Marthalerova

Katia Kabanova, Opéra Garnier in Paris, March 8 2011

In front of Opéra Garnier - minutes before the beginning of Kat'a Kabanova, a.k.a. Marthalerova

Christoph Marthaler ..... director

Tomas Netopil ..... conductor

Angela Denoke ..... Kát'a

Vincent Le Texier ..... Saviol Dikoy

Jane Henschel ..... Kabanicha

Donald Kaasch ..... Tichon Kabanov

Jorma Silvasti ..... Boris Grigorievitch

Ales Briscein ..... Kudriach

Andrea Hill ..... Varvara

Orchestre et Choeur de l’Opéra national de Paris

Arte alert

The world's coolest TV [Arte, of course!] will soon broadcast two shows that you might wish to check out:

• Sunday, April 18, at 19:15 (cet): Recital Anna Netrebko in company of Daniel Barenboim recorded in Berlin 3 weeks ago, during the Festtage.
• Monday, April 19, at 22:45 (cet): La grande-duchesse de Gérolstein, an opera by Offenbach recorded at  Theater Basel with Anne Sofie von Otter and Norman Reinhardt among the soloists and with Hervé Niquet conducting. This show was produced this season by one of our fave directors, Christoph Marthaler.  

 

I was sorry not to be able to go and see both of these events live, so here are my two double thanks to Arte!