We Will Barock You: La Didone in Paris

La Didone, Théâtre des Champs Élysées (TCE), April 12 2012

Director ..... Clément Hervieu-Léger

Conductor ..... William Christie

Didone ..... Anna Bonitatibus

Enea ..... Krešimir Špicer 

Iarba ..... Xavier Sabata

Ecuba ..... Maria Streijffert

Cassandra, Damigella I, Dama III ..... Katherine Watson

Creusa, Giunone, Damigella II, Dama II ..... Tehila Nini Goldstein

Fortuna, Anna, Dama I ..... Mariana Rewerski

Venere, Iride, Damigella III ..... Claire Debono

Ascanio, Amore, Cacciatore ..... Damien Guillon/Terry Wey 

Anchise, Un Vecchio ..... Nicolas Rivenq

Ilioneo, Mercurio ..... Mathias Vidal

Corebo, Eolo, Cacciatore ..... Valerio Contaldo

Acate, Sicheo, Pirro ..... Joseph Cornwell

Greco, Giove, Nettuno, Cacciatore ..... Francisco Javier Borda 

Les Arts Florissants

Brilliantly sung Elektra in Baden Baden: Jane Henschel rocks, Thielemann at his best

Elektra is one of my absolute favorite operas, and the Martin Kusej's production that you can find on DVD is to me the best production of this opera ever, and one of my most memorable operatic experiences. It's excellently sung, marvelously played, and the universal thread of this drama is perfectly projected to our time: a dysfunctional family background made Elektra to be the way she is -- a dysfunctional angry person-- living in a nasty suburb. Viewed through that prism the story of Elektra speaks to us on so many different levels, question our attitudes, our certainties and our points of view. In doing so Kusej never  made Elektra look like a monster, which is unfortunately the most often image projected by unintelligent directors... OK, I shouldn't go too far in praising Kusej, but if you get to see that DVD -- it's a gem.

Final scene from Wernicke's production of Elektra in Baden Baden