Thursday, March 20, 2008

Royal Opera 2008-9

The Royal Opera have announced their programme for the 2008-9 season.
They start in early September with a strongly cast "Don Giovanni": Simon Keenlyside as Don Giovanni, Marina Poplavskaya as Donna Anna, Joyce Di Donato as Donna Elvira and Ramon Vargas as Don Ottavio, with Tony Pappano conducting.
Pappano is also conducting the revival of "La Fanciulla del West". After seeing Gwyneth Jones's "Granny Get Your Gun" performance a few years back I swore off this opera but Pappano might tempt me back as might Eva Marie Westbroek as Minnie after her outstanding performances as Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Sieglinde. Downsides are Jose Cura as Dick Johnson and Silvano Carroli as Jack Rance: Carroli was in the first run of this production 30 years ago...
I saw the David Alden production of Cavalli's "La Calisto" in Munich so you can read my thoughts about that as recorded in March 2007.
The first must-see of the season comes in October with Rossini's "Matilde di Shabran". I saw this production when it was new in Pesaro in 2004. It is a fascinating opera, with no arias for its leading characters. Nevertheless it proved a wonderful vehicle for Juan Diego Florez, who sings Corradino at Covent Garden, and I will welcome the chance to hear Aleksandra Kurzak as the eponymous heroine.
The presence of Susan Bullock in the cast as Elektra might tempt me to that opera in November. Bullock has not been given her due by London opera companies but she sang a superb Salome for Opera North a couple of years ago.
It is a few years since I have seen "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" but I recall that Rolando Villazon had a great triumph in his house debut in that opera. He returns as Hoffmann with Pappano conducting. Another attractive piece of casting is Gidon saks as the Four Villains. I first noticed him when he sang with Scottish Opera and am delighted to see how his career has progressed.
Not even the combined talents of Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, Colin Davis, Alice Coote, Diana Damrau, Ann Murray, Elizabeth Connell, Thomas Allen and Anja Silja (how old must she be?) will persuade me to give Hansel and Gretel another try.
Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt" is a bold piece of programming for the new year. A friend is already trying to persuade me that it is not to be missed. A little gentle cross-examination revealed that this is based on little more than one aria recorded by Richard Tauber. I shall keep an open mind but remian to be persuaded.
After last year's debacle with the Ring, I am surprised to see Bryn Terfel back in the lists. February brings a new production by Tim Albery of "Der Fligende Hollaender" with Terfel as the Dutchman. Let's just hope none of Terfel's children stub a toe in the new year.
Family issues may also affect the revival of Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" in March. Anna Netrebko is scheduled to sing Giulietta but she is also due to give birth later this year. Joan Sutherland was back rehearsing ten days after the birth of her child but that is not necessarily a pattern to be followed. I hope that La Netrebko is back treading the boards by next spring because I was very impressed with her Violetta recently and this is a lovely singers' opera.
Having just seen Magdalena Kozena in "Dido and Aeneas" at the Sage, I shall feel fully justified in giving this a miss.
I will be tempted, however, by the revival of "Il Trovatore" in April. I rather like Elijah Moshinsky's production, which I have seen in London and in Madrid and I would welcome the chance to hear Sondra Radvanovsky's Leonora and Roberto Alagna's Manrico. I very much like his recording with Pappano. Carlo Rizzi is the conductor of this revival and he should be pretty good too.
Another Moshinsky revival in May with Wagner's "Lohengrin" conducted by Semyon Bychkov and with John Botha and Simon O'Neill sharing the title role. The return of Falk Struckmann (who was outstanding in the recent "Parsifal") and the presence of Petra Lang as Ortrud increase the attractiveness of this.
A new production of Berg's "Lulu" is announced for June and with Pappano to conduct. But the all-important title role is 'to be announced at a later date'. Very strange.
Having fielded an all-star cast for "La Traviata" (Netrebko, Kaufmann, Hvorostovsky, cond. Benini) this season, the ROH are clearly set to match it next. Renee Fleming sings Violetta for the first time in London. I know La Fleming has her detractors but whenever I have seen her she has been absolutely glorious. Her Alfredo is Joseph Calleja and his father is Thomas Hampson. With Pappano conducting this looks a difficult one to miss.
But this is quite closely followed by the one totally unmissable event of the season.: "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" with Keenlyside as Figaro, Florez as Almaviva, Di Donato as Rosina, Corbelli as Bartolo and Pappano conducting. What more need I say? I remember Keenlyside singing Figaro with Scottish Opera some years ago when he juggled three balls as he sang the "Largo al factotum". And Almaviva is one of JDF's very best parts (and not just for the final aria).
After all that excitement the season ends with a good revival of "Tosca", conducted by Daniel Oren and with Deborah Voigt as Tosca, Marcello Giordani as Cavaradossi and Bryn Terel as Scarpia. I saw this production when it was new and liked it a lot and Terfel was a superb Scarpia.

1 Comments:

Blogger Carlos said...

Netrebko is scheduled for La Bohème and Lucia di Lammermoor in January-February 2009 at the MET, so we should not expect problems with these I Capuleti at the ROH.

A very good and interesting new season at the ROH. Probably, even more attractive this season, if we take a look to the poor and weak seasons announced at the Liceo of Barcelona, Teatro Real of Madrid or ONP of Paris.

My priorities would be I Capuleti, Il Trovatore and Il Barbieri. La Traviata sounds also good.

10:21 am  

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