Barocke Muppet-Show in Graz

By Isabella Steppan, 30 November 2014

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“barocker Spaß vom Feinsten auf musikalisch sehr hohem Niveau”

Reviewed at Oper Graz, Graz on 29 November 2014

Handel, Serse (Xerxes)

Stefan Herheim, Director

Gesine Völlm, Costume Designer

Heike Scheele, Set Designer

Tetiana Miyus, Atalanta

Margareta Klobučar, Romilda

Xiaoyi Xu, Amastre

Dshamilja Kaiser, Arsamene

Stephanie Houtzeel, Serse

David McShane, Ariodate

Hagen Matzeit, Elviro

Grazer Philharmoniker

Chor der Oper Graz

Stefan Herheim’s bold Fledermaus at MusikTheater an der Wien

Chanda VanderHart, 13th October

Herheim’s Fledermaus is a risky experiment that, miraculously, works – at least in a city that knows it so intimately.

****1

Diminishing returns in The Royal Opera’s Sicilian Vespers

Eleanor Knight, 19th September

Joyce El-Khoury saves the day in The Royal Opera’s second revival of The Sicilian Vespers in Stefan Herheim’s paint-by-numbers production.

***11

Blending magic with loss: Herheim’s reimagined Amahl in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 17th December

There is magic aplenty in director Stefan Herheim’s bold recontextualization of Gian Carlo Menotti's holiday opera.

****1

A pointed Vixen debut for Stefan Herheim at MusikTheater an der Wien

Chanda VanderHart, 15th October

Herheim’s maiden voyage in his new capacity as Intendant confirms his ability to deftly negotiate a less-than-straightforward work with care and ambition and add his own voice enthusiastically to the mix.

****1

All the world's a stage: Xerxes as a comedy of backstage rivalry

Matthew Rye, 17th January

A revival of Stefan Herheim's production of Handel's Xerxes in Düsseldorf makes for a rip-roaring evening of theatrical comedy.

****1

A tale of many Tchaikovskys: The Queen of Spades at ROH

David Karlin, 13th January

Herheim places the composer at the centre of his opera in a staging that's clever and erudite but somewhat cold; musical performances are mixed.

***11

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Isabella Steppan

Isabella lebt in Graz und unterrichtet Deutsch und Philosophie/Psychologie. Ihre Freizeit verbringt sie am liebsten in der Oper, in klassischen Konzerten oder im Theater. Ihr Herz schlägt besonders für die Oper des 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhunderts und die Operette. Als @operafangirl ist sie auf Twitter aktiv.

Händels Xerxes als barocke Muppet-Show in der Oper Graz