Remarkable Die Frau ohne Schatten marred by visual effects

By Edward Sava-Segal, 06 September 2019

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“Jurowski... created a sound tapestry that didn’t cover the voices but invited them to fly”

Reviewed at Palace Hall (Sala Palatului), Bucharest on 4 September 2019

Strauss R., Die Frau ohne Schatten

Vladimir Jurowski, Conductor

Torsten Kerl, Emperor

Anne Schwanewilms, Empress

Ildikó Komlósi, Nurse

Thomas Johannes Mayer, Barak, the Dyer

Ricarda Merbeth, Barak the Dyer's Wife

Nikolay Didenko, The Messenger of Keikobad

Andrey Nemzer, The Guardian of the Threshold

Michael Pflumm, The Apparition of a Youth

Nadezhda Gulitskaya, The Voice of a Falcon

Karolina Gumos, A Voice From Above

Tom Erik Lie, The One-Eyed Man, Barak’s Brother

Christoph Späth, The Hunchback, Barak's Brother

Jens Larsen, The One-Armed Man, Barak’s Brother

Rundfunkchor Berlin

Romanian Radio Children's Choir

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

A birthday reimagining of Il viaggio a Reims in Salzburg

Laura Servidei, 25th May

In Barrie Kosky's hyperactive staging, Il viaggio a Reims becomes a birthday tribute to Cecilia Bartoli complete with rewritten text, extravagant costumes, sexual escapades and a giant cake.

***11

A noble Norma trapped in a hollow dystopia

Andrew Larkin, 24th May

Salome Jicia delivers a vocally impressive and emotionally committed Norma, but Orpha Phelan’s post-apocalyptic staging fatally weakens Bellini’s sacred tragedy.

***11

A deli-cious revival of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 23rd May

Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

****1

Superb musical performances in Pinchgut’s Scarlatti rarity in Sydney

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd May

As usual, Pinchgut lavishes musical excellence on an obscure Baroque work... but why stage an oratorio?

****1

The Met’s Frida y Diego proves visually stunning, musically thrilling

David Wolfson, 22nd May

Deborah Colker and her design team create visually vibrant worlds for the Met’s new production of El último sueño de Frida y Diego, by Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank.

*****

Matthias Goerne strikes gold with Salome in Toulouse

Emmanuel Gaillard, 22nd May

Late step-in Nicole Chevalier, baritone-turned-director Matthias Goerne and conductor Frank Beermann combine their talents to create a landmark production at the Capitole de Toulouse.

*****

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Edward Sava-Segal

Edward has been living in New York for the last 25 years, one of the reasons being the extraordinarily rich cultural life in this city. He has studied piano and classical music in his early years. He switched later on to computer science and data architecture but he kept an unwavering interest in following the classical music phenomenon here in New York and in his travels. Edward occasionally reviews fine arts events for the most prestigious literary magazine in Romania, his home country.

A musically remarkable Die Frau ohne Schatten is marred by inopportune visual effects