A Kosky Berliner Schnauze: Die Perlen der Cleopatra

By Karen Hunter, 09 December 2016

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Reviewed at Komische Oper Berlin, Berlin on 7 December 2016

Straus, The Pearls of Cleopatra

Komische Oper Berlin

Adam Benzwi, Conductor

Barrie Kosky, Director

Rufus Didwiszus, Set Designer

Victoria Behr, Costume Designer

Simon Berger, Dramaturgy

David Cavelius, Choirmaster / chorus director

Diego Leetz, Lighting Designer

Dagmar Manzel, Soprano

Dominique Horwitz, Spoken word

Barrie Kosky directs a ferocious new Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Zenaida des Aubris, 31st January

Shostakovich's opera is laid bare in Berlin, to devastating effect, with a distinguished cast led by Ambur Braid.

****1

Masks and obsessions: Evgeny Titov’s Salome at Komische Oper Berlin

Zenaida des Aubris, 22nd November

Salome is faceless and the Dance of the Seven Veils becomes a sardonic commentary on seduction in Komische Oper Berlin's austere new staging.

****1

Opulent minimalism: Kosky directs a new staging of Akhnaten

Zenaida des Aubris, 23rd March

Barrie Kosky's new production of Philip Glass' Akhnaten for Komische Oper at the Schillertheater removes any egyptological references.

****1

A blade too dull: Kosky directs Sweeney Todd at Komische Oper

Elena Luporini, 17th November

With a brand new production by Barrie Kosky, Komische Oper Berlin's first venture into the Sondheim repertoire mostly falls flat.

**111

Kirill Serebrennikov’s Marriage of Figaro challenges Edinburgh

David Smythe, 16th August

Komische Oper Berlin's The Marriage of Figaro is staged at the Edinburgh International Festival with a strong cast headed by Penny Sofroniadou and Peter Kellner.

****1

Kosky's Eine Frau, die weiß, was sie will at Komische Oper

Elena Luporini, 22nd March

It takes two to tango... but what about vaudeville? A rerun of Barrie Kosky's production of Oscar Straus' Eine Frau, die weiß, was sie will owes most of its charm to the two leads.

***11

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Karen Hunter

Karen Hunter graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the St Louis Conservatory of Music, having trained as an oboist. In 1996 she traded a spot on the stage for a place in the audience with her permanent move to Berlin, Germany. Here she finds no shortage of great concerts to attend.