Fidelio: delightful Beethoven in Cologne

By Brian Angus, 02 July 2017

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“It was a magic moment”

Reviewed at Oper Köln: Staatenhaus Saal 2, Cologne on 1 July 2017

Beethoven, Fidelio

Oper Köln

Alexander Rumpf, Conductor

Michael Hampe, Director

Darko Petrovic, Set Designer, Costume Designer

David Pomeroy, Florestan

Lucas Singer, Don Fernando

Samuel Youn, Don Pizarro

Stefan Cerny, Rocco

Emma Bell, Leonore

Matthias Hoffmann, Second prisoner

Young Woo Kim, First prisoner

Martin Koch, Jaquino

Ivana Rusko, Marzelline

Gürzenich Orchestra

A very palpable hit: Hamlet in Cologne

Matthew Rye, 24th November

Brett Dean's operatic reworking of Shakespeare's Hamlet receives its German premiere in a powerful new staging by the work's librettist Matthew Jocelyn.

****1

An emotionally distant Peter Grimes at Oper Köln

Cristina Burack, 28th November

Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes is a nuanced, gripping tale that should pack an emotional punch. Despite fine moments, Oper Köln's production didn't serve the work.

**111

A conceptually bold Manon at Oper Köln

Cristina Burack, 15th March

This production fell just short of brilliance but showed how relevant and thought-provoking opera as an art form can be when tapping into today's headline debates.

****1

An effectively unsettling The Emperor of Atlantis at Oper Köln

Cristina Burack, 2nd March

Though straightforward in concept, Oper Köln's production of the one-act opera written in the Theresienstadt concentration camp brought the opera's profound themes to the surface in an excellently sung performance.

***11

Oper Köln's delightful Orpheus enraptures all ages

Cristina Burack, 19th January

Oper Köln’s Orpheus in the Underworld proved age accessibility must not sacrifice humour and musical integrity. The tight ensemble piece was superbly acted and well-sung throughout.

****1

Not easily assimilated: Candide in Cologne

Matthew Rye, 7th December

The Staatenhaus venue forces one too many compromises on Bernstein's operetta, but the performance itself is saved by the accomplishment of much of the singing.

***11

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Brian Angus

Brian is a lover of opera, and has enjoyed attending operas for over forty years. Brian has very catholic tastes; favourite classic composers are Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi, contemporary composers John Adams and Jake Heggie, and a curiosity about Stockhausen’s music. He is always seeking opportunities to expand his appreciation of the world of music and opera.