Everything and the kitchen sink in Vienna's Woods

By Chanda VanderHart, 19 March 2015

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Reviewed at Theater an der Wien, Vienna on 18 March 2015

Gruber, Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald

HK Gruber, Conductor

Michael Sturminger, Director

Susanne Grossteiner, Emma

Anja Silja, Grossmutter

Ilse Eerens, Marianne

Anke Vondung, Mutter

Angelika Kirchschlager, Valerie

Alexander Kaimbacher, Der Hierlinger Ferdinand

Michael Laurenz, Erich

Robert Maszl, Havlitschek

Jörg Schneider, Oskar

Daniel Schmutzhard, Alfred

David Pittman-Jennings, Mister

Markus Butter, Rittmeister/ Beichvater

Albert Pesendorfer, Zauberkönig

Vienna Symphony Orchestra

John Malkovich crafts a convincing Casanova in The Giacomo Variations in Toronto

Stanley Fefferman, 7th June

The Giacomo Variations takes its time really getting down to business – the business Giacomo Casanova was in – the business of love.It begins with a lot of theatre business. The set, designed by Renate Martin and Andreas Donhauser, consists of three gigantic Marie-Antoinette skirts. Lift one and there’s a bed for romping.

***11

My Fair Lady auf St. Pauli: Silvester in der Elbphilharmonie

Sarah Schnoor, 31st December

So schön das Orchester im Walzertakt schwingt, so lustlos und unschön sind Beschallung und Inszenierung.

***11

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Weinberg’s The Passenger at Dutch National Opera

Clare Varney, 17th April

Tobias Kratzer's 2024 Munich production makes its way to Amsterdam, proving that Weinberg's opera has the power to transfix.

****1

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Chanda VanderHart

Dr. Chanda VanderHart is a pianist, musicologist and creative who lives, works and plays in Vienna, Austria. For more on Chanda and her projects, click here.

Everything and the kitchen sink: HK Gruber's Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald