Pettibon debuts as Massenet's Manon

By Chanda VanderHart, 19 September 2014

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Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 17 September 2014

Massenet, Manon

Vienna State Opera

Frédéric Chaslin, Conductor

Andrei Șerban, Director

Patricia Petibon, Manon

Jean-François Borras, Le Chevalier Des Grieux

Markus Eiche, Lescaut

Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Le Comte Des Grieux

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Laura Servidei, 14th March

Ermonela Jaho returns to one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San, delivering a searing and deeply nuanced portrayal.

****1

Too much and too little: Jan Lauwers’ restless Clemenza in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

An Idomeneo shattered to pieces at the Wiener Staatsoper

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A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

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A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

Giacomo Sagripanti conducts a luxuriant reading with a cast anchored by Juan Diego Flórez and Nicole Car, in Zeffirelli’s familiar, generous, unabashedly emotional production.

***11

Stikhina, Tézier and Tetelman outstanding in classic Vienna Tosca

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It may be on its 663rd outing, but Margarethe Wallmann's Tosca is a classic for a reason, as proved in this outstanding performance at the Wiener Staatsoper.

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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.

Petibon debuts as Massenet's Manon at the "Haus am Ring"