A cumbersome Mefistofele in Prague

By Frank Kuznik, 24 January 2015

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“Štefan Kocán, a powerful singer and suavely villainous actor”

Reviewed at State Opera (Státní opera), Prague on 22 January 2015

Boito, Mefistofele

Prague State Opera

Marco Guidarini, Conductor

Ivan Krejčí, Director

Marta Roszkopfová, Costume Designer

Milan David, Set Designer

Alžběta Poláčková, Margherita

Jana Sýkorová, Marta

Raúl Gabriel Iriarte, Faust

Štefan Kocán, Mefistofele

Calixto Bieito’s Idomeneo runs out of time in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 28th September

At the Prague State Opera, Calixto Brieito relocates Mozart's opera seria to modern times, with disastrous results.

***11

Reimann's Lear makes for a dark season finale at Prague State Opera

Frank Kuznik, 7th June

Aribert Reimann's Lear takes no prisoners in a disturbing portrayal of a world gone awry, but Barbora Horáková's scattergun direction adds to the confusion.

***11

A politically charged new Manon in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 27th March

Puccini's classic takes on a harsh contemporary edge in a dark treatment by director Sláva Daubnerová at Prague's National Theatre.

****1

A rambunctious Platée revival in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 23rd November

SKUTR's daring direction and Václav Luks's early music expertise combine to bring new vitality to a Baroque classic.

*****

To the apocalypse and beyond: Le Grand Macabre in Prague

David Karlin, 14th June

Nigel Lowery’s new production at Prague State Opera is a gusher of ideas, starting as slapstick but profoundly moving by the end.

****1

Nabucco in Prague: handsome but over-ambitious

Frank Kuznik, 21st March

Andriy Yurkevych leads a rousing musical performance, but this visually impressive Nabucco tries to hard to be relevant and misses the mark.

***11

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Frank Kuznik

Frank Kuznik is the former Editor-in-Chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post, Central Europe’s premier English-language weekly newspaper. He currently divides his time between Prague and his hometown in the US, Cleveland, where he covers northeast Ohio's dynamic classical music scene. In Prague he is an habitué of the Rudolfinum, National Theater, State Opera and other storied classical music venues, and an unabashed fan of Czech music.

A cumbersome Mefistofele makes for a long evening in Prague