Song of Destiny: Enescu's Oedipe at the Salzburg Festival

By Matthew Rye, 15 August 2019

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“Maltman... never lost focus or compromised on purely musical projection”

Reviewed at Felsenreitschule, Salzburg on 14 August 2019

Enescu, Œdipe

Ingo Metzmacher, Conductor

Achim Freyer, Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Christopher Maltman, Œdipe

Sir John Tomlinson, Tirésias

Brian Mulligan, Créon

Vincent Ordonneau, Shepherd

David Steffens, High Priest

Gordon Bintner, Phorbas

Tilmann Rönnebeck, Old Man

Boris Pinkhasovich, Thésée

Michael Colvin, Laios

Anaïk Morel, Jocaste

Ève-Maud Hubeaux, La Sphinge (The Sphinx)

Chiara Skerath, Antigone

Anna Maria Dur, Mérope

Franz Tscheck, Lighting Designer

Klaus-Peter Kehr, Dramaturgy

Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor

Wolfgang Götz, Choirmaster / chorus director

Concert Association Vienna State Opera Chorus

Huw Rhys James, Choirmaster / chorus director

Vienna Philharmonic

Ruth Berghaus’ timeless Barbiere still charms at Unter den Linden

Laura Servidei, 27th April

Marianne Crebassa and Maxim Mironov shine in a revival of Rossini’s masterpiece, for an evening of great fun.

***11

Finely etched: Berghaus' Barbiere at the Staatsoper

Hugo Shirley, 24th May

The inventiveness of Ruth Berghaus' classic staging is a clear as ever, even if this revival occasionally loses focus.

***11

Sweet nothings: a disappointing Hänsel und Gretel

Hugo Shirley, 8th December

Achim Freyer's production robs Humperdinck's fairy tale of heart and drama at the Lindenoper.

**111

Freyers Fidelio bei den Wiener Festwochen

Simon Haasis, 16th June

Die Festwochen präsentieren unter der musikalischen Leitung von Marc Minkowski Achim Freyers Inszenierung des Beethoven-Klassikers.

***11

Neuinszenierung: Don Giovanni an der Volksoper

Simon Haasis, 20th November

In der Regie von Achim Freyer und unter der Leitung von Jan van Steen zeigt die Volksoper Wien ihren neuen Don Giovanni.

***11

Reality television: ENO’s Angel’s Bone in Manchester

Lawrence Dunn, 12th May

Kip Williams and ENO mount an extraordinary new production of Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s multifaceted opera, with performances of great emotional directness broadcast live on camera.

*****

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Matthew Rye

Matthew read music at Oxford and worked in music journalism for 30 years as a writer, critic and editor. He wrote numerous programme and CD booklet notes, spent 13 years as a Daily Telegraph critic, worked at BBC Music Magazine and was reviews editor of The Strad. He also wrote for The Wagner Journal and Opera and blogged at ferneklang.blogspot.co.uk. He was general editor of 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die (Cassell Illustrated, 2007) and was the author of a new series of eBooks, Masterpieces of Music (Erudition).