A musically satisfying Rheingold in Berlin

By Ako Imamura, 13 June 2016

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Reviewed at Schillertheater: Großer Saal, Berlin on 11 June 2016

Wagner, Das Rheingold

Staatsoper Berlin

Daniel Barenboim, Conductor

Guy Cassiers, Director

Enrico Bagnoli, Set Designer, Lighting Designer

Tim Van Steenbergen, Costume Designer

Anna Samuil, Freia

Anna Danik, Wellgunde

Evelin Novak, Woglinde

Anna Larsson, Erda

Anna Lapkovskaja, Flosshilde

Ekaterina Gubanova, Fricka

Simon O'Neill, Froh

Stephan Rügamer, Loge

Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Mime

Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Alberich

Roman Trekel, Donner

Iain Paterson, Wotan

Falk Struckmann, Fafner

Matti Salminen, Fasolt

Staatskapelle Berlin

Arjen Klerkx, Video

Kurt D'Haeseleer, Video

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Choreography

Eastman

Love is in the hare: a new Cunning Little Vixen opens in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 28th February

The Staatsoper's new production of Janáček's opera buzzes with life thanks to Sir Simon Rattle's conducting and an excellent cast led by Vera-Lotte Boecker and Magdalena Kožená.

****1

Pintscher’s Das kalte Herz premieres at Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Elena Luporini, 14th January

On a snowy January evening, the premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s new opera Das kalte Herz fails to warm up the Berlin public.

**111

Happy 100th birthday, Wozzeck! Thielemann leads Berlin revival

Elena Luporini, 14th December

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden celebrates the 100th birthday of Alban Berg's masterpiece with a stellar cast in Andrea Breth’s revived production.

***11

Low on laughs: Die schweigsame Frau in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 19th July

Newly General Music Director Christian Thielemann and Jan Philipp Gloger bring Richard Strauss' Die schweigsame Frau to the Staatsoper Berlin for the first time, but la commedia is hardly stupenda.

**111

A Norma cooking on medium at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Elena Luporini, 13th April

Despite excellent performances from Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Elmina Hasan, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden's new production of Norma lacks a pinch of salt.

***11

To the Moon and back: Janáček’s Mr Brouček visits Berlin

Elena Luporini, 16th March

Robert Carsen's new production of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr Brouček for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden scores a well-deserved success thanks to a stellar – or rather, lunar – conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

*****

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Ako Imamura

Atsuko (Ako) Imamura is a retired investment banker in New York City. Born in Japan, she trained as cultural anthropologist in the US before turning to ﬁnance. She now spends her time attending opera and classical music concerts in New York and in Europe. Wagner is her favorite opera composer.

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