Viva la mamma! Donizetti’s satirical farce flops in Zurich

By Laura Servidei, 17 April 2023

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“ultimately, deeper meanings and psychological investigations just don’t fit in this work”

Reviewed at Opernhaus, Zurich on 16 April 2023

Donizetti, Viva la mamma (Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali)

Zurich Opera

Adrian Kelly, Conductor

Mélanie Huber, Director

Nora Johanna Gromer, Set Designer

Lena Hiebel, Costume Designer

Hans-Rudolf Kunz, Lighting Designer

Musikkollegium Winterthur

Fabio Dietsche, Dramaturgy

Anna Aglatova, Daria Garbinati

Pietro Spagnoli, Procolo

Ambrogio Maestri, Donna Agata Scanagalli

Deniz Uzun, Luigia Castragatti

Andrew Owens, Guglielmo Antolstoinoff

Kim Jungrae Noah, Director of the theatre

Amin Ahangaran, Impresario

Adriana Bignagni Lesca, Mezzo-soprano

Aksel Daveyan, Baritone

Stanislav Vorobyov, Bass

A Baroque Netflix evening: Zurich’s star-studded Giulio Cesare

Mengguang Huang, 28th March

Davide Livermore’s high-octane production transforms Handel into a lavish blockbuster. While the superstars shine, the relentless entertainment-first approach often sacrifices musical refinement and dramatic logic for Netflix-style spectacle.

***11

A Rosenkavalier in vivid hues opens the Zurich Opera season

Laura Servidei, 21st September

Lydia Steier stages Strauss’ masterpiece to open Zurich Opera’s first premiere under the new artistic direction – a triumphant success.

****1

Handel’s Serse as a quirky modern tale in Zurich

Laura Servidei, 29th September

Christophe Dumaux shines as Arsamene in Nina Russi’s enjoyable production of Handel’s masterpiece revived at the Opernhaus Zürich under the baton of Enrico Onofri.

***11

Anna Pirozzi shines as a queen bee Turandot

Laura Servidei, 3rd July

Anna Pirozzi and Piero Pretti bring Italian sunshine to Baumgarten’s confused production at the Opernhaus Zürich.

**111

A feast for the eyes and ears: Lehár’s Merry Widow in Zurich

Thomas Schacher, 20th February

Barrie Kosky stages the famous Viennese operetta as a whirlwind spectacle. Marlis Petersen shines in the title role vocally and theatrically. Michael Volle does not live up to expectations.

****1

Werther in the sky at Opernhaus Zürich

Laura Servidei, 23rd January

Benjamin Bernheim leads a very good cast in a revival of Tatjana Gürbaca's interesting 2017 production.

***11

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Laura Servidei

Mathematician, science nerd, translator of popular science books, obsessed opera fan since the teen years. Day job: business analyst in a software house developing systems for the financial industry. Amateur choral singer. Main musical interests: baroque music and Italian opera. Originally from Italy, currently based in Sweden. I make a mean eggplant parmesan.