Valkyries scramble over theatre seats

By Jonathan Sutherland, 01 February 2018

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Reviewed at Semperoper, Dresden on 30 January 2018

Wagner, Die Walküre

Semperoper Dresden

Christian Thielemann, Conductor

Willy Decker, Director

Wolfgang Gussmann, Set Designer

Frauke Schernau, Costume Designer

Peter Seiffert, Siegmund

Georg Zeppenfeld, Hunding

Vitalij Kowaljow, Wotan

Elena Pankratova, Sieglinde

Petra Lang, Brünnhilde

Christa Mayer, Fricka

Christiane Kohl, Helmwige

Johanna Winkel, Gerhilde

Brit-Tone Müllertz, Ortlinde

Irmgard Vilsmaier, Waltraute

Julia Rutigliano, Siegrune

Simone Schröder, Roßweiße

Sabrina Kögel, Grimgerde

Katharina Magiera, Schwertleite

Staatskapelle Dresden

Thielemann bids farewell to Dresden with an excellent new FroSch

Ako Imamura, 27th March

David Bösch directs a creative and thoughtful new production of Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Semperoper in Christian Thielemann's final opera as Principal Conductor.

*****

Detlev Glanert's Die Jüdin von Toledo premieres at the Semperoper

Zenaida des Aubris, 10th February

Robert Carsen stages the world premiere production of Glanert's opera, based Franz Grillparzer's 1851 play, in stringent, minimalist style.

*****

Moving singing, but missed opportunities in Dresden’s new Aida

Zoltán Szabó, 17th March

Katharina Thalbach offers a traditional staging at the Semperoper, with fine vocal performances led by Krassimira Stoyanova, Francesco Meli and Oksana Volkova.

***11

Peter Konwitschny returns to the Semperoper with Les Huguenots

Laura Servidei, 29th June

John Osborn leads a very successful premiere of Peter Konwitschny's new production of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots in Dresden

****1

Nabucco marks a successful debut of Saioa Hernández as Abigaille

Laura Servidei, 25th May

Saioa Hernández leads a solid cast in Dresden in a somewhat disappointing new production by David Bösch.

***11

Folk rhythms and changing times in Dresden's Bartered Bride

John Johnston, 25th April

What brought real distinction and authenticity to the evening, as so often in this house, was the outstanding playing of the Staatskapelle conducted by Tomaš Netopil. From the start of the overture with its rapidly scurrying fugato for strings and pointed phrasing from the woodwind one felt the true sense of Smetana’s Czech inflected rhythms and harmonies

***11

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Jonathan Sutherland

Jonathan Sutherland is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg. He is also an internationally renowned concert pianist specializing in the music of the 1930s. Jonathan’s first operatic experience was hearing Maria Callas sing Tosca in Covent Garden and he has since heard performances in all continents of the world including over 60 different productions at the Wiener Staatsoper. He has written for The Australian, Opera Today and The Opera Critic as well as Bachtrack. Jonathan speaks English, French, German and Italian fluently and is based in the south of France near Nice.

Valkyries scramble over theatre seats as Semperoper Dresden's Ring advances