Konieczny is impressively forthright as comes to ’s dog-eared swan. on DVD and Blu-ray Telramund and Georg Zeppenfeld is an But it’s still an interesting production, urbane, classy König Heinrich, his bass placing as it does a powerful emphasis on sounding smooth and generous. the militaristic (the designs suggest some Lohengrin, Wagner The booklet describes the staging as time in the first half of the 20th century) Anna Netrebko (Elsa), Evelyn Herlitzius (Ortrud), Jana Hohlfeld, ‘after the original production by Christine and strongly hinting at some sort of Monika Harnisch, Annett Eckert, Masako Furuta (Four Pages), DISC OF Mielitz, premiered in 1983’, with Angela impending catastrophe: a situation, it’s Piotr Beczała (Lohengrin), Tom Martinsen, Simeon Esper, THE MONTH Brandt credited as ‘director of made clear, that is in no way going to be Matthias Henneberg, Tilmann Rönnebeck (Four Noblemen of performance’. Presumably Brandt should resolved by the reappearance of Gottfried Brabant), Tomasz Konieczny (Friedrich von Telramund), Derek take the credit, then, for the fact that this at the close. Clearly a lot of time has been Welton (Herald), Georg Zeppenfeld (Henry the Fowler), show has been much better rehearsed for spent on Personenregie, too, with plenty Sächsischer Staatsopernchor, , c. Christian Thielemann, these performances (the booklet gives a of detailed and telling touches from the O range of dates from May 2016) than when cast that make this release not only p. Christine Mielitz, d. Peter Heilein, video director Tiziano Mancini. Deutsche Grammophon DVD 073 5319/Blu-ray 073 5322 (215 minutes) I saw it in a tired revival in 2013. The set musically compelling, but also and costumes have a certain mellow dramatically convincing. Highly Rumours abounded when the cast for this for fascinating viewing; the two mustiness to them, particularly when it recommended. hugo shirley Lohengrin revival was announced that it Wagnerian debutants are mightily would be a try-out for Piotr Beczała and impressive, backed up by a cast that could Anna Netrebko ahead of singing their hardly be bettered. roles for Christian Thielemann in Thielemann’s conducting and the Bayreuth. Each was not only singing their playing of the Staatskapelle are major Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Handel part for the first time, but singing a major glories, too. Wagner’s score is (Bellezza), Sara Mingardo (Disinganno), (Piacere), Wagner role on stage for the first time too. communicated with a sense of gripping (Tempo), Le Concert d’Astrée, c. Emmanuelle Haïm, p. Krzysztof It has since been revealed that the dramatic urgency and grandeur. The Warlikowski, d. Małgorzata Szczęśniak, video director Stéphane Metge. Erato DVD conductor had a different trick up his conductor’s vision has impressive weight 9029581936/Blu-ray 9029581929 (138 minutes) sleeve for 2018’s new production in and scale, but manages never to feel casting Roberto Alagna as the swan knight overblown or portentous. One notices, in Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili’s libretto girl Beauty, and Beauty’s nameless, (and luring Anja Harteros to the Green particular, how he maintains the tension for Handel’s first oratorio,Il trionfo del wordless boyfriend at a disco, dancing Hill as Elsa). This film nevertheless makes not only in the big moments, but also Tempo e del Disinganno (1707), presents sexily and popping pills. After the throughout the recitative. The orchestral discussions between Beauty and three boyfriend collapses and dies, we find tone is rich and shimmeringly beautiful, figures who attempt to alter her path. ourselves in an environment combining and the massed chorus sings powerfully. Combatting the dangerous allure elements of a hospital, where his naked Netrebko’s Elsa is undoubtedly more Pleasure poses to her, Time and body is eventually seen lying on a earthy than ethereal—this is a real human Disillusion spend much time persuading gurney, and a cinema, where Beauty and being rather than a Desdemona-like Beauty to ‘enter the palace where Truth other party girls periodically sit sulkily. paragon of innocence. She doesn’t quite resides’. Time and Disillusion lecture Beauty as float as some do through the lyrical Everyone’s thoughts are revealed worldly-wise parents might. Once those sections of the first half of Act 2, and has a through singularly apposite music. two win her over, she’s dressed by her slightly chewy way with her German, but Beauty’s arias give voice to her dilemma friends in a demure white dress, but she she sings excitingly and acts movingly. with a distinctive blend of vulnerability then slits her wrists during her It’s a refreshing and constantly engaging and defiance. Time’s formidable set heartstoppingly touching final aria. performance. Beczała offers a Lohengrin pieces exude authority, while Disillusion To my astonishment, the entire who is dramatically a great deal more offers one gravely lovely legato number presentation works brilliantly (including a straightforward, but he sings with rare after another. In Pleasure, a predictably few minutes of discourse from the late clarity of line and diction, his lyricism flamboyant role musically, the great French philosopher Jacques Derrida, remaining unruffled as he negotiates the surprise is the memorably intimate shown on video prior to the work’s second role’s tricky tessitura. Evelyn Herlitzius’s ‘Lascia la spina’, adapted by Handel a half). The principals outdo themselves, gripping Ortrud is fearlessly and few years later as ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’. above all the wide-eyed Sabine Devieilhe thrillingly sung, as one would expect, but The 2016 Aix-en-Provence production (Bellezza), an exceedingly courageous she commands attention as a glowering, is given a riveting contemporary vision actress, singing exquisitely throughout. malevolent presence on stage by the director Kryzsztof Warlikowski. Michael Spyres (Tempo) staggers the ear throughout—even when silent. Tomasz We initially observe Pleasure, the party with unfailingly firm tone over an

1496 Opera, November 2017 Opera, November 2017 1497 extraordinarily wide range, unlimited in undoubtedly been exponents of the role refulgent in tone and a bit woolly around dynamic control and flexibility, his singing who can offer more sheer lyric beauty, the edges. imbued with true gravitas. Sara Mingardo few can turn phrase after phrase into Bonynge brings a straightforward sense (Disinganno) looks elegant and lavishes on object lessons in style as he does. Does it of drama to his conducting, but the result her music ideal directness of address, matter that in real life he was just one is unlikely to persuade non-believers that abundant musicality, and lusciously year younger than his stage mother? Donizetti is the great musical dramatist smooth timbre. Franco Fagioli Dean’s Alfonso is less than ideally others deem him to be. george hall (Piacere)—male mezzo rather than alto— often turns tonally unfocused, but he compensates with unexpectedly lovely mezza voce, stupendously full-toned upper Béatrice et Bénédict, Berlioz extension, and fabulous boldness as a stage Sophie Karthäuser (Héro), Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Béatrice), Katarina Bradić (Ursule), personality. Paul Appleby (Bénédict), Philippe Sly (Claudio), Frédéric Caton (Don Pedro), Lionel Leading her superbly stylish, Lhote (Somarone), Georges Bigot (Don Pedro), Glyndebourne Chorus, London technically adroit Concert d’Astrée, Philharmonic Orchestra, c. Antonello Manacorda, p. Laurent Pelly, d. Barbara de Emmanuelle Haïm engages in a true Limburg and Laurent Pelly, video director François Roussillon. Opus Arte DVD collaboration with the singers. Enhancing OA1239D/Blu-ray OABD7219D (118 minutes) the DVD are especially outstanding video direction, plus admirable sound When unveiled at Glyndebourne last distractions that a load of period-costume and subtitles. A landmark production, not ■ summer, Laurent Pelly’s production of froufrou might offer. And the great asset Sabine Devieilhe as Bellezza at Aix to be missed. roger pines Berlioz’s final opera inspired some of the performance is its cast, which slightly puzzled reactions. Here was a manages, with a good complement of director with something of a reputation— French speakers, to keep the pace up at least from his work in the UK—for through the dialogue as much as in the Lucrezia Borgia, Donizetti colourful, stylish stagings. His new music, which is kept ticking along nicely Joan Sutherland (Lucrezia Borgia), Anne Howells (Maffio Orsini), Alfredo Kraus Berlioz, though undoubtedly stylish, by the conductor Antonello Manacorda. (Gennaro), Francis Egerton (Rustighello), Stafford Dean (Alfonso d’Este), Royal plumped for an array of greys: grey and The star is undoubtedly Stéphanie Opera Chorus, Orchestra of House, c. Richard Bonynge, p. John white costumes, pale make-up and a set d’Oustrac as a wily, fiery Béatrice. The Copley, d. John Pascoe and Michael Stennett, video director Brian Large. Opus Arte consisting almost entirely of grey boxes, French mezzo, such a revelation as DVD OA1237D (147 minutes) out of which principals, chorus and props Glyndebourne’s 2015 , has a appeared unexpectedly and unpredictably. distinctive, rich voice and holds the stage Back in 1980 Donizetti’s melodramma multi-coloured costumes—even if the It’s a colour scheme that doesn’t lend compellingly—for which, of course, the was revived by the Royal Opera as a limitations of the period’s video itself naturally to comedy, and, watched director should no doubt take some credit vehicle for the 52-year-old Joan technology deny them distinctness and the on the small screen unaided by the too. Paul Appleby’s Bénédict feels as Sutherland. Visually, John Copley’s ultra- stage lighting transfers poorly to the refreshments traditionally enjoyed at though he’s already fighting a losing battle traditional production is hampered by her screen. Subtitles are in English only and Glyndebourne, the humour can feel with such an outstanding adversary, but unconvincing acting in the title role, by cannot be edited out. laboured. The fourth-wall-breaking the American tenor sings stylishly with a Alfredo Kraus’s stylized-to-the-point-of- Sutherland was undeniably an escapades of Lionel Lhote as Somarone, clean, pleasing voice; he acts with an mannerism movement as her son extraordinary vocalist and she does some the broadly caricatured music master, are endearing twinkle in the eye. Sophie Gennaro, and by Stafford Dean’s stagey remarkable things here, with apparently a case in point, although you can hardly Karthäuser and Katarina Bradić offer an malevolence as her husband Alfonso limitless energy and some exceptional fault the commitment of those involved. exquisite account of Héro and Ursule’s d’Este. flights of coloratura fancy, radiant trills The director also repeats his old joke— Act 1 duet, during whose dreams of love Anne Howells’s suave and altogether and unflawed high notes. What scuppers familiar from the various Duchesses de Pelly does finally inject an appropriate more natural Maffio Orsini works better; her Lucrezia as a dramatic entity is a level Crackentorp to, erm, grace his Fille du warmth into his cool colour scheme. she is compelling in her narration ‘Nella of enunciation that leaves one wondering, régiment at the Royal Opera—of There’s excellent work from the fatal di Rimini’ in the Prologue, in the at times, what language she is supposed to interpolating the odd English or Franglais London Philharmonic, even if others have Brindisi ‘Il segreto per esser felici’ in the be singing; without following a libretto word into French dialogue. brought a bit more anarchic fizz to this final scene, and elsewhere. one would be left guessing. The production does have the score than Manacorda does. This doesn’t But on their own terms there is no There can certainly be no difficulty in advantage, however, of allowing us to present the riot of colour some might want denying the visual magnificence of John understanding each syllable and focus on the central plot, creating a in this piece, but it’s a welcome record of Pascoe’s sets, and particularly of Michael meaningful inflection of Kraus’s concentrated, semi-abstract context in what’s largely a stylish, smartly directed Stennett’s ornate and riotously Gennaro, and, though there have which it can unfurl without the show. hugo shirley

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