Opera.......the Ever-living Fantasy of Everyday

Mr. Walter Nowotny, (English Translation; Nawab Farhan Raza Khan)

Mr. Walter Nowotny, an esteemed native German-speaking Opera critic from Vienna, Austria, stands as a living legend in the world of classical music and performing arts. Renowned for his insightful critiques and deep reverence for opera, he views each performance as an essential experience—an opportunity to breathe and live through music. Now, some of his most celebrated and evocative critiques are available in English, inviting new audiences to revisit and relive the magical realms of Opera and Classical music he so masterfully examines. His work captures the profound artistry and imagination that defines these timeless performances, offering readers a chance to experience his perspectives on some of the most enchanting compositions and productions in operatic history.

"An OPERA begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It Starts in my Imagination, it becomes my Life, and it stays part of my Life long after I have left the Opera House". (Maria Callas)

"Don Pasquale" is a classic opera buffa by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, created in 1843. Set in Rome, this comedic opera centres on the aging, wealthy bachelor Don Pasquale, who is determined to disinherit his rebellious nephew, Ernesto, by taking a wife of his own. The plot thickens as Dr. Malatesta, Ernesto's friend, schemes with Norina, Ernesto’s beloved, to teach Don Pasquale a lesson. Norina pretends to be an ideal bride, and after marrying him in a mock ceremony, she turns into a feisty, domineering "wife," making his life chaotic and expensive. Eventually, Don Pasquale realizes he has been tricked, and in a humorous twist, he blesses the marriage between Ernesto and Norina, happy to be rid of his new "wife."

"Don Pasquale", the Vienna State Opera seems to have more luck through the years with Donizetti than with Richard Wagner, (Wilhelm Richard Wagner) was a German Composer, Theatre director, Polemicist, and Conductor who is chiefly known for his Operas in 19th century. In addition to a magnificent series of performances of "Lucia di Lammermoor," there is currently a series of performances of Donizetti's late work, "Don Pasquale" on the program in 2015. The completely absurd staging by Irina Brook, the British Theatre Director, has since been toned down in many aspects by the singers (and possibly also by the evening direction), making it now even bearable.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the performance was Ambrogio Maestri in the title role. A comedic genius who embodies this role (in the truest sense of the word) like no other. He was also the first performer in this production to successfully transform the silly slapstick jokes with the toupee, devised by the director, into a truly funny direction. His powerful baritone effortlessly fills the lower registers, and his ability in Parlando is unmatched. Truly, a great interpreter of this anti-hero.

Sergey Kaydalov, in the role of Doctor Malatesta, was equally impressive in the grand duet of the second act. Of course, the final part of their duet was repeated. The young Russian, who has been a permanent member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble since last season, possesses a beautifully timbred, lyrical baritone and showcased great enthusiasm in a role that suited him particularly well. We can certainly expect many more wonderful performances from him.

Two young singers made their debut in this series of performances at the Vienna State Opera: Ruth Iniesta was a stunning Norina. In contrast to many previous interpreters of the role, who only possessed thin soubrette voices, this Spanish-born singer has a full, rounded, lyrical soprano that is well-controlled and has no difficulties with the coloratura passages. She is an excellent comedian. It was quite amusing to see her, as a rather petite bride, assert herself against her towering husband.

Cyrille Dubois, who was already hailed as the operatic discovery of the year in France in 2015, has only now made his way to the Vienna State Opera. (We already had the opportunity to hear him in a concert performance of Salieri's "Les Horaces" at the Theatre an der Wien in 2016.) I have seen him perform several times in France, including as Don Ramiro in "La Cenerentola" and as Belmonte at the Opéra de Lyon. The tall French tenor possesses an ideal "Tenore di grazia" voice for this repertoire. While his voice may not be overly large, it has the necessary agility and secure high notes required for the role of Ernesto. In terms of timbre, his voice is reminiscent of the very young Juan Diego Flórez. Moreover, Dubois's good looks and acting ability are additional pluses.

Michael Arivony from the opera studio complemented the cast as the comical notary. Additionally, the chorus of the Vienna State Opera had the chance to showcase their stage presence in their brief appearance. The orchestra of the Vienna State Opera impressed with its transparent beauty of sound. Evelino Pidò at the conductor's podium was the right person to synchronize the rhythm of the score with the stage's energy. Even though a cheerful audience celebrated the performers at the end with great enthusiasm.

"Lucia di Lammermoor" is a tragic opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti, with a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. It was first performed in 1835 in Naples. The opera is based on Sir Walter Scott's novel “The Bride of Lammermoor”, and it tells the heart-wrenching story of Lucia, a young woman caught in the middle of a bitter family feud in 17th-century Scotland.

The plot revolves around Lucia Ashton, who has fallen deeply in love with Edgardo, a member of the rival Ravenswood family. However, her brother Enrico has other plans; he wants Lucia to marry someone more politically advantageous to secure their family’s power. He manipulates Lucia by convincing her that Edgardo has betrayed her. Heartbroken and cornered, Lucia reluctantly agrees to marry the man her brother chose. But on the wedding night, driven mad by despair and betrayal, she kills her new husband and loses her grip on reality, leading to one of opera's most haunting scenes, known as the "Mad Scene."

When Edgardo learns of Lucia's fate, he is devastated. Overcome by sorrow and guilt, he ends his own life, hoping to be reunited with her in death. The opera is filled with intense emotions, incredible vocal challenges, and powerful arias, making it a staple of the bel canto tradition and a tragic story that remains deeply moving to audiences today.

"Lucia Di Lammermoor", due to the pandemic, this was only the 7th performance of the new production by Laurent Pelly, which premiered at the Vienna State Opera in February 2019. However, the performance looked as if it were already the 700th presentation of an old production that was poor from the beginning. If Dominique Meyer had to replace the beautiful old staging by Boleslaw Barlog from 1978, why did he acquire this meaningless and uninteresting production from the Philadelphia Opera? If he had instead taken Katie Mitchell's staging from the Covent Garden Opera, we would have had an incredibly exciting production in the repertoire. Additionally, Lisette Oropesa would have been familiar with that production, as she performed in it four years ago in London.

We had been waiting for Lisette Oropesa in Vienna for a long time. I first saw her in 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera in Puccini's "La Rondine," ironically in the role of Lisette. It was Bogdan Ro??i? who brought her to the State Opera for the premiere of "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," and hopefully, we will see her there often in the future. She had already sung Lucia in 2012 at the Arizona Opera, and later at the Teatro Real Madrid and the Covent Garden Opera, and now for the first time in Vienna. Even in this static staging by Laurent Pelly, she convincingly portrays the transformation from a happily in love young woman to one who ultimately descends into madness. Vocally, she is an ideal cast with her slender, warm-toned voice, secure coloratura, and radiant high notes. The mad scene, in which she sang almost in duet with the glass harmonica, was naturally the jubilant highlight of the evening.

Benjamin Bernheim as Edgardo needed some warm-up time during the evening. In the love duet, he still had to invest noticeably too much power, occasionally compromising the beauty of his voice. However, starting from "Maledetto" in the wedding scene, he was back in top form, shining with brilliant high notes, beautiful phrasing, and expressive emotion. He delivered remarkable performances in the tower scene, his major aria in the final scene, and his death scene.

George Petean, the only singer of the evening who had already participated in the premiere, impressed with his secure, powerful, and occasionally inserted high notes. Roberto Tagliavini portrayed Raimondo with his beautiful bass voice, which possesses a lyrical and soft timbre. Josh Lovell, with his bright tenor, was charming as Arturo. Patricia Nolz, with her beautiful voice, portrayed Alisa, and Hiroshi Amako from the opera studio complemented the cast adequately as Normanno. Evelino Pidò tried to elicit a nuanced and differentiated sound from the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, which is not particularly known for its affinity for bel canto operas, although it was not always successful.

At the end, there was much applause. However, how wonderful the performance would have been if it had taken place with this cast in the Barlog's Staging with the beautiful stage designs by Pantelis Desyllas and the dreamlike costumes by Silvia Strahammer. Well, times have changed.

“Der Rosenkavalier” (The Knight of the Rose) is an enchanting opera that blends romance, humour, and a touch of melancholy. It was created by German composer Richard Strauss with a libretto by the renowned playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Premiering in 1911 in Dresden, it is one of Richard Strauss's most celebrated operas.

The story takes place in Vienna in the 18th century and revolves around themes of love, aging, and the passage of time. It begins with the Marshallian, an older noblewoman, who is having a secret affair with the young and dashing Count Octavian. However, their romance is complicated by social conventions and by the brash Baron Ochs, who wants to marry the young, wealthy Sophie von Finial to secure his fortune.

In a twist of fate and tradition, the Marshallian sends Octavian as a "Der Rosenkavalier" (The Knight of the Rose) to deliver a silver rose to Sophie on behalf of Baron Ochs, as a symbol of the marriage proposal. But when Octavian and Sophie meet, they fall in love almost instantly, sparking a passionate conflict. Throughout the opera, the Marshallian realizes she must gracefully let go of Octavian, accepting that her time has passed and making room for youthful love.

The opera is loved for its lush, expressive music and its witty, heartfelt exploration of love’s complexities and the bittersweet beauty of life’s fleeting nature.

"Der Rosenkavalier”, the chaotic conditions caused by illness-related cast changes were avoided in the second performance of this series of revivals of Otto Schenk's brilliant production of "Der Rosenkavalier," although there were still some cast changes on this evening of April 2022 as well.

The highlight was Günther Groissb?ck as the magnificent Ochs. It took a long time for him to perform this signature role in Vienna. He made his role debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2014, and after repeating his success there in the summer of 2015, he sang the role of Ochs in 2016 at La Scala in Milan and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, in 2017 and 2019 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and in 2020 at the State Opera Unter den Linden in Berlin. Only on December 18, 2020, did he first perform this role at the Vienna State Opera (due to COVID-19, it was only a streamed performance without an audience).

But now, the Viennese audience can finally experience his sensational Ochs live. Vocally, he gives his all, with elegant high notes and rich low notes. His voice sounds round and velvety, evenly strong in all registers. However, he impresses not only vocally. The combination of his vocal performance, clear diction, where his Viennese dialect is advantageous, and nuanced portrayal makes his Ochs truly remarkable. He does not portray the character as a fat, aging oaf; on the contrary, he presents a relatively young, elegant aristocrat with mischievous naivety, who is humorous and cheeky. Every punchline is delivered without being brash. Groissb?ck is likely currently unmatched worldwide in this role.

Maria Bengtsson sang the role of the Marschallin for the first time at the Vienna State Opera. Her performance was convincing, and she elegantly portrayed the transformation from being in love to accepting sacrifice. She possesses a beautiful, velvety soprano voice and sings with natural expression and instrumental control. However, her voice sounded too soft in the first act. Was it due to a recent illness or is her voice simply too small for the State Opera? Unfortunately, the conductor did not take this into consideration and often overwhelmed her. It was only in the grand monologue that she seemed to want to, or be able to, express herself more, and she performed the third act very beautifully.

Similarly, Octavian had a similar experience. Christina Bock also made her Vienna debut as the Rosenkavalier in this performance due to illness. Tall and slender with a boyish appearance, she is ideally suited for the role in terms of staging. However, her voice also sounded too small in the first act but improved as the evening progressed. She performed the presentation of the rose in the second act very beautifully. Fortunately, she did not exaggerate the portrayal of Mariandl, and the trio and final duet in the third act were beautifully executed.

Just as a year ago, Louise Alder was an enchanting Sophie with her luminous soprano, which is also capable of delicate and floating pianissimos. Adrian Er?d portrayed an elegant and clear Faninal. Norbert Ernst stepped in for the ill Josh Lovell as the Italian Singer. The Viennese tenor was a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble from 2010 to 2017. Since then, he has been working as a freelance artist and slowly venturing into the dramatic repertoire. He recently made his debut as Tannh?user in Wuppertal. Nonetheless, Norbert Ernst maintained the flexibility required to meet the enormous demands that Richard Strauss placed on the tenor in the role of the Singer.

Thomas Ebenstein was an excellent Valzacchi, and Stephanie Maitland from the opera studio left a positive impression as Annina (replacing the still ill Monika Bohinec) with her warmly timbred alto voice, although her voice is not yet very large. Several other roles were also well cast (J?rg Schneider as the innkeeper, Wolfgang Bankl as the police commissioner, Angelo Pollak as Faninal's major-domo, Marcus Pelz as the notary). Philippe Jordan knows how to draw a luxurious, colorful, and opulent sound from the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. Unfortunately, he does not demonstrate much sensitivity as a conductor towards the singers. When he has the orchestra play forte and fortissimo, some singers (especially in the first act) can hardly be heard (at least from the gallery).

While an impressive sound spectacle may be enjoyable, appropriate consideration should be given to engage singers capable of matching that intensity or to adjust the conducting to accommodate singers with smaller voices.

In summary, the Vienna State Opera’s recent productions showcase a mix of both triumphs and challenges in its staging of operas from different composers and eras. Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" shines due to the performers' exceptional comedic timing, particularly Ambrogio Maestri's captivating portrayal, which transforms absurd staging elements into engaging humour. Similarly, "Lucia di Lammermoor" benefits from strong vocal performances, most notably by Lisette Oropesa, whose nuanced and expressive portrayal of Lucia captivated audiences despite a less-inspired staging choice. In contrast, Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" highlighted the stellar vocal talent of Günther Groissb?ck as Ochs, who brought sophistication and humor to his role, though some vocalists struggled with volume against the orchestra's powerful sound under conductor Philippe Jordan.

The contrasting directorial choices and performance quality across these productions reflect the delicate balance the Vienna State Opera strikes between honoring traditional interpretations and adapting to contemporary preferences. While strong casting bolsters each production, certain staging and orchestral choices reveal the potential impact of aligning vocal and orchestral elements to optimize the audience’s experience fully. Ultimately, each opera presented its unique allure and challenges, reinforcing the importance of thoughtful staging, balanced direction, and flexible orchestral support to elevate these timeless works.

Reference:

1.??? "Don Pasquale"; ?https://youtu.be/CjLqrt8xK78?si=apNgn5cSjHSPyoLp

2.??? "Lucia Di Lammermoor"; https://youtu.be/qE2guerbIbg?si=1y-E07DAkQWDKjG2

3.??? "Der Rosenkavalier”; https://youtu.be/4E1q2xTqvhg?si=7lN1QrFciEyLexdu