The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Painfully Absurd
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From Susan Elliott’s May 9, 2008 Article in MusicalAmerica.com: In addition to being virtually all-male, the Philharmonic is also all European. One player actually told me, without hesitation, that Asians are incapable of producing the "Vienna Philharmonic sound." I’ve been to Austria four times, and despite having a governor born in Thal bei Graz, I…
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"You know, the thing that's really remarkable about that book for the time period in which it was written is the improvisational, free-flowing nature of it. He goes from straight prose to something like love poetry to setting up scenes as though this were a play–and then, back again!" I particularly like that this interview…
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"And in Germany sometimes they make productions look ugly." Interview [PDF] | Official Site
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Actor Juan Pablo Di Pace did not like the Royal Opera House's poster for Rigoletto from 2001, as it did not flatter his penis. ROH is not using Mr. Di Pace's image in the promotional materials when the production is revived in 2009. BBC News Article | thisislondon.co.uk
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Deutsche Oper Berlin apparently lost the heads of Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha and Neptune from the controversial Idomeneo production. Nevertheless, the revival went ahead today with newly created heads. BBC Article | AP Article
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The Hans Neuenfels production of Idomeneo at Deutsche Oper Berlin has been rescheduled for December 18th and 29th of this year. At the moment, cast has not been announced. Deutsche Oper Berlin Statement| IHT Article
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John Adams' Doctor Atomic had its world premiere on the first day of this month at San Francisco Opera. The opera is in English and is set in New Mexico in July 1945. It starts off with the chorus singing something like "Energy! Matter can neither be created nor destroyed!" It was difficult not to…
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Britten’s Billy Budd returned to San Francisco Opera for the second time in twenty years. Willy Decker’s sedate and elegant production was designed by Wolfgang Gussmann and staged by Sabine Hartmannshenn. The music was certainly more charming than Britten’s work Death in Venice, particularly the absurd duet "Don’t Like The French!," whose words include "hoppity-skippity…
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