Davide Luciano / Arvostelut

One of the titles of the great bel canto repertoire returns to Palermo after many years of absence with an international cast of great prestige: for the new season of the operas of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Gaetano Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux" is staged , the great opera that sees protagonist Queen Elizabeth I of England. The opera, which was performed in Palermo only in 1994 at the Politeama Garibaldi under the direction of Gianandrea Gavazzeni, is staged from 29 April to 7 May in the staging of the Welsh National Opera under the direction of Alessandro Talevi and the sets and costumes. by Madeleine Boyd. On the podium Roberto Abbado, who returns to direct the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo after the Mahlerian concert last March. The absolute protagonist in the role of the English queen - a role in which singers such as Montserrat Caballé, Leyla Gencer, Beverly Sills, Edita Gruberová, Raina Kabaivanska and Mariella Devia have ventured - is the soprano Maria Agresta , who will sing the part for the first time in Paris just before the performances in Palermo, always under the direction of Roberto Abbado. Her rival Sara is played by mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaia, a rising star of the international scene, while in the performances of April 30 and May 6 the role of Elisabetta passes the baton to Davinia Rodriguez and that of Sara to Chiara Amarù from Palermo. "Roberto Devereux" is a lyric tragedy in three acts composed on a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the tragedy by Jacques-François Ancelot "Elisabeth d'Angleterre" and together with "Anna Bolena" and "Maria Stuarda" is part of the so-called "Ciclo of the Tudor Queens "by Donizetti. The staged story is inspired by the relationships (real, but also fictional) between the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, and Queen Elizabeth I of England. Or better,his love for the Count is no longer reciprocated . Devereux, in fact, has fallen madly in love with the beautiful Sara, wife of his best friend the Duke of Nottingham, who reciprocates by unleashing the ire of Elizabeth who, having learned of an alleged betrayal of the crown by the Earl of Essex, in a vortex of conflicting emotions and feelings finally decides to sentence him to death.

Puccini's La bohème received its 101st performance at the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 1988 on Friday night, when Yosep Kang and Carmen Giannattasio stormed the stage as the eponymous lovers. The Deutsche Oper production is a classic, originally created by Götz Friedrich. Lavish and beautiful, it is a timeless production and does not make any demands on audience attention. The young bohemians live in a garrett with oversized windows and shabby furniture, then in a basement with exposed pipes and no windows. The café scene is a riot of people, children with toys, soldiers, waiters, gaudily-dressed prostitutes: it is a scene that shows our heroes' love of life and colour. The entire opera seems to be a scene by Toulouse-Lautrec brought to life, and this serves both to orientate the audience in the chosen era and ensure that their focus is not on any directorial message, but on the story unfolding as Puccini intended it. And that story is the timeless tale of two young people dealing with an impossible situation. Love in the face of hardship is a common theme in opera, as in most art, but La bohème has the guts to present a group of young people whose very lives are given in the pursuit of bohemian principles. Rodolfo, the penniless writer, seems to live in poverty from choice, whereas Mimì, by contrast, does so because she is unable to rise above her situation unless she takes a rich lover. Their story is mirrored by that of Musetta-who has taken a rich lover-and Marcello, who will never forgive her for it. It is a no-win situation, as they all learn in the end. La bohème is full of lush melodies, and the cast of the Deutsche Oper production performed them beautifully. Yosep Kang brought a boyish insouciance to Rodolfo: he was cold and hungry but he was enjoying himself despite the hardship. Kang brought out Rodolfo's youthful idealism in his performance of “Che gelida manina”, and kept that idealism alive even throughout the opera's tragedy. As Mimì, his long-suffering lover, Carmen Giannattasio sang with joy and enthusiasm, embodying Mimì's basic goodness. Their foils, Marcello and Musetta, were excellently played by Davide Luciano and Martina Welschenbach. Marcello has the gravitas that Rodolfo lacks; he sees the truth of the people around him, though he is not always forgiving about it. Luciano sang him with a joyous bonhomie and a real kindness for Mimì, his exasperation at Rodolfo's bad behaviour clear. Welschenbach's Musetta was a treat, a firecracker of a woman whose beautiful voice was never betrayed by her character's emotions. Whether happy, flirtatious, angry or scared, Welschenbach's voice was pure and powerful. This quartet of lovers alone made the opera. But no group of lovers can perform alone, and they were masterfully rounded out by fellow bohemians Schaunard, sung by the excellent Noel Bouley, and Colline, sung by Marko Mimica at his best. Jörg Schöner's Benoît was a comic treat, as was Peter Maus' much put upon Alcindoro. The chorus and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper, led by Donald Runnicles, was in fine form, fully embodying the joy and sadness of Puccini's music. It was a treat from start to finish.

l’Ernesto à dire vrai quasiment idéal de Maxim Mironov. On note d’abord l’aspect juvénile adéquat pour le personnage, mais on ne cessera d’être émerveillé par le raffinement musical du chanteur, qui module jusqu’aux nuances les plus infimes et témoigne ainsi d’une maîtrise vocale telle qu’on en reste comblé. Cet art de la ciselure est-il perceptible loin de la scène ? Où nous étions il nous a comblé.

[...] sang a very successful “Sento da mille furie” in the second act, an aria where he could display coloratura, legato, very high notes, in a great performance.