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Re: Even... (Reply to this comment)
by smorg
Hiya Vasilis,
Thanks, mate! It is indeed harder to stay focus when writing reviews of stuff I'm not on-fire about. This one is still a curiosity item due to it's rarity, so I was compelled to write it up. :o) Very glad to hear that I wasn't too boring with it!
Thanks again for stopping by, mate! Hope you're cooking up another review for posting, too. It's been too long, my friend. Your fans are getting restless. ;o)
Cheers,
Smorg :o)
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Mar 06 '07
8:11 pm PST
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Even... (Reply to this comment)
by lammet
your not-full-stardom reviews enrich the site. While most reviewers won't bother too much on products/services they haven't liked, reading this gave me (again) joy and knowledge. Thanks. You really bring something else to this community.
-Vasilis
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Mar 06 '07
4:53 am PST
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Hiya T, (Reply to this comment)
by smorg
O, you're absolutely right that most opera music sound better when sung in original language indeed. I didn't like that Met 'Magic Flute' much either... How in the world did they justify cutting the 'Bei Mannern' duet is beyond my comprehension! (and I share your reservations over Miklosa's Queen).
The darn thing about this (and a few other M22 shows) show is this mixing of languages. The songs in Italian and then the narrator talks to us in German (tho apparently this is not a new invention... Astrid Varnay mentioned having sung in an opera in Italy once where she sang in original Italian while her onstage lover sang back to her in German because he hadn't learnt the opera in original language). Guess that would stretch the suspension of disbelief even more than usual, ay?
O, I have the ENO recording of Der Rosenkavalier in English! I prefer it in German, but must admit, Rosemary Joshua is a heck of a Sophie! :o)
And I like the Salzburg La Traviata, too. Conceptual staging without being a distraction actually appeal to me (I love the Munich 'Orphee et Eurydice' but most of the critics hate it). This Finta Semplice is along the same line but really futuristic... and completely reworked the recitative that original synopsis is almost useless.... tho the M22 production of Ascanio in Alba (will write it up soon) is even ..er... more weird.
Hey, thank a bunch for stopping by and leaving kind words, T! I'm looking forward to your next classical write up, too.
Cheers,
Smorg :o)
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Mar 04 '07
9:05 pm PST
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£ (Reply to this comment)
by virtuelle2
Who would want an opera to be easily understood anyhow? What a preposterous idea!
Ha, ha! I'm afraid I belong to this very school of thought - being untutored in opera, I find it de rigueur to be totally baffled by the language in which it's sung.
Just kidding...only slightly! I can be so uncompromising when it comes to words and music - I don't care for librettos in non-English to be sung in English (as the English National Opera do to all the foreign-language works) because I consider the original tongue to be integral to the whole piece. Hence I'd have preferred the Met's simulcasted 'Die Zauberflote/Magic Flute' to have been sung in the original German. English doesn't lend itself that well to music initially written for other languages, most especially the Romance ones.
And just to contradict myself yet again, I do have a 'Magic Flute' in Swedish, by Ingmar Bergman, and it sounds just as foreign as German, so I actually like it! Weird, aren't I?
Anyway, those Austrians and Germans can get very heavy with the psychological aspects of tales, and most German films don't appeal to me for that reason. On the other hand, the sizzling staging of La Traviata in Salzburg 2005 (with hot couple Villazon and Netrebko) made such a contrast to the stark, minimalist decor and modern costumes, and the whole thing really worked for me.
German spoken well becomes a thing of beauty, doesn't it?
Thanks yet again for another well-done posting, smorgy!
~ T.
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Mar 04 '07
7:21 am PST
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Re: Perhaps Mozart was Stoned (Reply to this comment)
by smorg
Hey Bettega,
O, it isn't Mozart's great work, but still pretty darn good for a 12 yrs old, really (though music teachers are more apt to that view than actual audience, I think). ;o)
Nah, the staging and costume are done by the stage director (in this show it was Joachim Schloemer) and his staff... which in this show I really don't care for.
I usually like the ...er... Eurotrash conceptual minimalistic opera staging, but man, they really went beyond the boundary of relatability on this one... Tho I should note that I've been watching the same festival's production of Mozart's 'Ascanio in Alba' and it is even more weird.
Hey! Thanks for your encouraging words, too, mate! It would really be wonderful that you'll help promoting more arts and culture around too. I think you'll make a big difference there. All your reviews have been so very educational and engaging to read. Really looking forward for more!
Ciao!
Smorg :o)
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Mar 03 '07
12:49 pm PST
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Perhaps Mozart was Stoned (Reply to this comment)
by bettega
Even the geniuses have an off day. Did Mozart actually design the costumes, or did he delegate that role?
Thanks for your enouraging words by the way... I would like to join you in your quest to promote cultural awareness as our society has undergone an epidemic of CULTURAL BANKRUPCY!!!
Ciao!
Bettega
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Mar 03 '07
11:48 am PST
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