A Possible Goodbye?

Is it possible that tonight's dernière of "La Traviata" might be Natalie Dessay's last performance at the Wiener Staatsoper?

© adn.com

It is likely. Frau Kammersängerin has repeatedly emphasized that she wants to quit singing and become an actress instead stating that she perceives the opera repertoire as "too narrow". She's been talking about becoming an actress for years but the actual decision might be just around the corner considering the fact that she's already looking for possible employers (at least on Austrian national tv). [Side note: She also talked about buying a farm and riding horses for the rest of her life at some point but this hasn't been mentioned ever since so we'll consider this a less probable scenario.]


Rumor has it that she will not be singing for much longer than 3 more years. Dessay has also made clear that due to the short rehearsal periods she won't be doing repertoire performances at the Wiener Staatsoper anymore. A singer of her status, of course, has the right to be picky about the work she takes on. It is, however, not very likely that she will appear in a new production at this house within the next 3 years. But this is just a personal guess...

A Swell Start For The Met's Live Cinecast Season

The Met Cinecast of "Anna Bolena" was seen by some 30.000 people in Germany and Austria last Saturday, reports Clasart Classic, which exceeds all previously seen viewer records. Roughly 40 cinemas were completely sold out, some had to move the cinecast to larger locations to provide for German/Austrian operamaniacs. Clasart Classic boss Herbert Kloiber attributes this success to the "phenomenon Netrebko". He added, however, that the fact that 125.000 tickets have already been sold for the new Met broadcast season are proof that the general demand is increasing.

Maria Callas...OF COURSE!

In a teaser for her most recent release ”An Homage to Callas” Angela Gheorghiu speaks about the revelation she had during the recording period. (Would Callas agree? Luckily, Angela will never find out.)
And here’s the long version of the trailer where Angela shows off some cleavage excellent choices of headwear.

 © EMI

To Boo Or Not To Boo

NY Times critic Anthony Tommasini calls the Met’s new “Don Giovanni” “a production with no compelling point of view” adding that it “almost makes you yearn for those new stagings where the creative team is booed on opening night”. Director Michael Grandage apparently received respectful but unenthusiastic ovations for his traditional staging that was without stirring ideas. (In that it joins the club of boredom with Vienna’s “Don Giovanni” production that premiered last season.)


Maybe Tommasini should consider visiting the Wiener Staatsoper sometime where a week ago Jean-François Sivadier and his creative team were booed without restraint for their new production of “La Traviata”. After 3 hours of a minimalist staging (a few chairs and pillows, small backdrops showing meadows or sky, the words “Violetta” and “Traviata” scribbled on the wall - a helpful reminder for the audience of what performance they were seeing) it became quiet in the house before Sivadier’s curtain call while the audience gathered momentum for the loudest booing the Staatsoper has heard since, I believe, the catastrophe that was the new production for “Macbeth” two years ago. Despite a large number of traditionalists that would have loved to continue seeing Otto Schenk’s staging for another 40 years, there were many that were looking forward to Sivadier’s new ideas…and they were majorly disappointed.

 © diepresse.com

General Manager Dominique Meyer felt compelled to comfort his fellow Frenchman Sivadier by saying, “It’s not so bad!” and, “It’s not a sin to show something new. This is a strong production and it will survive.” Will it survive? Once the wonderful Natalie Dessay and her acting skills leave the Staatsoper after six performances all that will be left of this production are the chairs, pillows and backdrops. I am afraid that my prediction stated earlier in this place will come true: An era of Traviata concert versions awaits the Viennese audience.

A Fragile New Traviata

"I like this production a lot because it is very theatrical and also very fragile. Because if not everyone acts with a lot of energy and concentration everything disappears. There is hardly any decoration, the stage is almost naked, a few chairs, that's it. Everything depends on us," says Natalie Dessay about Vienna's new staging of "La Traviata" in an interview with DER STANDARD. "Often singers are just singers. Fortunately, not always. But only if they are also actors opera can be truly great."

After the dress rehearsal of this new production of "La Traviata" at the Wiener Staatsoper two things can be said: 1. This production does work well thanks to Natalie Dessay's wonderful acting. 2. With "singers that are only singers" and without long rehearsal periods we might as well do a Traviata concert version after this premiere run.


Jen-François Sivadier's "La Traviata" premieres Sunday, October 9.

Conductor Lottery

Fabio Luisi hurried to the Met's rescue after James Levine's accident where he now resides as principal conductor. This has left the Vienna Symphonics more or less without such. (Officially Luisi is keeping this position until 2012/13. One doesn't envy him for this commute.) Was it Luisi's new calling that gave momentum to the search for a new face to hand the baton over to? Be that as it may, this week the Symphonics announced that their new face will be 36-year-old Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan. He will start this job with the season 2014/15 which leaves the Symphonics without a music director for a year. He will also remain principal conductor of the Opéra National de Paris. A comparably tolerable commute, one may add.

 © www.philippe-jordan.com

Nafornita Makes Her Vienna House Debut

As previously discussed the Wiener Staatsoper so far has been very successful at hiding Cardiff Singer of the World 2011, Valentina Nafornita, who joined the ensemble at the beginning of the new season. I am happy to announce that she will be making her house debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, at last. Of course the house has failed to announce this on its deficient website where a minor role like Papagena does not show up in the cast list.