Idomeneja the production was already prepared three years ago, but then it was not possible to show it to the public due to the first wave of the pandemic. Now the audience has the opportunity to appreciate one of Mozart’s most beautiful operas.
The production is traditional, but visually impressive – the main element of the scenography created by artist Vicky Mortimer is a giant skull. The show has elements of aerial acrobatics, dance and kabuki theater. This one Idomeneus primarily intrigues with his musical interpretation – Sir Simon Rattle’s performance in the opera always attracts interest and attention, the audience loves the former longtime chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Idomeneus boasts an ensemble of top-class soloists: tenor Andrew Staples sings the role of Idomeneus, the ruler of Crete, his son Idamanti – mezzo-soprano Magdalena Cozen, soprano Anna Prohaska of Troy’s princess Ilia, soprano Olga Peretjatko, daughter of Agamemnon, princess Electra, Idomeneus’s friend Arbas – tenor Linard Vreelink.
Idomeneus Conducted by Simon Rattle, it will be performed in Berlin on March 23, 26, 28 and 30.
Giacomo Puccini Turandot the main character of the production is a gigantic marionette. Photo – Matiass Baus
Another musically inspiring event at the opera Under the linden trees Giacomo Puccini’s last operas were in March Turandota a production directed by Filip Steltzl. The premiere conducted by Grandmaster Zubin Meta took place in the summer of 2022. This time, the young conductor Maksims Paskāls came to the helm, who offered a very experienced and fresh reading of the score. The French musician emphasized both Turandot lyricism as well as spontaneity. The sound vibrated with tension and drama. Soprano Anna Samuila debuted in the title role, Kalafa was played by tenor Murats Karahans, who is well known to Latvian audiences, Liu was played by soprano Olga Peretjatko, and Kalafa’s father Timur was played by bass René Pape.
The “main character” of the show is a gigantic puppet of Turandot, which is controlled by a whole team of technicians. She embodies power, strength, oppression. As the plot develops, the puppet loses its human form and turns into a monstrous skeleton that flies above the stage. Turandot frightens and tempts at the same time.
Director Filip Shtelcl masterfully creates effective characters that match the spirit of the music and the story – there is brutality, violence, pain and love. Philipp Steltzl is also a film director, and the show is influenced by German Expressionism. This is musical theater at its finest.
Information: staatsoper-berlin.de
