# “Così fan tutte” + “Un ballo in maschera”, Bavarian State Opera



## ALT (Mar 1, 2021)

5 November 2022 - Bavarian State Opera, “Così fan tutte”, Production by Australian Benedict Andrews, musical direction by Vladimir Jurowski. Featuring:

Fiordiligi, Louise Alder
 Dorabella, Avery Amereau 
Guilelmo, Konstantin Krimmel
 Ferrando, Sebastian Kohlhepp 
Despina, Sandrine Piau 
Don Alfonso, Christian Gerhaher

This is not meant to be a detailed review, only scattered thoughts. Those of you who saw it on Youtube (the theater uploaded the whole 4 hours for free and it is still up) will already have an idea of this sordid affair. But it was an interesting night with plenty of pearl-clutching. Seems to me that in-your-face provocations is the last trick available to gain audiences’ attention and attract new ones. The theater was sold to capacity and I even noticed a few individuals soliciting to buy tickets outside the theater. But for this? One thing that became evident to me was how ahead of his time da Ponte was. True, the human condition is rather predictable and we haven’t changed much as a species, have we? The evening was entertaining and I think that the caricature of Mozart we saw in Amadeus would have approved. I think he would have been offended neither by the soiled mattress on which much stage business was conducted nor would he have blushed at the sights of the prominent d**do in Act I nor the crude and sexually explicit graffiti in Act II. Nor at the inflatable Disney castle with its obvious female gen****ia (castle doors) and male pha**ic references (castle towers). As successes go today …..
The four young lovers delivered fully what was asked of them in the acting department. They all looked and acted so naturally, in a very internet-age, contemporary and shallow way. I felt sorry for what these young people were asked to do before an audience to earn a paycheck, such as strip teasing piece by piece down to their underwear during some of their solos. But I give it to them for their courage, for it takes nothing short of guts. Vocally, I felt the two men did better while none of the four sounded distinctive in any way; more like opera-studio-workshop singers. The stars of the night were “masters of ceremonies” Gerhaher (as Don Alfonso) and Piau (as Despina). She more than he stole the show as the loose-morals maid and her acting, like the four lovers’, fully in tune with the spirit of the character. Jurowski’s leadership was fine, I guess, but I heard a few moments of coordination gone awry. The chorus was kept offstage. Last, Mozart’s brilliant score still shines and it is amazing its magic can survive all manner of directorial assaults.

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9 November 2022 - “Un ballo in maschera”, Bavarian State Opera, Production by Johannes Erath, staging by Heike Scheele, musical direction by Ivan Repušić. Featuring:

Riccardo, Charles Castronovo
Renato, George Petean
Amelia, Liudmyla Monastyrska
Ulrica, Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Oscar, Mirjam Mesak
et.al.

Anja Harteros was listed as Amelia when I booked my ticket. When out of curiosity I checked again weeks later, her name had disappeared, replaced by Monastyrska. I doubt Harteros would have improved on her replacement, given that she also suffers from a vibrato-laden top.

After the sordid, puerile, full frontal assault of their new Così, this respectful, elegant and tasteful revival came as relief and delight. The art deco-inspired sets were beautiful to look at and so were the costumes. The singing of Petean, Castronovo and Mesak were best received by the audience and with good reason. Petean in particular was the closest to a Verdian voice, full, rounded and italianate. He received the warmest applause. Castronovo came in second in appreciation but by a hair. His is a full bodied tenor voice with a nice ringing top, golden really, and like Petean’s baritone, capable of beautiful shading therefore very suitable to Verdi. It helps that he cuts a very handsome figure. Both men came across as very solid actors, too, ever in the moment and in character, without showboating. Mesak’s Oscar was also a delight and she knows how to put on a good show. Easily produced coloratura from her. Lemieux’s Ulrica was shouted, squally and vibrato-laden; an ugly mess. Just horrible. Monastyrska’s Amelia began more of less in the same vibrato-laden fashion but she came around later on. Her Act 2 _Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa_ disappointed in the absence of luminosity, the tone and pitch occluded by a wide vibrato. But she almost sounded like a completely different singer in her Act 3 _Morrò, ma prima in grazia_ which she delivered with impressive tenderness and a beautiful middle voice. Last, Repušić is no Verdian, his conducting prosaic, episodic and often too loud, apparently without an idea of the work’s arc or architecture.


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## Mostart (3 mo ago)

Excepting the three singers in Ballo and its good production, the rest paints a sorry picture of the sorry state of the art form.


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## ALT (Mar 1, 2021)

Mostart said:


> Excepting the three singers in Ballo and its good production, the rest paints a sorry picture of the sorry state of the art form.


That pretty much summarizes how I felt, particularly during the Così. Apart from the voices being ho-hum, it was hard not to feel embarrassed (and sad) for the singers and audience alike, especially for families with young daughters and sons in attendance having to face the directorial indignities I mentioned.


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