Londen I Capuleti e i Montecchi

'T is al laat, maar ik kan 't toch niet laten. Who would've thought I'd become a compulsive Blogger???!!!
ANNA NETREBKO & ELINA GARANCA IN COVENT GARDEN
Donderdag- & zaterdagavond genieten
Nou ja bijna dan, want Diva Netrebko liet 't de 2e keer af weten. Geneuzel over herstel van haar zwangerschap...
Haar understudy is aankomend talent uit Japan Eri Nakamura en ze was erg goed (kandidaat voor BBC Cardiff Singer of the world 2009). Het publiek was duidelijk op haar hand.
Ook het orkest werd strak geleid door Marc Elder.
Tussen de strijdende families werd een flink robbertje gevochten (laat dat maar aan die Britten over) en Garanca was duidelijk in vorm als Romeo.






Ik denk dat Netrebko baalde dat Romeo het meeste applaus kreeg, maar het was volkomen terecht. Op rij 3 werden we letterlijk & figuurlijk helemaal weggeblazen door die "jongeman" in het zwart.

Review:
"Elina Garanca and Anna Netrebko sing Romeo and Juliet in Bellini's version of the story, and they prove to be as wonderful live as they are on their just-released Deutsche Grammophon recording of the work.

Perhaps they wouldn't score straight tens with those who insist on the purest bel canto style: neither of them being native Italian (Garanca is Latvian, Netrebko Russian), their articulation and colouring of the text is imprecise. Netrebko lacks a firm trill, and Garanca's lowest register is relatively weak. But what fabulously healthy voices they both have, and how thrillingly they wield them, through melancholy aria, dramatic declamation and warmly blended duet.

Garanca's Romeo, looking good in principal-boy wig and tights, is a creature of swaggering bravado, vibrant in tone and confident in style. The audience rightly went wild for her. Netrebko presents a Juliet of naivete and ardour, her fearless spirit reflected in red-blooded singing irradiated by some ethereally floated top notes. You don't look to Netrebko for subtleties of interpretation –­ she's not a sensitive musician – but there's a passion and commitment in her artistry which charges her with electric star quality.

The performance was fortunate in having Mark Elder as its conductor. Having got off to a cracking start with a fiery account of the overture, he never let the pace sag thereafter, moulding the long expressive melodic lines with a firm hand. The orchestra played exceptionally beautifully for him, and even the rum-ti-tum episodes had dignity and purpose.

Pier Luigi Pizzi's handsome if somewhat inert and flavourless production still looks elegant after 25 years, though the lighting was unhelpful and a wandering Corinthian pillar made everyone giggle. Dario Schmunck tries very hard as Tebaldo and Eric Owens is an imposing Capellio, but Giovanni Battista Parodi makes a weak and husky Lorenzo –­ not for the first time, one has to ask the Royal Opera's casting department whether there weren't British singers better able to take this minor role.

The only substantial drawback to the evening, however, was the dreadful coughing in the auditorium ­ evidence of a genuine epidemic, I think, rather than boredom, but very distracting none the less. "
Rupert Christiansen - Telegraph



Parsifal:
Sooooo... I went to London to catch an ex-Soviet, huge voiced, bloody-good-looking, great actress, big favourite of mine. I was really stressed out in case she cancellled. I mean, I was getting so angry in advance thinking about potential microbes buggering up my long-awaited trip, that I was determined to kick her shapely ass if she did cancel.

But not to worry, there she was, and in glorious voice too. She delivered the goods, plus interest. She was a godess. A force of nature. She ruled.

I mean Elina Garanca, of course.

Ever since the revelation that was her ROH Dorabella in the summer of 2007, during the inverval of which I pulled out my mobile and asked my sis "Who the hell is Elina Garanca, and why didn't I know her before, the silly bugger?"
Interested ? Read some more on Parsifal's blog




Zoals altijd lukt 't me niet om goede foto's van Garanca & Netrebko te maken.De productiefoto's zijn via een andere blogger van de huisfotograaf. Maar eind deze maand ga ik in de herkansing.
(M'n geluidsopnamen zijn wel erg goed, ondanks de kuchers)