Turandot by Giacomo Puccini

Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

La bohème by Giacomo Puccini

The origins of the opera is from 1892 and Puccini manifesto “I have a feeling only for small things, and do not want to concern myself with anything else” is right to the point in La bohème.

It is about small things in live, humble people with their small joys and… well big sorrows. I don’t feel like bragging if I say Mimi and Rodolfo are most popular pair of lovers in all opera repertoire. La bohème is about pure love; no intrigues, no infidelities… just a fate or in my opinion bad luck.


This particular performance of La bohème was not ordinary or everyday stuff. No! Anna Netrebko’s alluring singing and a glamorous physical appearance makes this one magical.

Netrebko’s fascinating vocal color, distinctive dark/melancholy sound, delicacy of her top notes, sensual appearance, energy, acting… simply give her epitaph of THE DIVA.


She has Orfeo's hypnotic power over audiences and bring the best from all singers. Peter Lodahl (Rodolfo) was particularly good! Same goes for Gisela Stille (Musetta) and Palle Knudsen (Marcello); and not to forget Ludvig Lindström (Colline) and Thomas Storm (Schaunard).

This has been most exciting, one-off, La bohème experience; therefore I made a decision; don't want to see this opera without Anna acting Mimi ever again :)

Nabucco by Maestro Verdi

Nabucco probably was the first Verdi's popular opera and one to secure his success... unfortunately yesterdays performance at Copenhagen Operaen was below expectations.

Verdi's dramatic music combined with a biblical, complex and even not conceivable story about megalomaniac king, hasn't been "elevated" with the singers performance.


The setting, scenography and chorus which was well synchronized and dramatic, were fantastic; Nabucco (John Lundgren) lived up to the expectations, everything else was kind of wrong and strange, especially Fenena (Matilda Paulsson).

Look forward to Lulu.

Elektra by Richard Strauss

A one-act opera in a by Richard Strauss in slavic setting in German...


The beginning... Clytemnestra together with her lover Aegisthus killed her husband Agamemnon...


Agamemnon's and Clytemnestra's daughter Elektra of course is deeply traumatized and obsessed by the memory of her father...


the only thing she thinks of is avenge!

Although news comes that her brother Orestes is dead, it turns out that the stranger who came with news is actually Orestes... who kills his mother.

All the guys are belonging to the clan of the Atrides, and the clan misfit can be traced back to the king Tantalus slaughtered his sun Pelopos and served him up as a dish for the gods in order to test their omniscience... and believe me, you don't want to hear about his punishment and the full story of the Atrides family... As a curiosity, Electra character has been part of the study in hysteria by Sigmund Freud...


The set design and costume design is modernistic and gives extra twist to the drama...

This is actually quite terrifying psychodrama, directed very authentically and sharp with very good singes performance.

By the way, Pelops was brought back to live by the gods...

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: 26 March - 1 May

The Rake's Progress, by Igor Stravinsky

He who leads a life of vice must pay dearly for his actions.

One who know story about Stravinsky, can't believe that a naive moral like this is actually been inspirational moment for this opera. The story goes Stravinsky seen paintings by William Hogarth... and voilà!

Libretto in a nutshell: Tom Rakewell, a virtuoso and young man who inherits great fortune; he promises his girlfriend that they will soon to be married, however rich man begins to use "spoils of war" and ends up in brothel... along the way he incurs large debts, steals, has been arrested.... marries an old and ugly, but reach women... he gambling away her fortune... and ends up... well... in a madhouse.

This is actually a neo-classical opera. Something completely different from what I have seen and heard before. Stravinsky him self consider it as "an end of 20th century music".


A perfect scenography at one of the high point of the opera...


Anne Trulove at Act II. Yes, her name is important and she is one of the most touching figure in operatic "literature".

One-off experience with all strangeness and absurdity of Stravinsky. From reference to Faust (Nick Shadow) to Don Juan (Tom Rakewell).

Must see, especially after a pleasant dinner at SALT.

Pelléas et Mélisande, Claude Debussy

Setting in the kingdom of Allemonde in some legendary times... and a tale of a love triangle...


prince Golaud (Johannes Mannov) brings mysterious Mélisande (Elisabeth Jansson) home to his castle to be his wife and everything goes wrong...


His brother Pelléas (Palle Knudsen) is blindly attracted by Mélisand, and she is also drown to him...

Golaud murders his brother Pelléas, Mélisand give birth to a child by Golaud and dies on a bed.


The forest, the castle, the well, the grotto, the tower... all this elements are important in the Debussy's drama on the same level as playing characters.

The Pelléas et Mélisande is written with his (Claude Debussy) own musical language. Everything which is only hinted and not seen on the stage is complemented by the power of his music and imagination.


Excellent performance especially the love duet in Act IV. There is a great melancholy in the music, symbolic, and above all, this is a romantic opera.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: 9 January - 7 February

Tannhäuser, Richard Wagner

Placed in medieval Germany, in magical place called Venusberg, residence of Venus...


The opening scene in the Venusberg is bohemian with an erotic charge but also somewhat repulsive.

This Tannhäuser is staged more contemporary, quite imaginative, dramatic, with excellent eye-catching sets; including "cupid" walking on the ceiling; a reference to the internal division and chaos.

The minstrel (a medieval European bard) Tannhäuser praises the goddess of beauty and enjoys living a bourgeois life; but... he began thinking for the simple pleasures and pains of earthly life and his beloved Elizabet...


Emi, accessing the difference between western style opera and Nogaku - a classical Japanese musical drama :-)


Tannhäuser has a brilliant cast. The title role of Tannhäuser (Stig Fogh Andersen), quite challenging for a tenor, was executed very good. Same goes for Elisabeth (Tina Kiberg) and Wolfram von Eschenbach (Tom Erik Lie). Venus (Hermine May) needs a voice with beauty and lyricism...

The Tannhäuser is performed very rare and this particular performance is a fine example a modern interpretation of Wagner opera performance.

The finale of the Tannhäuser is considered as most popular of the Wagner's early works. It has a clear trace of Italian operatic style, so if one haven't experienced Wagner before, this is probably the easiest start.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: 20 December - 1 Februar

Carmen, Bizet's (only) masterpiece...

The Opera...

After an unenthusiastic première back in 1875, Carmen eventually not only becomes a probably one and only Bizet’s masterpieces; it is also one of the greatest opera of the operatic repertoire.

Simply, it is a blockbuster; Carmen a free-living girl advocates free love, counterbalanced by Micaela the good catholic girl and Don José a desperate lover…

Carmen is sentenced to death from beginning; a leitmotiv of pathos is associated with her… but I guess that’s a classic femme fatale, although she is not the one who conquers man; they simply run after her.

Carmen (Ekaterina Semenchuk) has a pretty traditional look and all spoken dialog was delivered in perfect French (at least for me). Great mezzo and she have really captured sexual/superstitious/vulnerable Carmen.

I’m not impressed by Don José (Paul Charles Clarke), in my view he should be more potent. Escamillo (Jørn Pedersen) was very convincing and very attractive character. As for Lieutant Zuniga (Kjeld Christoffersen)... well I’m simply disappointed by the cast director.


The starting scene… impeccable; unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the smugglers resting at night in the mountains. It was a perfect scene like painting of Goya, depicts a grim scene of turn of the 19th century Spain; rotten in body and soul.

Fantastic music with a lot of Spanish dances rhythms, a perfect scenography, and richer version, with the full spoken dialogue, which is a rear experience of Carmen.

A trivia for you: ‘Habanera’ moment when her ex-lover (Don José) stabs Carmen to dead is probably the most famous and popular melody from the opera, unfortunately for the mobile phones.

Don’t miss it.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: 08. November - 12 June

Eugen Onegin, the strong and beautiful Tchaikovsky opera...

The strong and beautiful Tchaikovsky opera based on Pushkin’s epic tale Eugene Onegin. To be able to follow the opera completely, one must be fully acquainted with this tale.

A tale about a selfish guy who lives to regret his rejection of Tatiana's love.

The greatest Russia composer have included one of the most exquisite aria on the repertoire in this opera; the "Letter Scene".


The set was very interesting with almost all characters (except Gremin) ware on stage for the duration of the opera.

Sexy choreography, with good facial expressions and movements, especially by Natalia Kreslina(Tatiana) from Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow.


I've never seen an opera production quite like this one. Tatiana and Gremin, one of the best singer on stage, singing from the first balcony towards the end of Act 3.


Young people in the opera...

The individual characters of Onegin, Lenski - with out any trouble hitting the high notes, and Tatiana, was clearly separated and emphasized.

In my opinion, yet another excellent experience and in addition rather beautiful orchestration. I'm looking forward for Carmen in December...

Tristan und Isolde, an opera about unfulfilled emotional and sexual passion…

Tristan und Isolde is based on an Arthurian legend, a regular theme in Wagner’s opera – domed lovers…

Wagner has written this opera under the heavy influence of Schopenhauer’s philosophy with strong flavors of Buddhism.

His masterpieces always treat the orchestra as a crucial part of the drama, and have importance equal to the singers, projecting an underpinning philosophical, allegorical, metaphysical meaning. Sometimes, the orchestra is a character, almost as a chorus in a classical Greek drama. To do that, he has invented concept of leitmotif.

And in Tristan und Isolde, Wagner is definitely at the top of his game. He begins the opera with prelude, in the way he meant to go on the rest of the opera. It (prelude) doesn’t have any tonal center nor a beat… a complete brake with the musical tradition, so strong, I guess, even professionals can’t determine any key. Full with leitmotifs, and especially remarkable are the drink/dead/desire and the love/dead.

Now, it is fair to mention that Wagner hated the word opera… so this is a musical drama or as he put it, the gesamptkunstwerk or "total art work."

Back to this particular performance...


Jugged from the scenography, or to put it right, the luck of it, during the economic crises, we should expect somewhat leaner spending for performing arts... Above, one and only scene.

The orchestra was extraordinary and wonderful and everything was on place, with all subtitle effect of the Wagner’s music, like for example frenzied waves of fever in the Act III…


The famous horn cup scene, the drinking of the love poison… or maybe this is only a placebo and they already madly love each other… why know…

Johnny van Hal (Tristan) was at start quite at the limit of his voice, and in some particular moments, over…


But in Act II, when Tristan and Isolde engage in 30+ minutes duet, he depicts Tristan’s passion quite remarkably. And the star of the performance; Iréne Theorin (Isolde) is simply fantastic and with perfect vocal and acting precision. I will enjoy seeing her in different roles.

Randi Stene (Brangäne) doesn’t have acting ability to coupe with Wagner’s drama, but she has sung well. Sten Byriel’s King Mark is an absolute success and I’m positive he can make an opera just with his monologue. John Lundgren (Kurwenal) was very solid.


Christina patiently waiting for Act III… Wagner’s artistic megalomania requires not only complete attention, but also great crunch of our time… 5 hours in this case...


In Act III Iréne Theorin sing fantastically the famous so-called Love/Dead aria. This is moment of transfiguration and it has been exquisite.

In my opinion, all-together, was an excellent experience and I’m positive I’m not missing next performance of the Ring of the Nibelung by the Danish Royal Opera.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: Unfortunately I’ve been on the last performance for this season.

Il Turco in Italia, unquestionably cool opera

Done by very influential Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, Il Turco in Italia is not a repeat of his famous comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers. However, it is quite strange that The Turk in Italy is seldom performed, because by my opinion, this is very very enjoyable opera buffo.

The orginal was set in a small town square in 1815 Naples, Italy, overlooking Mt. Vesuvius. However, this was more contemporary edition.

We seen a Vespa motorcycle, an Alfa Romeo car, and magnificent disco club, everything on the small stage of the Det Kongelige Teater - Gamle Scene.

The story spin around a poet who search for inspiration for his next opera… Along the way he meet and get inspired by gypsies, a playful woman (Fiorilla), her much older and jealous husband (Don Geronio), a prince from Turky (Selim) looking for a potential update of his harem with a Italian wife…

The prince in action...

A true bel canto opera, and one can feel that it is very demanding vocally, especially on Henriette Bonde-Hansen (Fiorilla), and she singing, moving on the stage and acting perfectly.

In short, charming and enjoyable… like a Champagne fizz…

Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Teater, Gamle Scene
Period: 20. May. - 13. Jun 2009

Donizetti's L'elisir d'Amore

Unfortunately, guest from Den Jyske Opera in Det Kongelige Teater production of L'Elisir d’Amore that I’ve seen it on the February the 18th, hasn’t delivered their maximum…

I’ve missed intrigue, almost always delivered by Det Kongelige Teater… at the end of the day this is a bel canto comedy… but this time around, something was mixed up.

The voice of Nemorino, tenor David Danholt hasn’t been blessed with freshness, especially during Una furtiva lagrima, which always brings nostalgic filings for me…


Quite the contrary Adina (Sine Bundgaard), Belcore (Michael Lindberg) and especially Dulcamara (Jørn Pedersen), where unquestionably kicking up the performance.

Dulcamara moved perfectly and his voice was especially strong and seductive.

Anyway, it was like… well boring Champagne… in other words Champagne without fizz.

Cinderella

I've been at the ballet performance last Friday at the Opera to see the tale of Cinderella (Askepot). I guess everyone know the popular adventure about Cinderella, with all it's magical elements, oppression, injustice and rewarding happy end.

This has been a premiere of the new ballet by Tim Rush, and everything was... just perfect. From Tim Rushton's choreography, to Sergej Prokofjev's music, scenery, costumes, light, and finally, the ballet would not be complete without Den Kongelige Ballet, Dansk Danseteater and especially Cinderella (Christina Michanek) herself.


The full cast was first-rate, and Cinderella is full of charm and... well an intelligent flirt.



In addition, we visited Ebisu at Custom House for dinner before performance (see other post), so the evening ended exactly as it began - just perfect.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: Unfortunately it is no longer on the repertoire for this year.

La traviata

I've been at the opera performance yesterday... Its a re-premiere of Verdi's La traviata and this season, the Danish Opera presented La traviata in a staging full of charm, compare to what I've seen last season at the same place.



Well... first of all I need to say that La traviata has everything - a love story filed with scandals! And it is quite straightforward for a my first written opera "review" :-)



I’ll make it short.

Anne Margrethe Dahl was brilliant as Violetta. Delivering arias with clarity and moving across the stage smoothly and perfectly. Niels Jørgen Riis as Alfredo has some technical problems and harsh tones (I guess this is part of his vocal vocabulary). Anders Larsson as Giorgio Germont was bit unusual and not very appalling in the 2nd act, but excellent in the 3rd act.


Christina, laughing... but not for long :p This is a couple of minutes before Violeta start singing Addio Del Passato in the 3rd act. An aria of exquisite sadness… almost surreal...



The opera is with great costumes, magnificent ballroom scenes, and beautiful people from Paris. Not to mention, it has the most important ingredient; a tragically broken-heart lover, and a classic female heroine – a sinner hooker with a heart of gold.



In short, something-for-everybody… highly recommended.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: 03. Oct. - 15. Jan. 2009