Copenhagen: Andreas Scholl with Partenope rehearsal footage

Händel´s Partenope in Francisco Negrin´s staging with Andreas Scholl, Tuva Semmingsen and Lars Ulrik Mortensen conducting the Concerto Copenhagen opened yesterday at the Royal Danish Opera.

The performances are taped for DVD release.

Below rehearsal footage with Andreas Scholl interviewing both conductor and director:

DVD: Nadja Michael´s Salome (and David McVicar´s)

Salome. Royal Opera, London 2008. Production: David McVicar. Cast: Nadja Michael (Salome), Michael Volle (Jochanaan), Michaela Schuster (Herodias), Thomas Moser (Herodes). Conductor: Philippe Jordan. Further information here.

David McVicar´s Salome production for the Royal Opera Covent Garden was inspired by the 1975 Pasolini movie "Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom" (based on the Marquis de Sade novel), and is an eerie mix of external political contexts and internal sexual perversities, including child abuse.

We are presented with a sort of upstairs-downstairs setting of a European wealthy palace of approximately 1938, the stage horizontally split in two. The party initially taking place “upstairs” with the rich and their guests, while Jochanaan is imprisoned in a cellar below the “downstairs” bathroom/basement level of the servants. A decadent society on the verge of a break-down.

The entire atmosphere of the staging is eerie and David McVicar succeeds in creating an atmosphere of looming premonition, so essential for a successful Salome. His use of symbolism is visible but not obtrusive - an example: Herod killed Salome´s father, who was imprisoned in the same cistern as Jochanaan, which initially spurs Salome´s curiousity (as opposed to sexual attraction) towards Jochanaan.

In the very well-executed dance of the seven veils, we are led into seven consecutive rooms (of Salome´s mind) in a series of strong images evoking Salome´s prior sexual abuse by Herodes. Nudity is represented by the naked executioner, sprayed with blood (in real-life this man works just outside as a "living statue" at the Covent Garden market). The final scene is played out conventionally, between Salome and Jochanaan´s head, but nevertheless leaves a strong impression.

There may never have been a better-looking Salome on stage than Nadja Michael. Her past as an East-German swimmer does pay off, and apart from looking absolutely stunning she moves superbly on stage and has great dramatic expression.
Unfortunately, Nadja Michael is vocally severely overchallenged. Her high notes often comes out as shrieks and she is almost half a note flat on several key points. While she does manage to hit quite a few of the high notes cleanly, she pays the price with an obtrusive vibrato on the floating notes just below the top (and there are a lot of those floating notes). As a vocal performance I find it very difficult to listen to.
However, it is not as if there are a lot of vastly superior Salome´s to chose from, Karita Mattila apart. With Nadja Michael´s physical advantages it is an obvious part for her to take on, but her voice still seems more like the pushed-up mezzo (that she was) than the dramatic soprano, she seems intent on becoming. Obviously, her voice may project better in the house and indeed she is judged an A-rate Salome with performances both at La Scala (to be released on DVD as well), Covent Garden and San Francisco opera these seasons.

Michael Volle is both physically and vocally a close-to-ideal Jochanaan, perhaps the finest overall performance. Though Thomas Moser is extremely well suited to play this extraordinarily despicable Herodes - you believe this man to be everything David McVicar insinuates he is. Michaela Schuster is, for once, a Herodias in her vocal prime, however she didn´t seem at ease with the part.

Imaginative reading from Phillippe Jordan in the pit, though ideally I´d like a bit more punch to it.

This DVD consist of two discs, Salome on the first and a fascinating documentary on the creation of Salome on the second.

David McVicar´s Salome - various clips from the production:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Nadja Michael: 3-4
Michael Volle: 4
Michaela Schuster: 3
Thomas Moser: 4

David McVicar´s production: 5

Philippe Jordan: 4

Overall impression: 4

DVD: Tannhäuser in Zurich - a nightmare

Tannhäuser. Zurich Opera House 2003. Director: Jens-Daniel Herzog. Cast: Peter Seiffert (Tannhäuser), Roman Trekel (Wolfram), Solveig Kringelborn (Elisabeth), Isabelle Kabatu (Venus), Walther (Jonas Kaufmann), Alfred Muff (Hermann). Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst. Further information here.

In brief, I find this production virtually unbearable to watch, reflected in the extraordinarily low overall rating below.

First of all, the camera work is quite easily the worst I have yet encountered in opera, jumping back- and forwards between backstage shots of the characters in their dressing rooms (even in the middle of the opera), overhead shots of the pit, close-ups of the sweating Peter Seiffert (whom we also see putting on his final costume during the ouverture before he heads downstairs) and Franz Welser-Mösts wedding ring, shots from the stage aiming at performers waiting backstage etc etc. Furthermore, fans of Jonas Kaufmann, beware: During his only aria we do not see him at all, as the camera only focuses on the faces of Tannhäuser and Elisabeth. Extremely annoying..

This moving back and forth between pre-production and performance shots, takes away a significant part of the potential pleasure of the staging, which I cannot even describe properly due to the odd camera angles. The sets are simple, the stage is bare, but aesthetic it is not. I simply cannot imagine that, visually, this DVD will appeal to anyone.

Musically things are rather better, though not exceptional. Solveig Kringelborn does make a rather fine Elisabeth (though I personally find her irritating), not entirely matched by Isabelle Kabatu as Venus. Fine performance from Roman Trekel (slightly neurotic) and Peter Seiffert (equally boring). Franz Welser-Möst is more than competent though not overly imaginative.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Peter Seiffert: 3
Solveig Kringelborn: 3
Roman Trekel: 3
Isabelle Kabatu: 2

Franz Welser-Möst: 4

Jens-Daniel Herzog: 2

Overall impression: 1

DVD: Robert LePage with The Rake´s Progress

The Rake´s Progress. Bruxelles Monnaie 2007. Production: Robert LePage. Cast: Andrew Kennedy (Tom Rakewell), Laura Claycomb (Anne Trulove), William Shimell (Nick Shadow), Dagmar Peckova (Baba The Turk). Conductor: Kazushi Eno. Further information here.

Robert LePage´s production ot The Rake´s Progress is both extraordinarily imaginative and well-thought out, set around the time and place it was written – Hollywood 1948, using the American cinematic language of that time. Stravinsky´s neoclassical take on the Faust legend sprinkled with biblical mythology is told rather straight-forward, the symbolism made clear from the opening scene presenting Adam (Tom Rakewell ) and Eve (Anne Trulove) making out on a carpet, God (Anne´s father) giving Adam advice and the Devil (Nick Shadow) popping up from underneath.

The Hollywood setting resonates surprisingly well with Stravinsky´s musical texture as well as with the drama: Simple on the surface but with danger lurking just underneath. Scenes such as Anne Trulove driving up in front of the movie theatre as Tom and his new wife Baba The Turk arrive for the opening night celebration of the movie “Tom Rakewell and Baba The Turk – A Nick Shadow motion picture” is simply extraordinarily well thought-out. Tom Rakewell, the actor, rococco-outfit sniffing cocaine in front of his inflated silver mobile home on a movie location. Tom and his bearded wife Baba The Turk on the terasse besides the big pool. I simply cannot imagine a better production of Rake´s Progress.

That Tom Rakewell is a rather weak character, whose demise is more of his own making than of Nick Shadows is quite obvious and Andrew Kennedy embodies him almost to perfection, vocally as well. It´s equally obvious that Anne Trulove is truly as good as her name implies, and the fine Laura Claycomb succeeds in conveying all this goodness without becoming irritating. William Shimell is Nick Shadow, underplayed as he should be. Kazushi Eno brings out the lurking eeriness of the score.

This is a coproduction including Opéra National de Lyon, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Teatro Real in Madrid, where this staging has been/will be seen in recent past/future seasons.

Robert LePage is the man behind the new Ring at the Metropolitan Opera. He might just be the right man for the job.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Andrew Kennedy: 5
Laura Claycomb: 5
William Shimell: 5
Rober LePage´s production: 5

Kazushi Eno: 5

Overall impression: 5

Paris Bastille Opera

The Bastille Opera is located in Paris and is the main stage of the Opéra national de Paris, the other stage being the smaller baroque theater Palais Garnier.

The Bastille Opera was inaugurated in 1989, designed by Carlos Ott and is one of the biggest stages of Europe with 2723 seats. Opinions on the design as well as the acoustics are varied.

Intendant of the Opéra national de Paris is Nicolas Joel (2009-).Philippe Jordan is music director (2009-).

New productions are generally modern and inventive, but virtually always stylish.
Robert Carsen´s aesthetics seem to have been accepted by Parisians and he has created numerous successful productions for the Bastille Opera such as Lohengrin, Rusalka, Tannhäuser and Contes d´Hoffmann.
Other stylish directors at the Bastille Opera include Gilbert Deflo (L´amour de trois oranges, Ballo di maschera, Manon), André Engel (Cardillac) and the extremely stylistic Robert Wilson (Die Frau Ohne Schatten). Also anti-aesthetics as Marthaler (Wozzeck) have appeared here and recently Krysztof Warlikowski (Makropoulos Case, Parsifal). The company scored a major artistic success with Peter Sellars production of Tristan and Isolde (with sets by Bill Viola) in 2008.

Practical information:

Paris Bastille Opera website, including season schedule, on-line ticket sale etc.

Tickets are not exactly cheap, but relatively easy to come by and may be ordered via the company website. Standing room spaces are relatively good value located at the rear of the auditorium, available 90 minutes before performance start. The outline of the auditorium (see below) results in unrestricted visibility from all seats (as the auditorium is one of the largest in Europe, binoculars may come in handy for those on the third balcony).

The Paris Bastille Opera is ocated at the Place de Bastille, in the middle of Paris.

Above photographs from the Opera Bastille, taken during a performance of Parsifal, March 2008

DVD: Henze´s L´Upupa

L'Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe. Salzburg Festival 2003. Production: Dieter Dorn. Cast: John Mark Ainsley (The Demon), Matthias Görne (Kasim), Laura Aikin (Badi´at el-Hosn wal Dschamal), Hanna Schwarz (Malik), Alfred Muff (Kasim´s father). Conductor: Markus Stenz with the Vienna Philharmonics. Further information here.

Hans Werner Henze was primarily inspired by the upupas (hoopoes) flying above his olive grove and furthermore felt very close to Mozart during the composition of what he “knew would be his last work for stage” according to the booklet. Not so, as documented by his Phaedra of last season. L'Upupa and the Triumph of Filial Love was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival 2003.

Hans Werner Henze was also responsible for the libretto for this “German comedy in 11 tableaus” – a mix of 1001 Nights and The Magic Flute based on half-imaginary Arab and Persian legends.

We are introduced to the good Prince Kasim (the oriental Tamino) burdened by two useless brothers. Kasim travels the world to bring his father a golden bird – the hoopoe (upupa in Italian). During his adventures, he falls in love with a princess, Badi´at .. etc. etc. (the oriental Pamina), held captive by Dijab (the oriental Sarastro), to whom the Princess even says “Herr, ich bin zwar Verbrecherin”, when she is caught trying to escape. However, the oriental Sarastro is an even better man than Schikaneder´s and sets the pair of lovers free immediately.
In all this, Kasim has secured the help of a curious Demon (closer to an oriental Papageno than a Méphistopheles). The black-tattoed Demon comes in handy when Prince Kasim´s useless brothers finally throw him and the Princess into a well. Finally justice prevails and the brothers are expelled from their fathers realm after a situation involving a magic chest with malicious gnomes. Prince Kasim is now theoretically able to marry his princess, however to fulfil a promise to the Demon he has to set out again, leaving the Princess behind with his father as well as leaving the end of the story open.

For those looking for deeper meanings, the best bet evolves around Henze´s exploring of the various kinds of love: Between family, friends, spouses and also for the arts (represented by the symbolic bird, which refuses to be held captive).

The Demon is by a considerable margin the most interesting character in the opera and is given a striking portrayal by John Mark Ainsley. Matthias Goerne sings beautifully as the saintly Kasim, an extraordinarily boring character by Henze´s hand. Matched by the slightly less boring Princess Badieat el-Hosn in Laura Aikin´s fine interpretation. The excellent Hanna Schwarz is seen in a small trousers role and Alfred Muff is equally convincing as Prince Kasim´s father.

The staging is by Dieter Dorn, using a virtually naked stage, evoking the Arab wold with very few symbols and bright colours.

Hans Werner Henze´s soundworld is unmistakably his own and despite the massive orchestral apparatus (quadruple wind, seveal pianos, five percussionists) as well as taped sounds of beating wings etc., there is an almost chamber-like clarity to his music and a very slim soundworld is created, perhaps intentionally, mimicking the Singspiel genre. Which is probably the main reason I will never love this work, though I admire it. The music is clearly not simple, though it may seem so on the surface.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

John Mark Ainsley: 5
Matthias Goerne: 4
Laura Aikin: 4

Dieter Dorn´s staging: 4

Markus Stenz: 4

Overall impression: 4

DVD: The Sawallisch 1975 Flying Dutchman film

The Flying Dutchman. Film from 1975. Director: Vaclav Kaslik. Cast: Donald McIntryre (Dutchman), Catarina Ligendza (Senta), Bengt Rundgren (Daland), Erik (Hermann Winkler). Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch with the Bayerische Staatsorchester. Further information here.

For those going regularly to the movies since the 1970´s, this Flying Dutchman may not be an easy watch. Neither is it unwatchable and at any rate much better than Herbert von Karajan´s filmed Rheingold from around the same time.

The 19th Century period sets and costumes are part of a setting as realistic as an indoor seastorm is capable of being... The mighty ocean waves and tempest-swept ships were filmed in two massive water tanks and admittedly, the indoor shooting takes some of the point out of making a Flying Dutchman movie in the first place.

That apart, the sets are rather evocative and much of the essence of the work is captured, though Václav Kaslík must have come close to blowing the budget on dry ice for his excessive expressionistic use of smoke.

The lip synchronization is rather bad and I cannot help thinking that if singers do not actually sing in a movie, why not replace those who cannot act (read: Act well) with real actors? Especially Catarina Ligendza´s blank-faced Senta comes to mind, furthermore she seems to have considerable trouble with the high tessitura as well. In that respect she is matched by Hermann Winkler´s Erik, but considerably overmatched by both Donald McIntyre´s first-rate, firm (though slightly dry) Dutchman as well as Bengt Rundgren´s Daland.

The conducting of Wolfgang Sawallisch is quite simply spectacular and the highlight of the performance. Swift and on the move from start to finish in a grandiose performance from the Bavarian State Orchestra. Sawallisch conducts Wagner´s earlier version of the score as performed in the Dresden premiere with the so-called “blunt” ending of the ouverture and without the Tristan-inspired redemption music.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Donald McIntyre: 4
Catarina Ligendza: 3
Bengt Rundgren: 4
Hermann Winkler: 3

Kaslik´s direction: 3-4

Wolfgang Sawallisch: 5

Overall impression: 3

Mesmerizing Maurizio Pollini recital in Tivoli, Copenhagen

Maurizio Pollini, piano. Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen. September 14th 2008.

I may as well make my position clear from the start: Maurizio Pollini is quite simply the greatest pianist alive.

Last year I was lucky enough to get a free ticket to his all-Chopin recital in Salzburg. This year I missed his Salzburg recital by one day, chosing to attend the Bayreuth Parsifal instead. Which, of course, was a mistake. In the Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens Pollini played Beethoven and Liszt (programme below). Maurizio Pollini has a reputation for turning out performances of widely varying quality, though when everything clicks, as it did here, it is a truly revelatory experience.

It has repeatedly been brought forward, also in the Tivoli programme notes, that Maurizio Pollini shares his concert fees 50-50 with his piano tuner. Really? 50-50? That must be one billionaire piano tuner..

From the start it was clear thatPollini was top-motivated. And the handful of wrong right-hand notes in The Tempest strangely enough only underscored how superb he was. The Appassionata was staggering. I have never heard such powerful Beethoven, on CD or live. That is, powerful without ever loosing grip of the underlying structure of the music, emphasizing the contrapunctual structures. It is simply grandiose. I was rather suprised, though, at how much he uses the pedal, especially in The tempest to make almost atonal harmonies.

There is nothing cold about Pollini´s interpretations. Luckily, there is nothing sentimental about him either. He simply swipes away all the dust from whatever pieces he is playing so only the core remains. I´ve always discarded Chopin as a sentimental composer. Until I one day stumbled upon Maurizio Pollini´s recording of some of the Ballades. In Copenhagen, he only played Chopin in the encores, with a shattering performance of The Revolutionary Study, an encore he also played last year in Salzburg.

Maurizio Pollini simply has a piano technique to die for. In a way it´s rather encouraging that this 65-year old is still able to play all the 20-something piano miracles under the table. Not only because he is a superior interpreter. But his core qualifications - i.e. the technique - is better as well. I´ve never heard so perfectly smooth runs as the ones he made in the Appassionata. Though technical virtuosity has never been a goal for him, just a necessary means to convey the deeper meaning of the music. It´s one of his most distinctive qualities, that he just seems to know how a piano works. If Pollini would ever performe the complete Beethoven sonatas in 1-2 weeks it would be worth travelling across the world to hear (unfortunately he won´t do that ).

I would think someone who plays the piano like this would be a superb conductor. Perhaps he is ultimately not extrovert enough to conduct. But then, Carlos Kleiber, not exactly famous for his informative interviews, seemed to do just fine...

Rather unusual for Danish audiences, he was greeted with immediate standing ovations after the Liszt sonata.

Absolutely mesmerizing. One of the handful of best performances I have ever attended. I even forgot to take photographs...

Programme:

Beethoven: Sonata opus 31 no 2, "The tempest"
Beethoven: Sonate opus 57, f-minor, “Appassionata”
Liszt: Nuages gris
Liszt: Unstern
Liszt: La lugubre gondola – 1st version
Liszt: R.W. – Venezia
Liszt: Sonate, b-minor

Extras:
Chopin: Prelude (forgot which)
Chopin: Revolutionary Study
Liszt: Trandenscental study no. 10

Overall impression (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

6

Berlin Eugen Onegin with Barenboim, Villazon, Pape: A pantomime with puppets

A clown among the clowns: Rolando Villazón with the chorus

Eugen Onegin. Premiere. Berlin State Opera, September 27th 2008. Director and sets: Achim Freyer. Cast: Roman Trekel (Eugene Onegin), Anna Samuil (Tatiana), Rolando Villazón (Lenski), Maria Gortsevskaya (Olga), René Pape (Gremin). Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Further information here.

“Freyer is boring” a man shouted from the first balcony towards the end of Act 1. Another loudly agreed with him, while several asked them to calm down. Daniel Barenboim looked entirely unfazed in the pit, waiting the 20 necessary seconds for them to quiet down and then continued the performance. Obviously such behaviour is unacceptable and disrespectful etc., but most of all it is hilarious. “It´s always like this at Berlin premieres, it´s sort of included in the ticket price” a lady told her rather shocked cousin from Essen in the bar. Exactly.

I have never seen an opera production quite like this one. Achim Freyer´s sets are exclusively black and white, with a completely naked stage except for some chairs as seen in the photographs below. Extensive production photographs may be seen here. All characters (except Gremin) are on stage for the duration of the opera and all are masked/dressed assembling clowns or pantomime figure including grotesque amounts of black/white face paint.

The choreography is very strict until the tiniest arm movement. Each character is allotted a stripe in the floor along which he/she perpetually moves slowly backwards and forwards. Just like a puppet show. All characters look straight forward with no facial expressions whatsoever and at no point did they look at each other.

The individual characters of Onegin, Lenski and Tatiana clearly do not matter here. They do not (inter)act like individuals, but puppets controlled by fate. Even after his death, Lenski continues pacing his allotted line - good news for Rolando Villazón fans, as he is on stage for three hours in a production centered around him. Robert Wilson´s abstract choreographies immediately comes to mind.

This dark, very restrictive puppet game of fate resonates rather well with both the Pusjkin-based storyline and Tchaikovski´s sumptuous music. The result: A rather beautiful and eery production leaving ample of space for Daniel Barenboim´s orchestra to shine.

However, one such production per theatre per season is enough, no matter how well-thought out and innovative the concept.

One would expect the singers to hate to participate in this production, however for some of the characters this strict choreography seems a strength, a fact Rolando Villazón has acknowledged in an interview prior to the premiere. He is one of the major benefactors, being forced to leave the often neurotic quality of his acting behind and express himself with his voice alone. In that respect he is extraordinary, and the clown setting obviously suits him well. He does have trouble hitting the high notes, if by hitting one understands "hitting on pitch", however his voice is so beautifully dark, that you´d almost believe him not to be a tenor (a compliment, obviously!).

Same applied to Gremin´s low notes, however that and the fact that he was made to look absolutetely ridiculous did not prevent house bass René Pape from being the best singer on stage by a considerable margin.

There is a slightly grained and wooden quality to Roman Trekel´s voice, and he was also audibly tired towards the end (who wouldn´t be with all that static arm-waving), but made a fine Onegin. Anna Samuil, also on the Salzburg Onegin DVD, repeated her beautifully sung Tatiana, though some may find her a bit monodimensional in both dramatic and vocal expression.

That Daniel Barenboim draws out the best of the Staatskapelle in a predictably rich-textured and dense reading is also no surprise for those familiar with him and/or his 2007 Salzburg Onegin. Curiously, he chose, as he did in Salzburg, to set an extraordinary slow tempo for the final scene, which almost took out all the intensity not present in Freyer´s production..

I don´t remember when a new production has not been booed at the Berlin State Opera – part of the game, I suppose. That the booing of Achim Freyer was somewhat louder than usual seems a minor point. After Achim Freyer´s initial solo bow, Daniel Barenboim (himself massively applauded) joined Freyer for his next solo bows, a rather nice way to show his support for the production, not that Freyer seemed to mind the boing, rather the contrary. After all, he has been a professional provocateur for at least 20 years. At the same time Rolando Villazón was jumping up and down, cheering wildly for Freyer in the background.

"A pantomime puppet game within loops of fate and black/white face paint" - how is that for a summary title?

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Roman Trekel: 4
Rolando Villazon: 4-5
Anna Samuil: 4
René Pape: 5
Maria Gortsevkaya: 4-5

Achim Freyer´s production: 4-5

Daniel Barenboim: 5

Overall impression: 5

DVD: Die Tote Stadt

Die tote stadt. Opera de Rhin, Strasbourg 1999. Director: Inga Levant. Cast: Angela Denoke (Marie/Marietta), Torsten Kerl (Paul), Birgitta Svendén. Conductor: Jan Latham-König. Further information here.

Composed when he was 23, Erich Wolfgang Korngold´s opera Die Tote Stadt from 1920 quickly went on to become one of the most popular operas of the 1920´s, the atmosphere of new beginnings probably resonating well with post-world war one audiences. Since then, performances have been rather infrequent and the opera never really seems to have made it into the main circuit. However, recently a minor Die Tote Stadt revival seems to be ongoing, with performances in both San Francisco, London, Vienna, Salzburg and Barcelona.

Any discussion on Die Tote Stadt seems to end up in a pro vs. con discussion of Korngold´s abilities as a composer. As I don´t have any particular new insights compared to the vast insights (most of which are not particularly original either) already available on the internet, I will refrain from discussing this subject. The work is what it is - a densely textured late-romantic composition with multiple influences from Korngold´s contemporaries, Richard Strauss in particular.

Basically, Die Tote Stadt is an innner psychological drama about one man´s overwhelming obsession with his dead wife: The man, Paul, meets a young woman, the dancer Marietta, with an uncanny resemblance to his dead wife, Marie. A hallucinatory relationship with a disastrous outcome when Paul appears to kill Marietta. Paul, however, comes to realize that he has been living in the illusory past and resolves to leave Bruges, Die Tote Stadt (the dead city), to start a new life.

As of yet, this is the only DVD version available, but one hopes for the release of the Willy Decker production, which is on the repertoire in both Vienna, San Francisco, Barcelona and London these seasons.

The production is modern, Inga Levant apparently being one of those stage directors who prefer stuffing the stage with all kinds of symbols, dolls, skeletons as well as common rubbish as opposed to the stylish minimalism of a Willy Decker. Marietta appears to become pregnant and in the end, Paul slits his wrists and collapses, apparently unable to put the past behind him after all.

The leads are two singers, closely associated with their parts - Angela Denoke and Torsten Kerl. Angela Denoke´s lyrical soprano and comitted acting makes her entirely believable as the dancer Marietta while Torsten Kerl is a good fit for the rather strange and obsessive Paul, a part requiring the stamina of a Wagner helden-tenor. Beautifully conducted by Latham-König.

Personally I would still wait to see if one of the Willy Decker performances are to be released. If not, this is a fully acceptable choice.

Angela Denoke with Marietta´s lied:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Torsten Kerl: 4
Angela Denoke: 4
Levant´s production: 3

Jan Latham-König: 4

Overall impression: 4