Rolando Villazón como Nemorino - foto: Monika Rittershaus - web Staatsoper |
Kris (vielen dank!) me ha hecho llegar una crónica sobre el ensayo general de L'elisir d'amore, al que asistió con sus alumnos el pasado día 28. Parece que los chicos quedaron encantados, y es que realmente, es una magnífica ópera y producción para verla a los 15 años. Hoy, día 2, Rolando canta la primera de las funciones, y las siguientes los días 8 y 15. In bocca al lupo!
Preview
L'elisir d'amore
Staatsoper im Schillertheater Berlin
The Staatsoper im Schillertheater offers a special programme for young people. One part of this programme is that the students can attend a rehearsal. Last year I was able to enrol my group of 15-year-old students for the stage and orchestra rehearsal for L'elisir d'amore. So yesterday we had the chance to watch the whole opera performance in a nearly empty auditorium.
The scene is set in an Italian village in the Alpes. Adina is obviously the landlady of a restaurant (wearing an apron in the first scene). Gianetta is a kind of a coach at a camping side doing exercises with some tourists and also the director for a masquerade the village people want to perform the next day. So a lot of singers, dancers and circus acrobats - some of them wearing masks - are on stage. And among them you can detect Nemorino wandering around and looking for Adina who again and again manages to get away from him.
And as the rehearsal for the masquerade goes on Nemorino also has to join different groups of actors, but he cannot concentrate on his part because the always tries to be near Adina. Later they meet for their first duet on a catwalk in front of the orchestra. Nemorino is desperately trying to show his love and affection for Adina, and she is sending him away cold-heartedly.
Rolando was singing and dancing as if this were a real performance. Instead of juggling with oranges he dances on a big rostrum that is pushed in and stands for the village with its houses and surroundings when he feels the stimulating effect of the "elisir". Some steps and movements remind me of Chaplin, especially when Rolando later imitates Belcore who shows him how a good soldier or tough man should behave.
The highlight was "Una furtiva lagrima", sung by Rolando with all the intensity and emotion we know from him. The conductor interrupted the rehearsal and praised his singing, and Rolando generously applauded the orchestra.
The production as a whole is very entertaining as the village people (the chorus) do a lot of dancing and acting, too. So my students were happy that this opera was not as boring as they had thought it would be. I hope that some of them might now be interested in the fascinating world of opera, and particularly in Rolando's fantastic voice and acting.
Kris from Berlin
Podéis ver más fotos de esta puesta en escena en el post de 26/04/2011
What a great introduction to opera for these lucky students! This production sounds like a great opportunity for Rolando to show another side of his talent for physical comedy. Toi, toi, Rolando!!
RépondreSupprimerALL THE BEST FOR TONIGHT, DEAR ROLANDO !!!
RépondreSupprimerI am sooooo sad not to be in Berlin today
for your first ELISIR !!
A hard influenza still binds me in bed.
I'll press my fingers crossed
and I'm in my thoughts with you,
your family and all your friends this evening !!!
VIVA ROLANDORINO !!!