Hoffmann and his three maîtresses - Les Contes d’Hoffmann 19 July 2012

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- - Muchas gracias a Edith y Gilbert por esta crónica e imágenes del día 19 - -

"Hoffmann and his three maîtresses" - Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 19 July 2012

With great anticipation I visited to my very coveted second 'Hoffmann' in Munich. A little bit of wistfulness was in me because Diana Damrau was not there because she and Rolando - both ideally complemented ideal and perfectly, just like Rolando and Angela Brower - a tight-knit, very comradely partnership on stage.

Rolando began with a vigorous and spirited "Klein Zack - Aria". His huge stage presence as an actor - I was surprised once more - always again and again. How he is able, this increasingly drunken Hoffmann so to represented - it's unbelievable. So a great artist exists only once! Although I often experienced Rolando with his "acting performance" in various operas, so I came not again from the astonishment out.

As a young Hoffmann in Olympia-act, his almost childlike, innocent being and when he is dancing, he conjured up a lucky smile on the lips of the audience. His Olympia - Brenda Rae - she found my positive consent. She offered very good coloratura and her performance was very impressive. She was not comparable indeed, however a quite good substitute for Diana Damrau. She also presented herself very well in her acting presence together with Rolando.

With Antonia - Olga Mykytenko - it was a very good idea from the Bavarian State Opera to engage this young singer. For my personal feeling she liked best of Hoffmann’s beloved. A beautiful flowing and powerful voice even in the soft and delicate passages was very convincing. In the acting performance also very present, but vocally not quite this "sick Antonia" to her voice was too powerful. But that was only a very small flaw - eventually to be comparable with Diana Damrau, requires maybe only a few years of stage experience. Rolando produced in me goosebumps, when his voice was in dismay, dread and horror about the weird and uncanny behavior of Dr. Miracle (Trio: «L’effroi me pénètre » … «D’epouvante et d’horreur… »), he brought me tears to my eyes with his desperate cry «Antooniiaaaaa…! » .

Hoffmann's drinking song in the Giulietta act («Et moi, ce n'est pas là pardieu! » ... «Amis et l'amour tendre rêveur, ...») Rolando succeedéd unfortunately not so good - (compared to the "arte TV transmission") - once or twice just broke him shortly the voice, but it would not Rolando's great ability, to sing and play again fabulous further on and eventually in order to develop full his voice again . (It is no wonder to sing within a short time, three different opera - "L'Elisir", "Cosi fan tutte“ and now "Les Contes ..." - even the best opera singers and the most powerful voices - can sometimes happen, a short and small problem with the voice.

Hoffmann's maîtresses Giulietta - Anna Vorovlansky - me personally, she impressed not so much. Her voice was okay, she had a safe, well-sounding soprano, however as an actress - anyway she general convinced not. To play the seductress - she has totally failed, she let Rolando often stand alone, and to flirt with him - she was almost uninterested. While Hoffmann's "Romance"-aria, Rolando even had must take her hand, drew her to him, in order to embrace her. As a courtesan, she should Hoffmann ensnare, and to seduce him with her sex appeal!

(Poor, dear Rolando, she let you with your gorgeous, passionate stage presence "almost stand in the rain!") - (Between Rolando Villazón and Diana Damrau sprayed the erotic sparks, this were then flames of passion - as Ingrid A. so aptly had described with "only for adult !"). But in this current performance of the 19th of July, with the "Romance-aria" from Hoffmann: «Oh Dieu! De quelle ivresse…» - one of my favourite arias - only Rolando puts the stage in fire! - Anna Virovlansky lacked the sense of passion and enthusiasm for acting! The result - the flirtation was very one-sided. Too bad!

John Relyea was with each of the four villains perfect and deceitful. Ulrich Reß (as Spalanzani) and the versatile Kevin Conners was a proven team. And then there was the muse / Niklausse - Angela Brower: As early as November 2011 now she found again my full consent - an attractive young singer, very charming, with a bell-pure voice, pristine and clear. In her acting performance together with Rolando - it was a stunning play. And she fits fabulously to Rolando, with his sense and his humor, like "two old friends."

His now completely drunken Hoffmann and his collapse in the 5th Akt has been shown perfectly by Rolando vocally and scenically - so impressive and so real, you must have simply sympathy with the so convincingly played "poor human wreck"! And this was even at the very end, where Hoffmann surrounded by the characters of his stories and adventures, Rolando swayed with "drunken perfection" to his desk, where he began to write again, sobbing...

''Rolando Villazón - He is Hoffmann!'' - "An artist and human being in all disciplines" - "powerful, triumphal, passionate, emotional, wise and extraordinary". Bravo, dearest Rolando, thank you for your great skills and your art! Your great personality is it given, to kindle passion in the people and you sing and play in the hearts of the people!

Edith 

(Vienna)

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