Photo : Geoffroy Schied
TRADUCTION DE LA CRITIQUE PAR ELEONORE :
WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC CRITICS
Credit : For the original German article by Klaus Kalchschmid
Süddeutsche Zeitung, 01.01.26
Bayerische Staatsoper
The star tenor thrills in the Strauss operetta with tremendous joie de vivre, and the rest of the ensemble also makes the last evening of the year at the National Theatre a celebration.
"With his neatly trimmed beard and nightcap pulled low over his face, he is initially almost unrecognizable: Rolando Villazón as Gabriel von Eisenstein in Barrie Kosky's production of Johann Strauss's "Die Fledermaus" at the National Theatre. For during the overture, the Mexican tenor is surrounded in his large pink double bed by a dozen virtuoso dancing bats (choreography: Otto Pichler), but is not yet allowed to sing a note.
When he does so on this New Year's Eve, we hear his distinctive timbre, which is particularly effective in the low tenor part, often sung by baritones. And we see his tremendous joie de vivre, which he can showcase beautifully in this operetta. For example, in the duet with his friend Dr. Falke, who invites him to Prince Orlofsky's ball – portrayed by the young Konstantin Krimmel with a noble, refined baritone. Here, Villazón shines as a singer and actor, just as he does in the second act when, as Orlofsky's guest, he dances with the ballet. And there, he is cheated out of his "little lady" by his masked wife, Rosalinde, who then becomes the evidence against him in the third act, revealing his infidelity.
For instance, in the second act, Villazón is robbed of his "little lady," which then becomes the corpus delicti for his infidelity. Alongside Villazón, the wonderful Rachel Willis-Sørensen ensures a truly festive New Year's Eve atmosphere. As Rosalinde, she captivates with her rich, beautiful soprano and secure high notes, and delivers a fiery czardas as a supposed Hungarian countess. Pavol Breslik is also magnificent as her former lover, Alfred. His singing still makes her weak at the knees. The Slovakian tenor wonderfully confirms this with a delicate brilliance in his voice and great enthusiasm for the role. From "Nessun dorma" to "Una furtiva lagrima" to "O, namenlose Freude," he briefly sings half a dozen tenor hits, nearly driving Rosalinde wild.
Director Barrie Kosky has transformed the famous Viennese operetta, which, along with Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow," is one of only two to have graced the stages of major opera houses, into a veritable revue operetta. He lets the second act glide by in a trance-like fashion, as Prince Orlofsky sings his "I love to invite guests" amidst a troupe of dancers in glittering costumes, a feat John Holiday masterfully accomplishes with his excellent countertenor.
Rosalinde's Czardas is also accompanied by an agile troupe of dancers, lending it a special touch. This is complemented by the multiplication of the bailiff Frosch, who appears here in six different forms, dominated by Max Pollak, who delivers a wonderful tap dance plus body percussion, encouraging the audience to clap along. Later, during the encore of the Radetzky March, the audience is transported to the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, where the conductor also prompts the audience to clap along in a finely tuned manner.
... This "frog with five tadpoles" not least enriches Adele's couplet "I'm playing the innocent country girl" in the third act. Mirjam Mesak strikes the same smooth, lyrical soubrette tone as she did in "Mein Herr Marquis" in the second act. Kevin Conners, as the stuttering lawyer Dr. Blind, is one of the few singers who have not been recast. However, all of them perform on the same level this evening as the premiere ensemble, including Diana Damrau and Georg Nigl as the Eisenstein couple.
One is almost blinded by the sexily costumed and masked Vienna State Opera Chorus (costumes: Klaus Bruns), who clearly revel in the garish exuberance and sing a magical "Duidu."
Barrie Kosky wasn't trying to make fun of the drunken bailiff Frosch, but he does literally strip prison director Frank (Martin Winkler) naked. Kosky has the Austrian bass-baritone appear almost nude and present all sorts of slapstick, such as keys being fished out of his thong or brushing his teeth and spitting into his desk drawer.
But that's the only real weakness in a vibrant production that, thanks to Nicholas Carter conducting, also gains tremendous orchestral drive and impresses with its temperament and sometimes breakneck tempos, which the Bavarian State Orchestra not only handles flawlessly from the snappy overture onward, but also fills with rich, elegant life.
*****
