| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 27-Jul-2012 National Theatre | La Traviata at the Munich OpernFestspiele |
 La Traviata is such a warhorse that we often forget how many issues it raises for presenting a staging that can convince us of what is in the first analysis a quite ludicrous story, despite Verdi's veristic intentions. That Violetta is so sympathetic, idealistic, noble and moral can strike one as hopelessly naïve and even patronising given her profession and background, but its very high status amongst Verdi's output speaks of its masterful dramatic thrust and powerful emotional arc, and, by no means least, its superb music.
Read full review... | |
| 27-May-2012 Theater an der Wien | Wiener Festwochen's new Traviata: The wood and the trees |
 Deborah Warner’s new production of La Traviata for the Wiener Festwochen is dotted with dramatic ideas to much the same extent as flowers are strewn and champagne is uncorked in the Act I ‘Brindisi’ (drinking song), which is to say sparingly. A minor updating of look, done on the cheap if costumes and props are anything to go by, proceeds according to Verdi’s conception of a contemporary tale, but seems at odds with Warner’s reluctance to pursue the work’s modern resonances.Read full review... | |
| 29-May-2011 Theater an der Wien | Luc Bondy's dark Festwochen Rigoletto in Vienna |
 If director Luc Bondy has a muse, it’s the Georgian baritone George Gagnidze, blessed with a bulging eyes and a big, craggy voice. After growling and sneering his way through Scarpia in Bondy’s much-maligned Metropolitan Opera production of “Tosca,” Gagnidze is back to do the same to the title role of “Rigoletto” in Bondy’s new production at the Wiener Festwochen. While Gagnidze’s Scarpia was seen as shockingly grimy, his equally scuzzy Rigoletto is rather conventional. Similarly, this visually stark production does little to shock or disturb.Read full review... | |
