All images copyright Teatro alla Scala from a theatre handoutConductor Daniel Barenboim
Staging and Costumes Emma Dante
Sets Richard Peduzzi
Lights Dominique Bruguière
Cast
Carmen Anita Rachvelishvili
Don José Jonas Kaufmann
Escamillo Erwin Schrott
Micaëla Adriana Damato
Mercédès Adriana Kučerová
Frasquita Michèle Losier
Le Dancaïre Francis Dudziak
Le Remendado Rodolphe Briand
Moralès Mathias Hausmann
Zuniga Gabor Bretz
As most of you already know the premiere is on the 7th of December and many lucky ones will be able to watch it live in the cinemas (some over 200 of them world wide in some 25 countries, plus everyone who is ale to receive ARTE TV).
There is an amazing degree of media attention in the Italian press, but not only :-) So here are some bits and bos for you, all in Italiano :-)
Interview Jonas Kaufmann
Interview Anita Rachvelishvili
Interview Erwin Schrott
Interview Emma Dante
And HERE on Sky Italia a short video interview with all of the above, Sky Italia will also air the premiere live on TV.
And you can google.it for much much much more...
Then there are of course the photos :-) Enjoy!
First, the models of the stageing
Then ... Jose meets Carmen...
And she throws him La fleur....
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime; Si je t'aime, Prends garde à toi!
Parle-moi de ma mère! (photo from Reuters)
La taverne de Lillas Pastia
Then there was Escamillo ... Et que l'amour t'attend. Toréador, l'amour, l'amour t'attend
La raison c'est qu'en ce moment ...
.....Je suis amoureuse.
et voila... le Dragon :-)
Je vais danser en votre honneur Et vous verrez, seigneur, Comment je sais moi-même accompagner ma danse, Mettez-vous là, Don José, je commence. La la la la la la la la la la la la …
JOSÉ violemment: Tu m'entendras! Oui, tu m'entendras! Je le veux, Carmen, tu m'entendras!
Pour t'emparer de tout mon être, Ô ma Carmen. Et j'étais une chose à toi. Carmen, je t'aime!
Mais..
Le ciel ouvert, la vie errante, Pour pays tout l'univers Pour loi ta volonté, Et surtout la chose enivrante: La liberté! La liberté!
And the last ones (finally an Escamillo to put the right balance to Jonas' Jose :-)!)
..A ce jeu de couteau /Je suis trop fort pour toi. ... Tout beau. Ta vie est à moi, mais en somme J'ai pour métier de frapper le taureau, Non de trouer le cour de l'homme...
And because at the end of the day it is all about the music, let's indulge! I know you all want to hear this :-))))
Thanks for the video leonorafl
Ich kann es kaum noch erwarten, noch vier Tage.....
ReplyDeleteYes, counting down the hours.... and that even if i won't be of the lucky ones to actually see it, but i hope to be able to listen :-)
ReplyDeleteHah, doesn't zer Kaufmann look yummy in those leather trousers... but I think D'Arcangelo was quite up to the balancing-this-José challenge too in 2006. Looking forward to catching the thing on arte +7. Thanks so much for the pictures!
ReplyDeleteOT: Have you seen the ROH Don Carlo is now up in its entirety on youtube as well? It's the 2008 version, but a very generous offering nonetheless. Quite interesting to compare.
Hi yap, thanks for the tip on DC :-) I'll catch up on those during the weekend then!
ReplyDeleteCarmen - mmm i think Ildebrrrrrando ;-))) is great in Mozart but i've seen him live in Carmen recently and way to pale for Escamillo. He really was scared of the horse and did in no way come over as the self assured man that Carmen falls for in the end. He needs to be the absolute contrast to Jose, sure of himself, macho, almost cold in a way ( i think Schrott describes the character very well in his interview:-)) To put it clearly, Escamillo must be superior in this confrontation because it must be clear in this balance that the balances has tipped in his favour, so when Carmen comes to save him from Jose's rage it becomes evident that he is now the favourite and for a good reason. It's hard to picture that when Jonas is Jose ;-) Ildebrando wasn't it. Unfortunately i think Ildebrando is not comfortable with the role vocally, which is why his eyes are almost constantly glued to the conductor, but as i said i like him in Mozart :-) Now Petrusi in Zurich in the Carmen was vocally much more comfortable with it, but again he lacked the physical agility for the fight so again the balance was not right.
I think Erwin Schrott is powerful enough vocally and definitely physically as well to look superior there and i will thourghly enjoy it , because Jonas or no Jonas, Jose shouldn't not win this battle ;-)))
This is an example of what i like more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-9DIwufs2g&feature=related
Kyle Ketelsen is Escamillo in Amsterdam with Nadia Krasteva as Carmen ( gorgeous!) and Yoonghon Lee is Jose. He sounds and looks comfortable in spite of a funny French accent ;-)))) I'd love to see Ketelsen as Escamillo on stage!
And the toreador song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObFu9AfjVvY&NR=1
Pity i can't find a video from the last act, he wore an authentic toreador costume, the kind you have to saw on the body ;-)))
Back to the La Scala Carmen, i loooove AR's constume and i think in spite of all statements ES looks totally Spanish ;-) and his costumes suit him... as to Jk.. ehem.. doesn't look like real leather to me and in case what it will be is torturously hot! I was boiling at the requiem a couple of weeks ago inside there and i can't imagine how it must be having to wear that stuff under the stage lights... murder! To me it looks as if it is a bit too big, of the three his seems to be the least fitting... I like what he wore at ROH more and this is definitely better ;-)don't you think? (from Zurich Carmen):
http://www.jkaufmann.info/alben/oper/slides/carmenZH11.JPG
Leather is always a pain to wear in stage, fake or natural and unless it is a snug fit it doesn't look very good either..
But who cares at the end of the day, i am looking forward to hearing him sing it, even if he was covered in brown paper bag from head to toe ;-)
Wonder which photo people like most? My favourite is def Tu m'entendras and not because of the shiny pants but of the dangerously determined and slightly violent pose... you instantly recognise that Jose is much more unstable than he seems to be at first :-)
Way too much to comment on H, specifically respecting you last comment. Really should abstain but must put in my $2000 (rather than 2 Cents - in light of the extreme and progressively diminishing value of the $ and the worthlesness and volume of the commentary the higher figure seems more appropriate). Will make herculean effort to limit tangents. Profound apologies for the prolixity in advance. (I had anticipated that I would exceed the character limit and that is indeed what occurred - fortunately. Must now edit).
ReplyDeleteFirst, your analysis of the correct relationship between Jose and Escamillio is absolutely dead on. One would think that the role would fit Schrott like a (leather) glove and yet ... having seen him as Escamillio at the Met I can't fail to observe that he seemed very mannered and lacked if not the dominance then at least the swagger one would have liked to see. In the video you cite Ketelsen does well dramatically - incidentally, Krasteva is a babe - but hardly has the best voice I've heard in the part. Judging from the YouTube from CG I think I would still prefer ID'A although you are certainly right that he doesn't seem all that comfortable - he best that get way soon as he is singing it in Vienna and Munich (on balance probably the Carmen to see this year - EG, JK and all - both will of course be at the Met this year though unfortunately not together, partnering instead the two halves of the formerly happily (?) married couple).
Best Escamillo I've seen, by far: Pape. (With Alagna and Borodina - both will be in the latter performances of the Met run, with OB the best sung Carmen I've heard - though far from satisfactory overall.
Second, as long as we're on the subject of Pape, Schrott, D'Arcangelo, Pertusi and Mozart (how'd they get in here?).... Here too, I found ES somewhat disappointing. His Figaro at the Met very much resembles that of his CG DVD and while he's certainly up to the role in every way and has a distinctive take on it he is hardly among my favorites. Incidentally, his Count in that Met Figaro was Pertusi, who is probably tied for my favorite in the role with SK. He was also in possibly the best Figaro I've heard/seen along with Furlanetto in the Title role several years previously. The latter happens to be my favorite Figaro and Leporello with ID'A coming in second. I gather you are fan of his in this as well and if you you saw it at CG last year any your observations would be very much appreciated. I was lucky enough to be there and was disappointed only in the Countess of Frittoli - who should, in theory be unsurpassable in this part and has been nothing short of magnificent in almost everything I've seen her in(she's also the Michael in the new Met Carmen - yum - you see what I mean about the tangents) but was unfortunately not in voice on those occasions I've had the chance to hear her as the Figaro Rosina. Mattei was a great Count and speaking of which, his Countess in his two Met runs was Isokoski, absolutely unmissable in that and other roles. Hope you get a chance to see her in Figaro later this year not to mention the Rosenkavalier which I gather you guys have coming up in the next couple of weeks.
(Exceedingly long Don G discussion involving same people edited out - thank God).
You see how naturally a short post on the La Scala Carmen could lead to such a flood of BS. Must stop now (obviously a couple of thousand words ago would have been better), but cannot recommend the upcoming Rosenkavalier strongly enough.