parterre box

25 comments

• Miss Kitty Litter says:

  “I’m sure Miss Litter means to say that Cavalli doesn’t need all this extra ‘help’ from the director and he probably doesn’t.” – Vanderdecken

  Why, yes, VdD that’s exactly what she meant. Sadly, though, these days MKL thinks and types through an ominpresent haze of Stoli and Purina ProPlan.

  on January 29, 2009 at 12:14 PM
• Gaia Fioraia says:

  Ah, Luca Pistolone è un gran figone

  on January 29, 2009 at 2:12 PM
• Browser says:

  And Anna Maria Panzarella was FANTASTIC!

  on January 30, 2009 at 6:51 AM
• Will says:

  I loved what I saw and Alden is very right when he says it has a kind of Elizabethan feel–17th century Venetian opera (even if it WAS written for Paris) combined comedy and tragedy, grand personages and baggy pants comics (descended from the commedia dell’arte) in the exact same way Shakespeare did. I don’t see this production as doing any violence to Cavalli at all. In fact, i think it is very much in line with the tone of productions in Cavalli’s time, just updated to our style.

  on January 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM
• La Trajectina says:

  I’d been looking forward to this production for almost a full year, largely due to the line-up – which actually ended up slightly different from the one originally announced. Much as I adore Panzarella, I can’t help wondering what Gens would have made of Deianira. On the other hand, I was totally chuffed with Chiummo, both dramatically and vocally. Sorry to say Cangemi didn’t make much of an impression; didn’t realise it was her until someone mentioned her during intermission. Loved Bonitatibus going all pianissimo for the second half of “In amor cio ch’altri fura.” Title role tessitura’s a tad low for Pisaroni, but hey – LUCA! Right, boy and girls?

  There’d been a degree of excitement beforehand at such a rarely performed piece being staged at all. Still, going in pretty much unprepared, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of visuals when I finally had the chance to go, last Wednesday – Amsterdam has tended to stick with the sparse and dignified (Bondy, Audi) in recent years. Suffice to say the creepy giant baby dolls, not to mention the sheer quantity of rubber and leather involved, came as a bit of a shock. Accordingly, I couldn’t recall much of the music after that first encounter, so I went again on Friday for the final performance. It had sold out before I got there, but I managed to wheedle someone out of their spare at half price. This is the Netherlands, after all, haggling’s a national sport.

  Glad to hear that a DVD release is in the works. I need to inflict this on unsuspecting friends.

  on February 1, 2009 at 5:30 PM