Peter Grimes
The Bayerische Staatsoper streams its new production of Britten’s tragedy. Conductor: Edward Gardner. Production: Stefan Herheim.
stefan herheim
Xerxes
Stefan Herheim directs this Handel production for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
Broadcast: Xerxes
Stefan Herheim‘s intensely enjoyable “barocke Muppet-Show” take on Handel’s opera starts streaming at 1:00 PM today on OperaVision.
“It can never be a simple experience”
“I am an artist first, but also Catholic and homosexual.”
Country matters
Stefan Herheim productions may be many things, but they’re always theatrical.
You gotta ring them bells
At long last (and about fucking time) undisputed genius Stefan Herheim will make his Metropolitan Opera debut, staging Les Vêpres siciliennes.
Star and garters
No amount of scholarly diligence has kept Les contes d’Hoffmann from being the messiest of all standard-repertory messes.
The sprite in you
Today’s Rusalka video overview covers filmed performances of Dvorák’s opera since 2010.
Chat: Pikovaya dama
Parterre fave Stefan Herheim returns to Dutch National Opera to direct Pikovaya dama, in which the director attempts to reflect on the composer’s life, notably his hidden love for men.
The chopping block?
After five flops in a row, Mr. McVicar continues to win new assignments from the Met.
Her tiny hand is frozen
The strange and deeply moving production of La bohème by Stefan Herheim for Den Norske Opera begins at 1:00 PM EDT this afternoon. You can watch it here on parterre, after the jump.
Tales of Stefan
This video everything: transgender muses, planted hecklers, Offenbach, serendipitous allusions to Caitlyn Jenner, reassigned music and the origin of the world.
“Venez-vous me mettre en bustier, cher auteur de mes maux?”
“Few operas better represent a moment such as ours, when stability and long-held certainties are hard to come by, particularly in regard to sexuality.”
The bough friend
The Deutsche Opera an Rhein production of Handel’s Xerxes (which is shared with the Berlin Komische Oper), though I saw it three nights ago, has taken a while to settle down in my brain.
The blue dream
It will come to no surprise to followers of the direction of Stefan Herheim (or to readers of La Cieca’s gushing fangirl appreciations of his work) that his Stuttgart production of Der Rosenkavalier was as “delightfully busy” as we have come to expect.
Bühne nights
Your doyenne and her faithful confidante Dawn Fatale are off later this week for a safari, seeking the wild Regie in its natural habitat.
From a distance
The dark side of the moon
After viewing Stefan Herheim’s production of Rusalka, I’ve got a new category: “regie slick.”
Rule number 11
Cher public, you may remember that about 18 years ago a parterre writer called Dr. Repertoire came up with a handy list of rules for stage directors.
Rêve divin! heureux délire!
Attendees of tomorrow’s parterre meet and greet (pictured) are reminded that Our Own JJ will be available in the Bar Thalia area of Symphony Space beginning at 2:00 for ticket pickup.
Save the date!
La Cieca asks all members of the cher public in the New York City area to pencil in 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 24 as combination meet-and-greet of the parterriani and viewing of the HD film of Les Vêpres siciliennes at Symphony Space.
The mystery of Stefan’s “Vêpres”
The much-anticipated Stefan Herheim production of Les Vêpres Siciliennes opened last night at the Royal Opera, and the New York Times‘ Zachary Woolfe was something less than completely bowled over.
We’ll settle that tonight!
La Cieca has been wining, dining and otherwise wooing her Met connection (pictured above) and he (or is it she?) has come across with some tidbits about upcoming seasons at Casa Gelb.
And Tony goes to…
La Cieca spies spotted the New York Times‘ Anthony Tommasini at the opening of the Salzburg Meistersinger, which indicates his review should be appearing by tomorrow at the latest.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).