Opera on 3 29.03.14 - Die Frau Ohne Schatten (ROH)

[gurnemanz]

Thanks for interesting comments. MY natural inclination would be mug up on it a bit first ..... although it might also be worth just turning up on the day to come to it innocently, so to speak, and rely on the surtitles.

[JimD]

To be fair, there are human themes of love, selfishness and betrayal, particularly in the relationship between the Dyer and his wife, which have some emotional force. However I'm never quite sure why the Emperor has to turn to stone, or how President Obama gets into it. Only teasing.

[Flosshilde]

I saw it at the Ed Fest a couple of years ago, in a production from the Mariinskey (sp?) conducted by Gergiev. Funnily enough, the first act was set in something like a very rund down dry cleaner's in Berlin, but the fantasy elements soon took over. A rather overwhelming evening, in a good way.

[Simon B]

Positive reviews all round (in the scheme of things) for the first night, the musical side in particular seeming to mostly attract superlatives. Sounds promising.

Torygraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/10700070/Die-Frau-ohne-Schatten-ROH-review.html

Grauniad:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/16/die-frau-ohne-schatten-royal-opera-house-strauss-bychkov-review

WhatsOnStage:
http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/reviews/03-2014/die-frau-ohne-schatten-royal-opera_33850.html

Bachtrack:

http://bachtrack.com/review-die-frau-ohne-schatten-royal-opera-march-2014

[David-G]

I saw it at the Ed Fest a couple of years ago, in a production from the Mariinskey (sp?) conducted by Gergiev. Funnily enough, the first act was set in something like a very rund down dry cleaner's in Berlin, but the fantasy elements soon took over. A rather overwhelming evening, in a good way.

The "dry cleaners" was the Dyer's abode; the "fantasy elements" were the Emperor's and Empress's realm. It was indeed a memorable evening. One thing that stands out in my mind - in one scene the Nurse crosses a river by boat; I have never seen a river so convincingly staged.

[David-G]

Saw an article about ROH Frau ohne Schatten in today's i and went on line on impulse. On 29 March (a day we could actually make it to London for 6 pm) there were just two Amphitheatre seats left (probably returns). It seemed like an invitation. I don't know the opera at all or anything about the production. Was this a good move?

It was an excellent move. Now you can join me in looking forward to it.

[gurnemanz]

It was an excellent move. Now you can join me in looking forward to it.

Following good reviews, I'm now really looking forward.

[Keraulophone]

...10 April 1976, I see that my baptism of fire with Die Frau ohne Schatten was the Rudolf Hartmann production. Scenery by Josef Svoboda - an overpowering set of steps which filled the stage - bear in mind that the stage at Covent Garden equates with the size of the auditorium. George Solti conducted and the combination of his presence, the orchestration and the setting made a long evening - it didn't feel like this - gain accumulative power right from the start.

I was fortunate to go to a Midland Bank Prom during this run of Die Frau, for the princely sum of 50p - probably the best-value performance I've ever attended. Thankfully, unlike at the RAH, prommers sat on the floor where the stalls seats had been. An unforgettable student experience, especially of Solti, Berry and Dernesch, and those slightly psychedelic stage designs.

[Steerpike]

For some performances they're offering £185 tickets for £80 if you buy via a button marked "Corporate staff". Does anyone know what this means? Can anyone take the cheaper operation who works/once worked for a corporation?!

[gurnemanz]

For some performances they're offering £185 tickets for £80 if you buy via a button marked "Corporate staff". Does anyone know what this means? Can anyone take the cheaper operation who works/once worked for a corporation?!

Also this offer.

[Flosshilde]

I was fortunate to go to a Midland Bank Prom

They were brilliant - I went to the first Friedrich Ring, conducted by Solti, with Jones (a mixed blessing) as Brunnhilde. I'd already sen it twice from the amphitheatre, but seeing it from the stalls added a whole new dimension (almost literally). I think it cost a bit more than 50p a night, but not much more!

[Flosshilde]

Also this offer.

Oh golly - so tempting. I was due to make my next trip south at the end of that week; perhaps I shoulkd bring it forward a few days

[David-G]

Just returned from Die Frau. I have a ticket for later in the run, but could not contain my eagerness to see this marvellous opera again, so picked up a ticket for today. The performance was simply wonderful. Singers, orchestra and conducting all superb, thrilling. I have seen this opera several times before, but perhaps had never appreciated so fully the beauty, the tenderness, the terror, and the magnificence of Strauss’s score.

The production was on the whole a model of clarity, giving the lie to any idea that the plot is daft. And yet… The visual magic of the Hockney production, and of the Mariinsky production that I saw in Edinburgh a couple of years ago, was largely absent. The dark wooden wall which permanently dominates the stage seemed to diminish the singers visually. The production confirmed my feeling that alter-egos on stage are always a bad idea, and that masks are likewise. The master-spirit Keikobad, who drives the action, is not supposed to appear; having him frequently on stage, especially with a gazelle-mask and a silly walk, diminished him and provided no visual complement for the terror in the score. And turning the whole opera into the Empress’s dream added nothing, except the realisation that the producer lacks confidence in Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s plot.

But these criticisms are merely a slight regret. They scarcely diminish my thrilling recollection of this evening. I can hardly wait to see it again.

[David-G]

For anyone interested, a good selection of the Hockney designs can be seen here: http://www.hockneypictures.com/die_frau.php#. And a few pictures of the Mariinsky production here: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/...13/2/5/1_1800/.

[johnn10]

On the basis of what I heard on Wednesday evening I very much hope that Bychkov is on the short-list of conductors to take over from Sir Antonio Pappano when he feels the need to move on.