L. A. Opera Lohengrin - as seen in early rehearsal
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
volunteers were priviledged to see was the very first dress
rehearsal. For the first time costumes, sets, cast and
chorus had come together to begin ironing out any problems.
It would be unfair to comment extensively on what was not
intended as an event for public viewing, but I thought you'd
like to know that this new production ("made possible by a
generous gift from Alberto Vilar") promises to be quite
stunning.
The sets are interesting (abstract, but interesting), with a
central revolving section that provides opportunity for some
equally interesting staging. Because there is a large
chorus, and the set and staging are a bit complicated, most
of the time I was there was spent in getting some rather
intricate chorus business set, so we did not see nearly the
entire opera. (But that's what "run throughs" are - they
spend a lot of time perfecting details, so the finished
product MAY actually be as glorious as intended.)
We did see a fair portion of the second act (before things
got bogged down in third act wedding scene business). The
costuming is quite effective - even though a few bits and
pieces were still missing, and Gösta Winbergh was creating
his Lohengrin garbed in jeans and a bright blue workshirt.
(But on him they looked great - not only does he have a
beautiful voice, he is a big, handsome blonde man who LOOKS
properly heroic, even in ordinary clothes.) The Elsa,
Adrienne Pieczonka, looks and sounds as Elsa should - a
lovely voice, and definitely NOT one of your 300 pound
sopranos! Eva Marton, as Ortrud, clearly knows what she is
about, and produces some very nice sounds. The same can be
said for Tom Fox - the Telramund. Kurt Rydl, whom I heard
as Baron Ochs in Vienna (in 1999 - the performance at which
he was made "Kammersinger") will be King Henry, but I missed
hearing him the other night. (It was getting very late, and
how longs can one continue to be fascinated, watching the
same bit of chorus stage business being repeated over and
over "until they get it right"?)
"Walking through" staging on a bare stage is quite different
from doing it on the actual set, and there is a very large
chorus to coordinate. I understand that, shortly after I
left, so did Mr. Nagano (handing over to an assistant) and
most of the principals - the time spent on chorus staging
was necessary, but no reason for the rest of the company to
stick around when they wouldn't be needed any more that
night.
As much as one can judge from seeing a production at that
stage, I think L. A. is going to have a very impressive
"Lohengrin", by the time the curtain officially rises.
Certainly the cast seems well worth hearing, Maximillian
Schell is the director, Kent Nagano the conductor, and the
sets (by Vladimir Lysyk) are certainly intriguing. I'm glad
I have tickets, and if you live in the area, I recommend
that you plan to attend - it promises to be well worth the
price of admission. Lohengrin opens September 12th, and
runs for seven performances (alternating with "Queen of
Spades") through September 30th.
Mark D. Lew
(Divamanque)" <evg...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> This is NOT a review!! What I and a few other Opera League
> volunteers were priviledged to see was the very first dress
> rehearsal.
Actually, the first dress rehearsal was up here at the Leather Factory....
mdl
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
With the SETS, too? (Given their intricate nature, I find
that a little incredible, but I imagine you should know,
since you're involved in the opera scene there.) I only
repeated what I was told when they let us in. It was
certainly the first "complete" dress in L.A., anyhow.
Just as a point of information, why would they transport
some 230 people to the Bay Area from L.A. for a dress
rehearsal, when they will not be sharing the Dorothy
Chandler with the L.A. Philharmonic until October, so have
access there as needed, until then?
>
> mdl
REG
the Salzburg Festival should have thought of first. I suppose Elsa should be
wearing a harness intially to indicate her subjugated state (mentally) and
her refusal to question L; she could rip it off at the appropriate moment. L
I see in perhaps fetching liederhosen and a little black vest, perhaps in a
creamy brown leather.Ortrud and Tel definitely in black; I think she wears a
pantsuit of light leather and perhaps stiletto heels. Tele has got to be the
whole thing - chaps, bomber jacket and those darling little black caps. It
might be a bit outre for Ortrud to actually be carrying a whip; perhaps, but
it might be helpful in the third act during her big scene - it could add a
bit a rhythmic dash if deployed properly. The difficult thing is the swan -
I don't think swans wear leather often, and so you'd have a credibility
problem. Perhaps, and I only say perhaps, a thin circlet of leather around
the swan's neck - we keep the swan on stage for the whole last act and at
the appropriate moment, the circlet slips off, there's a puff of smoke, and
the swan has turned into the boy.
I'm just not sure if it's been done before.
"Mark D. Lew" <mark...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:markdlew-ya0240800...@news.earthlink.net...
Andre Edouard
>I don't think swans wear leather often,<
Au contraire REG,
We see a lot of that here at the home.
I think the outfits are in the Eddie Bauer catalog.
AndreEdouard
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
costumes are like! They are really quite "traditional" in
appearance. Maybe you and Mark are talking about another
production? This is the Los Angeles Opera production, which
opens September 12th. Perhaps there's another one in
Northern California? A dress rehearsal at the Leather
Factory in SF would make more sense, then.... OH! (The
penny finally dropped - sorry, I thought you were serious!)
REG
I will bet you a nickle there are ten things out there just as
preposterous....
"Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)" <evg...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3B8DA128...@earthlink.net...
david melnick
Dav
david melnick
Mark D. Lew
production. I meant it only figuratively for those who (like Matthew) are
in the know about Mr Nagano. Any time he is engaged to conduct an opera
he's never done before, he arranges to conduct a no-budget workshop
production, usually in San Francisco, and usually under the direction of
Ross Halper.
A friend of his, who also is a patron of the arts, owns a leather import
business in SF. He has a large warehouse which is typically not filled to
capacity. Sometimes he clears space there to provide a venue for the
programs. Hence, the nickname "Leather Factory Opera".
mdl
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
"Mark D. Lew" wrote:
>
> Calm down, Evelyn. No, it wasn't REALLY a dress rehearsal for the same
> production. I meant it only figuratively for those who (like Matthew) are
> in the know about Mr Nagano. Any time he is engaged to conduct an opera
> he's never done before, he arranges to conduct a no-budget workshop
> production, usually in San Francisco, and usually under the direction of
> Ross Halper.
Okay, okay, I'm calm! (I didn't know but what you might be
correct, it just didn't seem a very cost-effective thing to
do.) As to Mr. Nagano doing a no-budget run through, maybe
some other conductors might profit from doing the same
thing. (No, I have no one particular in mind.) Seems to me
it benefits everyone involved - he gets to conduct it with
actual singers (I assume conductors "practice" what they
plan to do, but it's useful to test how live people
respond), and the young singers get to work with a
first-rate conductor. (To my mind a "win-win" situation.)
>
> A friend of his, who also is a patron of the arts, owns a leather import
> business in SF. He has a large warehouse which is typically not filled to
> capacity. Sometimes he clears space there to provide a venue for the
> programs. Hence, the nickname "Leather Factory Opera".
Yes, I'd read about the "Leather Factory" here, before.
Sounds like a great set up!
Mark D. Lew
(Divamanque)" <evg...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Seems to me
> it benefits everyone involved - he gets to conduct it with
> actual singers (I assume conductors "practice" what they
> plan to do, but it's useful to test how live people
> respond), and the young singers get to work with a
> first-rate conductor. (To my mind a "win-win" situation.)
Yes, definitely win-win. (And not just young singers either.)
mdl
Terrymelin
>Adrienne Pieczonka, looks and sounds as Elsa should - a
>lovely voice, and definitely NOT one of your 300 pound
>sopranos!
That's really an ignorant statement. I'd like to know where in the libretto you
get the idea that Elsa is a certain weight.
Terry Ellsworth
Andre Edouard
AE
Terrymelin
>AE
I guess when one has no intellect the above is the kind of response one should
expect.
Terry Ellsworth
Robin
In response to Terrymelin, AndreIIposts wrote,
> Page 36, pargraph 2.<
I wonder why he is so cranky. Colic, maybe?
Robin
Andre Edouard
Andre Edouard
If you wanna dance......
AE
Andre Edouard
Why don't you stick to your specialty, trying to offend female
posters by private e-mail.
Sounds morbidly kinky to me.
AndreEdouard
david melnick
I have no position on the fat-vs.-thin soprano debate. However, if one is going to
send out a blast over a bit of dry wit, one should reread one's sentence to make
sure one does not speak truer than one intends.
Dav
Andre Edouard
AE
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
Considering how many discussions there have been here of the
current crop of - let's be charitable and call them "large"
- sopranos singing Wagner, plus the popular concept of the
"typical" Wagnerian soprano, I think YOUR statement is
rather "ignorant"!
Also, in the past, Wagnerian sopranos HAVE tended to be
somewhat obese - there have been many discussions about THAT
here, too! (Are you really Terry, or someone using his
name, like that cretin who has been trying to impersonate
Skip?)
Britta
terry...@aol.com, who enjoys sending obscene private emails to the
women on this list, wrote:
>I guess when one has no intellect the above is the kind of response one should
>expect.
>
>Terry Ellsworth
I think that one Terry Ellsworth has made his point very well.
Britta
Leonard Tillman
cowardly crap we can always expect from this turdysmellin-crud!!
(Hey, if that's redundant, so be it!!)
LT
Robin
"Andre Edouard" <and...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3B8FFD22...@bellsouth.net...
> What's the matter Robin, psittacosis?
> AE
A Robin is not a parrot.