‘We won’t keep quiet,’ says the promotional material from Dutch National Opera for the original piece they produced and performed when their scheduled season was cancelled.
It was to open with Boito’s Mefistofele.
Instead, ‘We have invited a new generation of music theatre makers from The Netherlands to fill the empty space. FAUST [working title] departs from the theme of Goethe's Faust, a prominent figure in Western culture. A large-scale performance with chorus, orchestra, soloists and a wealth of music, from classical to lesser-known repertoire.
'The thirst for knowledge, but also its limits, is one of the themes central to Faust. In these confusing times, in which science simultaneously wants to provide answers and raises doubts, this theme is more topical than ever. Faust's world view is comprehensive, but also has its limitations and blind spots. For the artistic team, the theme was therefore not only an invitation to explore the repertoire surrounding Faust, but also to look further. What if we look beyond the repertoire we are used to in opera?’
And so, as we near the end of this overwhelming year, we are offered another experimental opera born in the Covid19 crisis. ‘The present crisis has caused immeasurable loss and fear, but has also prompted us to re-think the very foundations of our modern societies, the way we produce, and the way we live together. FAUST [working title] opens up the space of Dutch National Opera to other sounds, music and languages, and explores the abundance of voices that are present in the world. Together with inspiring composers, arrangers and musicians from different places, the team imagines new landscapes in the world of music theatre.’
The opera features children throughout, and stresses ‘the abundance of voices that are present in the world’, using some new and a lot of adapted music from other composers, and including some familiar scenes from Faust as we know him through opera (including Margurite’s ‘prison aria’ – hear it here and read the composer’s interpretation. https://www.graceevangelinemason.com/blog/2020/9/28/faust-working-title-at-dutch-national-opera. ‘The thirst for knowledge, but also its limits, is one of the themes central to Faust. In these confusing times, in which science simultaneously wants to provide answers and raises doubts, this theme is more topical than ever.
The reviews suggest that the result, newly available on Operavision, is creative and exciting.
Bachtrack concludes a glowing review: Faust [working title] is an important contribution to the renewal of the genre of musical theatre: away from the museum right into the middle of social actuality.
And at the Met?
And meanwhile, from the past, the Met provides a week of classic performances by some of its Stars in Signature Roles. (Dates are ours. More detail to follow.)
Tuesday, December 1 Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Starring Renée Fleming, Ramón Vargas, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev. From February 24, 2007.
The star now missing from the operatic skies is Hvorostovsky, Here, with the incomparable (but not very Russian) Renée Fleming, he was entirely at home in this most Russian of operas.
Wednesday, December 2 Verdi’s Aida Starring Leontyne Price, Fiorenza Cossotto, James McCracken, and Simon Estes, conducted by James Levine. From January 3, 1985.
This was the hugely anticipated farewell of the fabulous Leontyne Price, and it's a good example of how not to do nostalgic farewells. Watch it for an understanding of the voice she brought to the role. But the cast and production didn't inspire her and it's hard to retrieve the drama of Verdi from this performance. Archives show that NYTimes agreed with me
.
Thursday, December 3 Wagner’s Parsifal Starring Katarina Dalayman, Jonas Kaufmann, Peter Mattei, Evgeny Nikitin, and René Pape, conducted by Daniele Gatti. From March 2, 2013.
Friday, December 4
Verdi’s Macbeth Starring Anna Netrebko, Joseph Calleja, Željko Lučić, and René Pape, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From October 11, 2014.
Saturday, December 5 Bizet’s Carmen Starring Barbara Frittoli, Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. From January 16, 2010.
Sunday, December 6 Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos
Starring Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle. Brilliant Black singers and fabulous personalities with superb voices, these women won the Met.
Here, they are playing fascinating characters, in Strauss's ironic, complex opera about opera - if you've never seen it, don't miss it!
Monday, December 6 Puccini’s Tosca Starring Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by James Conlon. From December 19, 1978.