LA SONNAMBULA (Wiener Staatsoper)****

 

By Dave

Link: https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/e04d8a15-ba3a-4bea-b935-ca599390f245/play

Available until: 22^nd February around 6pm. There might also be future broadcasts.

Louise made a very interesting point about Hamburg Staatsoper’s production of Manon yesterday, mentioning all the ways Manon’s problems are similar to the problems a lot of young people face now.

Wiener Staatsoper’s La sonnambula (an opera I actually haven’t seen before though I have heard it) gave me similar feelings. There seems to be a big focus on jealousy and suspicion in the modern world. Trust seems to have gone right out the window – though as cheating also seems a big part of the modern world, maybe that’s fair enough. Also, the main character, Amina, is treated very badly because of a medical condition that’s misunderstood by society. There’s a lot of that about too but the advantage about the modern world is that more is known about conditions like sleep-walking.

L’ELISIR D’AMORE (Wiener Staatsoper)****

 

By Imogen

Link: https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/8837b898-1fdc-4f7d-9b6e-0f6349110e20/play

Available until: Probably 20^th February at about 6pm UK time. There’s another showing on the 22^nd at 6pm too.

When you think about Donizetti (if you actually know who he is, you wouldn’t believe the number of idiots who don’t), you often end up thinking about the tragic opera of Lucia di Lammermoor but Donizetti actually did loads of comedies too. This is probably his most famous one though it actually isn’t performed very often. If you go to an opera-themed concert and there’s a tenor there, there is a fair chance he’ll end up singing Una furtiva langrima (some tenors seriously need to extend their repertoire but to be fair it is a beautiful aria with technical and emotional challenges) but the other arias and ensembles aren’t nearly as well known.