#operavision

[stormfeast]

Lottie and (proto) Crystal..

operavision you are so very real

[itsa-me-cavaradossi]

Okay, everyone on Operablr needs to drop what they're doing and watch the Dutch National Opera's recent production of Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov while it's still streaming on OperaVision (for free! on YouTube! with no VPN required!). It is MIND-BLOWINGLY good, from the stunning visuals, to the excellent singers, to the use of a fantastic narrator character who's been added into the weave of the opera; and, being the brainchild of Kirill Serebrennikov, it tells a very chillingly recognizable story about the abuse of political power in our modern world. Even if you *think* you don't like Regietheater, it's still absolutely worth checking out. Plus, I dare you not to snort with laughter at least once over the frankly brilliant concept in which the (no longer very) Polish Scene between the Pretender and Marina Mniszech is couched.

Heads up that one scene does include nudity within the context of a sexual encounter, so please bear that in mind, if watching in a public context or at work or around people who might be sensitive to such staging!

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

LISE | Operavision

!!!

[kneipho]

Day 8: A Song About Drugs Or Alcohol

Johann Strauss II; Karl Haffner; Richard Genée - 'Im Feuerstrom der Reben'  (Die Fledermaus) - Run-Time: 2 min 52 sec (YouTube Source Channel: OperaVision )   

The cast at the Wiener Staatsoper sings 'Im Feuerstrom der Reben' from DIE FLEDERMAUS

[count-di-luna]

Billy Budd

SOON 

AND it has both Imbrailo and Relyea?

[itsa-me-cavaradossi]

Is OperaVision worth using, like does it show quality productions?

Embarrassingly enough, I actually am not as familiar with OperaVision as I am with other opera-streaming services like the Met Opera on Demand and Medici (to which I have partial access through my local library)! Would anyone else more knowledgeable about OperaVision and its comparative offerings care to weigh in here?

[itsa-me-cavaradossi]

The final scene of the 2025 Teatro Real production of Mitridate, re di Ponto (dir. Claus Guth).

Need just one more minute to scream over the freaking lighting design for this production, oh my gawd.

[itsa-me-cavaradossi]

Having a totally crazy time watching the Claus Guth production of Mozart's Mitridate, re di Ponto that's up on OperaVision (available until October 4!).

First off, the music is SO not what I associate with Mozart?! Stylistically, it's basically Mozart writing a Handel opera (continuo for days!). Granted, Wolfi wrote this when he was all of 14 years old, so it's not too surprising that he hadn't figured out his own signature sound yet. But still, pretty fascinating to see that progression!

I've just finished the first act, meaning I'm about an hour into things and a third of the way through the total run time of the three-act opera. Guth is such a character-centered director that I've been totally riveted by the staging, even though in the first 40 minutes, 95% of the narrative action was provided by a few projected lines at the end of the overture, and most of the music was just 10-minute-long da capo arias about everyone's feelings. But! The vibes are so great! It's like HBO's Succession, only minus the plottiness and plus a bunch of catty countertenors!

Farnace (Franco Fagioli) and Aspasia (Sara Blanch) in the mid-century-style house that forms half of the totally *fabulous* set of this production.

The performers in this production are all fantastic, as one would expect from a director like Guth who demands singers with the ability to reach a certain emotional core dramatically. I was already a huge Sara Blanch fan from that fabulous Wiener Staatsoper Ariadne auf Naxos she did back in January, and she is equally amazing here as Aspasia (Mitridate's fiancée). Elsa Dreisig as Sifare (Mitridate's nicer son) also has been a huge show-stopper. But I think Franco Fagioli may be taking the cake so far, because he makes Farnace (Mitridate's awful son) SUCH a brat, and I kinda want to slap him at all times, which feels exactly correct:

The best part is that he's batting those papers off the edge of Mitridate's desk in between runs in his aria!

Also, this being Guth, of course the amazing house set rotates to reveal a world (inspired by graph paper, apparently) in which everyone's fantasies and paranoias can run amok, replete with the expected symbolic dancer body doubles:

Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus - Teatro Real (Madrid)

Anyway, definitely worth checking out, if Guth also speaks to you as a director and you have 3 hours to spare within the next week and a half!