Monday, March 26, 2007

nothing substantive yet...

The little corner of the blogosphere that I frequent seems to really hate the Aegyptische Helena production that's at the Met right now. Not having seen the production itself, I can't really comment, but from the pictures, it looks like something I could probably get into (though the libretto still really escapes my interest on some basic level).

Obviously, I have some inkling about things that I like, but just as obviously, there are quite a few things that I haven't explored. One I hope to explore is what it's like actually participating in these types of things. As someone who (apparently, because I don't really think so) makes rather unusual associations between things, and also as someone who is constantly engaged in taking stuff apart and putting it back together (figuratively, usually), I think I appreciate things which do not and do not pretend to make rational sense.

I'm more apt to accept a sincere "I just feel that this is the way this must be" as opposed a long string of logic-speak designed to tell me what I "want" to hear, which also means that I think I have a more highly developed appreciation for da-da and surrealism than most.

The long wind-up being that I don't really know what I think about regietheater, but I suspect that I'd probably dig the Helena production on some level because it looks wacky and madcap in this no-holds barred kind of way. It's also to butter you, the reader, up for a stunningly sung Piangero.

It's delivered by soprano Inger Dam-Jensen (1993 Cardiff Singer of the World winner) and one of my favorites on the "20 years of Cardiff Singer of the World" DVD set. I'm kind of curious as to why she's not better known here (or even in general - a google search turns up not so much information). I get that I might have weird tastes that cut across a lot of ground (like, why is Malin Hartelius not the next big thing? She has stage presence and charm like they were birthrights), but still. Anyhow, she's singing her face off (since the 93 footage from Cardiff Singer, her voice seems to have thickened and filled in *beautifully*) wearing a bald cap and shiny black pleather(?). If that's not your kind of thing, closer your eyes or work in another window, but I, myself, am kind of intrigued....

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just love Inger Dam-Jensen and fortunately she a member of the ensemble at the Royal Danish Opera which is my local opera house. About the production - look here:
http://confidentialattachees.wordpress.com/2007/03/20/handel-and-scholl-news/

and here:

http://confidentialattachees.wordpress.com/2006/02/19/giulio-cesare-at-the-royal-theatre-of-copenhagen/

Cheers!
/anna