OKLAHOMA!– REVIEW OF 2026 GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

The Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Oklahoma! is its tip of the hat to a great American musical and it gets a glorious production. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s great work premiered in 1943 and is considered a Broadway landmark in its combination of lyrics and music. Glimmerglass offers a new production directed by the inimitable Francesa Zambello. 

This is Indian Territory around 1906 and soon to become the state of Oklahoma. This has nothing to do with John Steinbeck’s Oklahoma of the 1930’s. In front of a farmhouse, the handsome Curly (Michael Adams) sings Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ followed by The Surrey with the Fringe on Top and ends with the surrey being pulled on stage and all singing Oh, What a Beautiful Day. That’s what you call a happy ending.

But a lot happens in between that is comic, romantic and dramatic. Curley and the pretty Laurey (the vocally talented Shereen Pimentel) are, shall we say, an item. But the dark, scary and obsessive hired hand Jud (Erik Nordstrom) wants her too and that is bound to create trouble.

Then there are the comic romantic entanglements of Ado Annie (Kate Morton) whose first name sounds close to “I do” which she does. Will Parker (Peter Murphy) wants to marry her and the peddler Ali Hakim (Gregory Sliskovich) want her too. Her father Andrew (Troy Cook) wants her to get married to a man who has fifty dollars, a sizable amount in 1906. We come to the suspenseful conclusion that Will Parker does not have the money and Ali has the money and he likes Ado but let’s just say his intentions may not be honourable. How will this work out. There is a bidding war at the dance for baskets prepared the young ladies and the suspense is nail-biting. Okay, so I exaggerate.

Members of the ensemble in the 2026 Glimmerglass 
Festival production of Oklahoma! 
Photo by Kayleen Bertrand/The Glimmerglass Festival

The strength of Oklahoma! lies in its songs and music. From Oklahoma, a full-blooded paean to the newly formed state in 1907, to the romantic, People Will Say We’re in Love, to the comic, Ado’s I Can’t Say No we hear an array of wonderful songs, sung marvellously. We even get a glimpse at a hot political potato, the dispute between The Farmer and the Cowman.

The performers are outstanding from the energetic Aunt Eller (Holly Twyford) to the other principals named above and the numerous minor characters.

Oklahoma! has a generous number of dances by Choreographer and Associate Director Eric Sean Fogel. The dancers add greatly to the energy generated by the production. There is a superb Dream Ballet that adds a new dimension to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s work.  In the Ballet, Jordan Spena plays Curley and Farmer Chalmers and Madison Manning plays Laurey and Rosie as she tries to make her life’s existential decision. It is a visual and choreographic delight.

Peter J. Davison’s moveable set designs take us back to the imaginary Indian Territory/Oklahoma with various angles of Laurey’s house, glimpses of the land and the venue of the dance. Constance Hoffman’s costumes are convincing and Ken Billington’s lighting design is perfect.

James Lowe conducts the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra and delivers a splendid performance of Rodgers’ music.

Francesca Zambello brings her masterful handling of the musical and marks a huge success for this year’s Festival. Oklahoma! may not have been the first musical to integrate book and music but it proved to be the best and most influential. A pleasure to see it again.
__________________________
Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) will be performed a total of ten times between July 10 and August 15, 2026 as part of the Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown, New York. Tickets and information (607) 547-0700 or www.glimmerglass.org

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

MADAME BUTTERFLY – REVIEW OF 2026 GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas 

You are watching a baseball game at Rogers Stadium and the Blue Jays are facing the Yankees in the final game of the World Series. Mark Carney is pitching a perfect game for the Blue Jays and our hitters are getting home runs grand whatever-it’s-called. The billion-dollar pitcher can’t toss a ball that is not shot into the stands by the all-Canadian team.

Your wife wakes you up because you have a performance coming up at the Alice Busch Opera Theatre. You are soaked in perspiration because you have never been to a baseball game but walking by the Baseball Hall of Fame and the ten thousand baseball memorabilia stores in Cooperstown have caused you to have a nightmare. I think it is Nightmare by Osmosis.

You are in Cooperstown to go to the Glimmerglass Opera.   

Thank all the deities in the world for the Glimmerglass Festival on the delightful setting on the shore of Otsego Lake outside Cooperstown, New York. It is in full swing and you can go to the opera and recover your equilibrium. For its 51^st season the Festival offers four major opera productions plus Robin Hood, a children’s opera. You can see Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, an adaptation by Kelley Rourke of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte titled Cosi and Fellow Travelers, a modern opera by Gregory Spears (music) and Greg Pierce (libretto). I was able to see all four productions on a weekend and be back in Toronto for the August Monday Holiday without stepping into a single baseball shop.

Eri Nakamura as Cio-Cio-San and Eric Taylor as 
Lt. Pinkerton in the 2026 Glimmerglass Festival production. 
Credit: Kayleen Bertrand/The Glimmerglass Festival

Madame Butterfly opens on a hill overlooking Nagasaki harbour but director Francesca Zambello has changed the setting to the American consulate. It is an ordinary office except for the oversize American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Japanese. The scene changes to Cio-Cio-San’s house on the hill quickly and seamlessly. There is no furniture and some diaphanous curtains suffice for the scenes there. 

The love scene that follows between Lt. Pinkerton (Eric Taylor) and Cio-Cio-San  (Eri Nakamura) with no props except a mat on the floor is emotionally moving, passionate and brilliant.  It ends with Butterfly singing that “In an ecstasy of love, the sky is smiling!”

In Act II everything has changed. Pinkerton told Cio-Cio-San that he will return when the robin builds his nest. She asks the Consul Sharpless (Michael Mariposa) if American robins build their nests less frequently in America. It is one of many heart-wrenching moments.

She does not  lose faith. In the beautiful aria “Un bel di vedremo” Butterfly imagines how one day she will see Pinkerton’s ship in the harbour, he will run up the hill and they will be reunited. In the middle of the aria, she lowers her voice as if she were hiding from him before he sees her. She imagines how she will hide and he will find her and her happiness will be restored. The hope, the anticipation, the longing and the depths of her emotion are expressed with surpassing vocal beauty.

Troy Cook as Sharpless is a man of decency and principles. When Cio-Cio-San asks if the robins do not build their nests every year in America as they do in Japan, he lets out a laugh that I found unacceptable from a man like him. He is a diplomat and would not have laughed in the face of a girl that he knows is deceived. Aside from (blame the director) that Cook gives superb performance.

At the end of the performance, as we all know, Cio-Cio-San stabs herself and we hear Pinkerton utter her name as he rushes on stage and puts her in his arms. She embraces him and dies as the little boy runs on stage and jumps on his father’s back. A red curtain drops. It is all blood as the lights go off and the heart-wrenching opera is over.

This production was originally directed by Francesca Zambello and the revival director is Joshua R. Horowitz. The sets were designed by Michael Yeargan, the costumes by Anita Yavich, and the lighting by Robert Wierzel.
The Glimmerglass Orchestra and Chorus were conducted by Joseph Colaneri  in a superb performance rounding off an outstanding night at the opera.
____________________________
Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini opened on July 11 and will be performed a total of nine times until August 17, 2026, as part of the Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown, New York. Tickets and information (607) 547-0700 or www.glimmerglass.org

James Karas is the Cukture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

ONE FOR THE POT – REVIEW OF 2026 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

And now for the lighter side of entertainment at the Shaw Festival. How about a farce? Let’s go with One for the Pot by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. Those of a certain age may recall that this farce was staged at the Festival in 1985 with the incomparable Heath Lamberts. Some can engage in wistful memories while others can be introduced to a fine example of the genre.

The current production is directed by one of the best directors around, Chris Abraham, and with some minor glitches, it achieves its goal of generating laughter and an enjoyable evening at the theatre.

One for the Pot premiered in London in 1961 and has all the hallmarks of a farce. A simple plot, fast pace, pratfalls, slamming doors and confusion to keep the laughter coming. There are fourteen actors playing as many characters with the star Hickory Wood (Peter Fernandes) playing more than one role and a couple of other cast members doubling in minor roles.  

The wealthy Jonathan Hardcastle (Patrick Galligan) has decided to give ten thousand pounds in his will (we are in England) to the ONLY son of his former partner. Good news travels fast and Billy Hickory Wood (Fernandes, of course), with a few loose screws in the brain department, shows up with his “lawyer” Charlie Barnet (a supercharged Martin Happer) to claim the prize. You will be surprised to learn that Billy’s twin brother Rupert also shows up to claim the money.

The show is stolen by Fernandes who changes roles with dizzying speed and is a laughter-producing machine. He can make us laugh by simply walking/dancing across the stage, switching accents and doing pratfalls in a masterful performance. Happer is the hyperkinetic, scheming Charlie.

There is a crooked, bribe-demanding and booze-quaffing aficionado named Jugg, the butler (Sanjay Talwar) who helps orchestrate and add confusion to the proceedings. There is liberal consumption of alcohol with obvious results.

Sanjay Talwar, Peter Fernandes, Patrick Galligan, 
Camille Eanga-Selenge, Neil Barclay and Martin Happer
in One for the Pot. Photo by Michael Cooper.

I pay tribute to the ensemble acting of the cast that includes Neil Barclay as Arnold Piper, Fiona Byrne as Amy, Camille Eanga-Selenge as Cynthia, Jade Repeta as Winnie and Cosette Derome as Jennifer.  

Michael Gianfrancesco has designed a posh, gorgeous wood-paneled set, it is the sitting room of a grand house with a walk-in bar, entrance to an entertainment room, an exit to the yards and an entrance to a library. There are doors that can be slammed as the pace of the farce speeds up like an expensive sports car. There are pieces of furniture over which people can fall over or hide behind doors and try to exit as other characters prevent them from doing so. Ming Wong has designed beautiful gowns for some of the ladies and mostly tuxedos for the mem. They are perfect for the wealthy household.

The non-English English accents of the cast are acceptable considering the speed with which the script is spoken but I must admit there were times when I could not catch everything that was being said.

A farce must contain all the features listed above including some very good lines and bad puns, but acceleration is a central characteristic. If a problem arises, instead of being solved, it multiplies into more troubles instead. The action, the complications and the confusing must continue in a crescendo keeping the audience in thrall. No one understands this better than Chris Abraham. He does not direct so much as orchestrate the action so that we laugh even more vigorously as we anticipate the next laugh. Brilliant work by a master of the theatre.

_____________________

One for the Pot by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton continues in repertory until October 11, 2026, as part of the Shaw Festival at the Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com

James Karas is the Culture Editor of the Greek Press, Toronto

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR – REVIEW OF 2026 LA SCALA PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas 

Lucia di Lammermoor is by any measurement one of the greatest bel canto operas and a chance to see it and in Milan cannot be missed. Lucia is the 9^th out of 12 productions in 2026 at La Scala, a year that included Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle with L’Elisir d’Amore, La Traviata and Faust still to come. It is a long walk from Toronto to Milan but La Scala is wisely making videos of some productions available for streaming.

The current production directed by Yannis Kokkos was first seen in 2023. Kokkos, who also designed the costumes, has opted for a dark Lucia in modern attire. The men wear mostly three-piece suits and the women have black dresses but Lucia (Rosa Feola) wears a long, white gown.

The Kokkos’ sets are again conservative (that is a compliment, by the way) from the forest of the opening scene to the later interior and exterior scenes dominated by dark shades. We are absorbed in the ill-fated love between Lucia and Edgardo (Piero Pretti) and her brother, the merciless Lord Enrico Ashton (Boris Pinkhasovich) and the pressures and lies brought on her. Ashton considers Edgardo his mortal enemy and wants his destruction as revenge. He has found a suitable husband, Lord Arturo Bucklaw (Leonardo Cortellazzi) for Lucia, meaning a rich aristocrat who will save the Ashton estates. I do not need to tell you that Lucia will be forced to marry Arturo, be sent to her honeymoon bed and kill him. She will lose her mind and give us a Mad Scene that would test all the vocal and acting talents of the best singers.

Soprano Rosa Feola gave an impressive performance as Lucia. She has a gorgeous coloratura voice that she uses to draw us into the passion and pain of Lucia’s journey from love to madness. And she has a big voice when she needs it. With the orchestra playing and the chorus singing, she let out a powerful note that went over all of them. A beautiful moment. She was marvelous in the Mad Scene, accompanied by a glass harmonica, going from the quiet beginning to the realization and wrenching enactment of her collapse. A minor complaint: this woman stabbed  a man to death and is covered in blood which bespeaks a struggle and yet she managed to appear before the court with  her hair not messed up at all.

 Rosa Feola as Lucia. Photo Brescia e Amisano © Teatro alla Scala

Baritone Boris Pinkhasovich as Lord Enrico Asthon seethed with hatred and lusted for vengeance. This man will stop at nothing to save his fortune and is prepared to sacrifice everything humanly decent including his sister. I thought he had a somewhat choppy beginning but his voice settled down into a splendid performance right up to the end when he comes to grips with his evil acts.

We are on the side of Edgardo di Ravenswood as sung by tenor Piero Pretti. He is all conviction and passion with sparks of decency as he commits his love to Lucie and in fact marries her out in the open. We get a vocally rich and theatrically effective performance as we hear splendid singing and view a tormented human being. A splendid voice and a superb performance.

The chaplain Raimondo is in the hands of bass Michele Pertusi. Raimondo is the faithful servant of Ashton and the spiritual advisor of Lucia. He tries to be a decent cleric but is forced to act as a tool for the vengeful Ashton. He can’t be both and  remains conflicted but well-sung and acted by Pertusi

Lord Arturo Bucklaw (Leonardo Cortellazzi) is a small role as the aristocrat who is prepared to marry Lucia without any concern about her attitude. We give Cortellazzi credit for his performance but do not fret about Arturo’s fate.

Conductor Speranza Scappucci brought out the best in Donizetti’s score and rounded off and outstanding night at the opera.

Speaking of walking to Milan, I think you should try it and let us know when you make it. Once there, find the Galleria and look up. If you are from Toronto, it will remind you of the Eaton Centre. Be respectful and realize that Toronto borrowed the idea for the design of its centre from Milan and not the other way around. When you walk to the end of the Galleria you will find the Duomo (out of this world) and straight ahead you will see La Scala on the other end. You have reached the apogee of operatic civilization.
_________________       
Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti played at Teatro all Scala on various dates from June  26 to July 17, 2026. Its next production, L’Elisir d’Amore will run from September 5 to 16, 2026 For more information go to teatroallascala.org/

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

ACCABADORA - REVIEW OF 2026 AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

Every year, the Aix-en-Provence Festival produces a new opera to promote the work of a new composer and as an article of faith in the 400-year art form that sometimes feels like and is in fact criticized as something that is stuck in a limited, old repertoire. There may be some truth in that but major opera houses do try to produce new works.

This year the Festival premiered Accabadora, a one-act opera by Francesco Filidei to a libretto by  Manuelle Mureddu based on Michaela Murgia’s wonderful 2009 novel with the same title. The librettist encapsulates the plot in twelve scenes for the one-hour and twenty-minute opera.

The opera represents life in a presumably fictitious village in Sardinia in the 1950’s. There are two significant traditions that are combined for the plot of the opera. The first is the fill’e d’anima or soul-child and refers to a person (Maria in the opera) who is conceived twice from the poverty of one woman and the sterility of another. Maria Listru is the daughter of a poor woman who already has 3 daughters. When Maria is six her mother gives her to Bonaria Urrai, the village seamstress, who has no children of her own.

Bonaria Urrai does a lot more than sew dresses. She is an accabadora, a woman who is respected and feared in the village. She can best be described, if at all, as an angel of mercy. People in pain who are reaching the end of life, have Bonaria bring death quickly using a pillow. More politely, we may say that she euthanizes them.

The relationship between Maria and Bonaria is a gripping part of the plot with Maria knowing almost nothing of what her step-mother is doing and leading to a fascinating and mysterious conclusion that I will not disclose.

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2026 © Jean-Louis Fernandez

There is a dramatic story of a puppy enclosed in a wall by a neighbor who is stealing a one-meter strip along the border of a vineyard. Maria befriends the brothers Andria and Nicola. The latter tries to avenge the theft of their land and a bullet hits his leg. His condition worsens and he asks for Bonaria’s help. Maria becomes emotionally involved with one of the brothers.

There are happy moments in life in the village. I am being deliberately skimpy in giving details because much of the joy of the plot is its mystery.

The most mysterious character in the story is Bonaria Urrai. The role is sung by contralto Noah Frenkel in a stunning performance. Dressed in ominous black, she struts around the stage, looks down and we are not sure what she is up to. She treats Maria well without revealing what she does when she goes out at night. Frenkel delivers an amazing portrayal of a mysterious person right to the end.

The attractive Maria is sung by the young French soprano Rachel Masclet. She is at the core of the opera. As a soul-child she maintains a relationship with both of her “mothers”  but when she finds out about Nicola, she leaves Sardinia and works in another city. A wonderful performance by an up-and-coming singer. Does Maria find happiness?

Nicola is sung by Italian baritone Lodovico Filippo Ravizza who also sings in the chorus and British tenor Hugo Brady who plays Andria and he too joins the chorus. The following singers are part of the chorus in addition to handling other roles: Soprano Victoire Bunel: Maestra Luciana, Giannina, Bastiu, and A Voice. Bass Francesco Leone: Santino Littorra, Antonio Vargiu and Dottor Mastinu. This is a one-act opera with a large cast and the need to assign multiple roles is obvious and they do a fine job.     

Accabadora takes place in several locations and set designers Valentina Carrasco and Mariangela Mazzeo show imaginative and economic work. The jeu de Paume theatre has a small stage but the designers give us some idea of where we are. The most imaginative touch is the design of the vineyard where rows of rotating vines are shown beautifully. Carrasco also directs the production and she handles the mysterious and dramatic with the lighter side of the opere superbly.

The music, not always easy to absorb on a first hearing, varies from traditional to staccato to dissonant. It is played by the Orchestra of the Lyon Opera conducted by Lucie Leguay.

Accabadora is steeped in the life, the traditions, the mythology and psyche of a Sardinian village that may be strange to most of us. Will we get another chance to see a production?

I read somewhere that there have been some 6000 operas composed in the last 400 years. Are more than 600 of them produced again after their premiere?
 __________
Accabadora by Francesco Filidei and Manuelle Mureddu opened on July 4, 2026 and was performed five times on various dates at the Théâtre du jeu de Paume, 17 - 21 rue de l'Opéra. Aix-en-Provence, France. www.festival-aix.com 

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN - REVIEW OF 2026 AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

Die Frau Ohne Schatten is a marvelous opera by Richard Strauss that receives a stupendous production at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. All the ingredients for superb opera are present – outstanding orchestra, remarkable cast and excellent production values – for a great night at the opera.

Die Frau is considered part of the standard opera repertoire but the opportunities for seeing it do not seem particularly generous. This Grand Théâtre de Provence makes up for lost time for some of us.

The plot by the master librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal involves an Emperor (Michael Spyres) and his Empress (Vida Mikneviciute) who have a problem. She cannot bear a child because she is not fully human and therefore does not have a shadow. If she does not find a shadow, the Emperor will be turned into stone.

The Empress’s crafty Nurse (Nina Stemme) thinks she can find someone to give up her shadow, and all their problems will be solved. She approaches Barak the Dyer (Brian Mulligan) and his Wife (Ambur Braid) with promises of a better life if the unhappy Wife will give up her desire for children and her shadow. Mr. and Mrs. Dyer are not happy.

In the second act, the plot thickens with the Nurse conjuring a handsome young man to seduce the Dyer’s Wife and a talking Falcon leads the Emperor to the forest. Morality becomes a serious consideration with the Empress dealing with decency and not wanting to deprive Dyer’s Wife of her shadow. The plot complications and ethical issues continue until a satisfactory resolution is achieved.

The Nurse and the two couples are the main drivers of the plot but there is a stageful of other characters. Barak has three brothers, The One-Eyed, The One-Armed and The Hunchback. There are voices from Above, a Hawk, a Falcon, City Guardians and children. There is a dancer (Prince Mihai), actors and actresses, the Choir of the Orchestra of Paris and the eminent Orchestre de Paris. They all add up to scenic and vocal splendor of the highest order. 

`DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN in new production by 
Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, 2026. Photo © Monika Rittershaus

First the score. Strauss provides lush, complex music that would make a superb orchestral concert. This is post-Wagner music that demands a full orchestra playing at the top of their form. Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Orchestre de Paris in its epic performance of the music that lasts for 3 hours and 45 minutes with two intermissions. 

The redoubtable Swedish soprano Nina Stemme sings the role of the Empress’s Nurse who has a diabolical side to her. Stemme has excelled in roles like Isolde and Brunhilde and tackles the role of the Nurse with vocal prowess and convincing acting ability. This is magnificently powerful singing that leaves one breathless.

American baritone Mulligan and Canadian soprano Braid as the quarrelsome couple Barak the Dyer and his Wife are put through a series of emotional turmoils and vocal demands as they face temptation and resolution. They meet the vocal and acting demands with supreme performances as they maneuver through Strauss’s treacherous demands.

Lithuanian soprano Mikneviciute sings a splendid Empress. She is not quite human and needs to find a shadow, in other words become human so she can save her husband and have a child. She has some soaring vocal flourishes that Mikneviciute handles with gorgeous ease and is the moral force of the opera, adding to the attractiveness of the role.

American baritenor Michael Spyres sings the role of the hapless Emperor who is about to turn into stone unless the Empress can find a shadow. He is left alone through some of the opera, but he sings superbly when called upon. The term baritenor is not exactly frequently seen or heard but as you may have guessed it means a singer with a range that can qualify as tenor and baritone and Spyres is one of the exceptional singers who qualifies.

There many other small roles as indicated above and there are singers taking on two, three or four of them. I will not comment on each performance because there is not enough room in my review for that.

Die Frau Ohne Schatten takes place in some mythical kingdom run by the mysterious and invisible spirit god Keikobad. It also takes place in the humble abode of Barak and his wife on earth as well as the forest and a grotto somewhere below. That sounds like a set designer’s nightmare, but Michael Levine is non-plussed by it. The abode on earth is represented by a square multi-floored scaffold made of glass. It is high but relatively small otherwise. It is unrealistic but brilliant. The rest of the scenes are constructed equally economically and take away nothing from the opera. As to the complex symbols of the libretto, a lengthy essay could begin to decode them but not here. 

A word about the moral issue. Hofmannsthal wrote that Die Frau Ohne Schatten is related to The Magic Flute. Both operas have two couples striving for something higher. In The Magic Flute, Tamino strives for virtue through difficult trials and is eventually admitted to the temple of Sarastro. In Die Frau, the Empress is about to take the shadow of a human being but decides not to do that on the grounds of human decency. It is an amazing stand and I will not give you more details.

What counts is the stupendous production of a difficult opera, directed by Barrie Kosky and we can only hope that a video of it will become available soon.
______________________
Die Frau Ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal opened on July 3 and was performed a total of five times until July 12, 2026, at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France.  http://festival-aix.com/

James Karas is the Culture editor of The Greek Press, Toronto.

REQUIEM - REVIEW OF 2026 AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

The production of Mozart’s Requiem at the Aix-en-Provence Festival beside The Magic Flute and Die Frau Ohne Schatten may appear odd but it was produced there in 2019 so there is that precedent at least. I associate a requiem done by an orchestra with a chorus and soloists, but this production is a fully staged work. A glance at the program reveals that the following people are involved: a director, a dramaturge, a choreographer as well as a set, lighting and costume designer. The last three are handled by Director Romeo Castellucci.

I saw the 2019 production and admittedly forgot it and was curious about my reaction to a fully staged offering.  Mozart’s Requiem lasts less than an hour and is at times recorded in beautiful cathedrals. By definition, a requiem is a mass for the dead, a solemn chant for their souls and a prayer for our eternal souls.

Mozart’s Requiem falls squarely in that description. It was left unfinished at his death, and several composers had a hand in finishing it and experts are not sure who contributed what but that is not our concern.

The Festival’s production goes beyond the Requiem that we have inherited incorporating other Mozart compositions and using some Gregorian chants. The program does not give us details of these, but what can be played in less than an hour is stretched to about 100 minutes. It goes from the solemnity and vigorous parts of the Requiem to dance routines and some boisterous celebratory segments.

First let us praise the Pygmalion Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Raphael Pinchon. The soloists are Melissa Petit, soprano, Beth Taylor (alto), Duke Kim (Tenor) and Alex Rosen (bass).  The interplay among soloists, the chorus and the orchestra reach heights of supreme splendor. They go from the simple four-word chant Kyrie eleison to the bleak Dies irae, the Day of Wrath, the day that will dissolve the earth in ashes.

The Requiem implores the Lord for eternal rest and perpetual light for the souls of the departed, prays for mercy on us, warns about the day of judgment that awaits all of us, and glorifies the Lord and expresses our gratitude for his mercy. That is a spectrum that covers the breadth of Christian life and faith.

Scene from Requiem. Aix-en-Provence Festival 2026 © Monika Rittershaus

But Castelucci, Dramaturge Piersandra Di Matteo, and Choreographer Evelin Facchini have a lot more in mind. As Costume designer, Castellucci adds costume changes including a scene with traditional red and white dresses, with flowers at the back of the stage, has colourful hats on the dancers who perform some dance-around-the-rosy and a number with plenty of colourful streamers around a Maypole. The stage décor changes and at one point the rear wall of the stage is sprayed and painted in green and red.

The back of the stage has titles preceded by the word Extinction and it calls for the disappearance of just about everything from music to literature to a couple of dozen things that may be considered as civilization and some others less crucial items that I cannot remember. They appeared on the dimly lit rear panel, and I stopped paying attention to them.

Near the end of the performance, the entire floor of the stage was raised from the back up so that it ended up standing almost vertically. Water ran down cleaning the dirt or whatever was supposed to be on the boards. I assume it was rather crude cleansing of our sins but after everything had become extinct, I am not sure.

The following two verses embrace the Catholic faith on which the Requiem is based. They encompass the extremes of heaven and hell and affirm the love and generosity of God and Jesus. I am not sure that the additional forty minutes inserted by Romeo Castellucci and his artistic so-workers added much to the Requiem.

Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,

deliver the souls of all the faithful

departed from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit.

King of awful majesty,

Who freely savest the redeemed,

Save me, O fount of goodness.

The end of the performance was greeted by a few loud boos followed by bravos from some members of the audience. The orchestra, the chorus, the soloists and the dancers received only positive responses. The artistic backstage people were booed again when they appeared for a bow.
______________________________
Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart opened on July 4th and will be performed a total of five times until July 12, 2026, at the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, Aix-en-Provence, France.  http://festival-aix.com/

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto