Spain Shostakovich, The Nose: Teatro Real Chorus and Orchestra / Mark Wigglesworth (conductor). Teatro Real, Madrid, 27.3.2023. (JMI)
Production:
Director – Barrie Kosky
Sets and lighting – Klaus Grünberg
Costumes – Buki Shiff
Choreography – Otto Pichler
Chorus director – Andrés Máspero
Cast:
Platon Kovalev – Martin Winkler
Barber / Newspaper Manager /Doctor – Alexander Teliga
Praskovia – Ania Jeruc
Police Inspector / Eunuch – Andrei Popov
Nose – Dmitry Ivanchey
Ivan and others – Vasily Efimov
Old Countess – Agnes Zwierko
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) is without doubt one of the most essential composers of the 20th century, however solely two of his operas are a lot carried out these days: The Nose, one of many first he composed, which was adopted by Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk.
A really unusual opera, The Nose noticed the sunshine in Saint Petersburg in 1930 however had not reached Teatro Real till now, though it might be seen in Spain on a tour by the Moscow Chamber Opera 1992. The work is predicated on a brief story by Gogol the place the protagonist loses his nostril, which then takes on a lifetime of its personal. Teatro Real mounted it with nice care, each when it comes to music and of staging, and has efficiently overcome the challenges concerned.
This is a co-production of Teatro Real with Covent Garden, Komische Oper Berlin and Opera Australia, beneath the path of Barrie Kosky. It premiered in October 2016 in London and was later placed on in each Sydney and Berlin.
There isn’t any query that Barrie Kosky is considered one of in the present day’s main administrators, and I can say this with much more confidence after having attended his imaginative The Nose. The set is kind of easy, with a semicircle to which some props are added within the middle: the house is left empty within the crowd scenes, of which there are a lot of. The manufacturing has life and pleasure, and it displays an exquisite job on the a part of the director.
The musical path was beneath Mark Wigglesworth, who supplied an excellent studying of an opera that has rather a lot to conduct. He managed the pit and stage completely and drew an incredible efficiency from the orchestra. The similar might be mentioned of the refrain.
The vocal forged is presumably the longest of any opera, with many singers doubling and tripling in numerous elements. In this overview, I’ll refer solely to the main roles.
The protagonist is Platon Kovalev: the character who loses his nostril. He was interpreted by baritone Martin Winkler, who was excellent each vocally and on stage. It was a assured success to have counted on him – he had performed Kovalev on this manufacturing earlier than.
Bass Alexander Teliga did nicely because the Barber, Doctor and Newspaper Manager, and his voice carried properly all through the room. Soprano Ania Jeruc within the a part of the Barber’s spouse was vocally right and gave a fantastic efficiency. Tenor Andrei Popov because the Police Inspector was additionally good.
The Nose in its unbiased life was interpreted by Dmitry Ivanchey, and I might spotlight his efficiency. Tenor Vasily Efimov within the a part of Ivan and mezzo-soprano Agnes Zwierko because the Old Countess had been well-suited to their roles. The remaining elements – greater than 50 of them – had been all correctly lined by 23 singers in whole.
The efficiency added a Presenter, Anne Igarteburu, on the finish, who addressed the viewers in Spanish.
José M. Irurzun