On Fridays, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most essential topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. After another shocking performance at the Salzburg Festival in 2001, Gerard Mortier, the famous opera director himself, spoke about the Neuenfels’ production of “Fledermaus” as he summarized his 10 years {…}
In a 2019 article, Lynn René Bayley castigated modern opera for its “bastardization” of its sacred origins. She declared that the post-modernist operatic aesthetic relies too much on brazen sexuality and enigmatic “shock-value,” with such dependencies producing nothing but “gutter trash” performances that are poisoning the artform’s contemporary credibility. After having expressed her disgust at Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory-themed take on Wagner’s {…}
Opinions on regietheater can be quite divided although anyone with a negative one should have a level of understanding for what Oper Köln is currently undergoing. The company’s opera house, located in the center of the city in the square named for native son Jacques Offenbach, is currently being renovated. That has required Oper Köln to shift to several locations {…}