What’s wrong with this opera set? Everything.

What’s wrong with this opera set? Everything.

main

norman lebrecht

February 14, 2014

albert herring

 

This is a general rehearsal shot of the Vienna Volkoper’s new production of Albert Herring. They want it to look authentic English, 1940s.

But check that cash till. It’s heavy metal, unseen before 1960s. And the amount on the till? Should be in £.s.d.

The outfits? A shopkeeper would have worn full-length brown overalls, not a short pinny. And no-one, but no-one in chilly 1940s England ever went shoulder-cut sleeveless.

Or had a telephone booth inside the shop.

Nice try, guys. Muss try harder, ja?

albert herring

Photo: Daniel Ochoa, Sebastian Kohlhepp. Copyright: Barbara Zeininger

Comments

  • The overalls and the shirt are not the doing of the set designer.

  • Invienna says:

    Sorry, but why do you assume that “They want it to look authentic English, 1940s.”. I can assure you that this is not the intention of the designer. And so what? Its not the first opera prodution set in a time period different from the original. Do you often judge a production that you’ve not seen, based on one close-up photo?

    And to be entirely accurate, this isnt “the Vienna Volkoper’s new production of Albert Herring”, but rather a co-production with the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck from 2012.

    “Muss try harder”? A bit snippy under the circumstances, dont you think?

  • MOST READ TODAY: