Austria stages war of two Toscas
OperaPuccini’s opera opened last night at Salzburg with Anna Netrebko in the title role, opposite her husband Yusif Eyvazov and Ludovic Tézier’s Scarpia. First reviews indicate it was a dull affair.
Tonight, another Tosca opens in Graz with Kristine Opolais, Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel. It will be nationally broadcast on ORF.
This is showdown time.
UPDATE: Terfel has pulled out. Ludovic Tézier flies in from Salzburg.
At least one cast can sing, however dull.
Salzburg to Graz is 175 miles apart, hardly down the road and about the same distance ENO/ROH is from Opera North.
Tezier came by car……
Maria: I only wonder what those four Thumb-downs are for. What you write is absolutely correct. Are they trolls?
Would not pay to see any of them, both Toscas already with their voices
Would not pay to hear any of them, both Toscas with their voices already drained, tired…
Kaufmann was a great Cavaradossi, but to be honest not anymore today.
As for the package (husband) of Netrebko – an insult to audiences around the world
How do You know when You do not watch?
Heard Terfel as Scarpia ages ago in Amsterdam and even then he wasn’t not up to the role vocally. And is opalais still singing?
Austria, like Germany, is a country with many opera houses. Tosca is an opera that is quite popular and thus staged frequently. Therefore, it might be staged at more than one opera house at the same time. To call this a “war” is somewhat ridiculous.
Yeah — call it a derby.
Herr Preuss: Austria has a small handful of Opera Houses when compared with Germany; the Graz Oper is considered to be the Nation’s number two, right behind the Vienna State Opera. Then there is Linz, the Landstheater Salzburg and Klagenfurt, besides Vienna’s alternative Houses Theater an der Wien and the Volksoper. Festivals are something apart.
You can’t in any way what so ever compare Germany’s
83 million population with Austria’s less than 9 million.
Measured by population Austria has even more professional opera performances than Germany: https://www.operasense.com/opera-by-country/ Significantly more! Of course, the absolute number of houses and performances is higher in Germany, but the numbers by population is a different story.
Anyway, my point was that a “war” is something deliberate. Two opera houses staging Tosca is not…
And now Tezier will sing in Graz as well! Terfel is out after the general rehearsal… Good luck for the singers!
Not to be outdone by Graz & ORF, the Salzburg production will be streamed by arte.tv this coming Friday, 27 Aug.
Let the Dullness Games begin!
Netrebko has forbidden the transmission !!!!!!!!
I wouldn’t pay or risk Covid to hear ether soprano. Kaufmann will be better than Eyvazov, assuming he doesn’t cancel. Tezier is excellent and a luxury replacement for Sir Bryn.
Kaufman has not cancelled anything for ages. He has been singing throughout the pandemic and gas been great. Your remark is insulting to him and above all wrong. The whole theme of remarks on this page is of nasty bitter trolls. Your thoughts such as they are would be better kept to yourselves. I really hate the bitchyness that pervades this blog not only about Kaufman but about pretty much everybody.