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By ANDREW POWELL MUNICH \u2014 Three years ago Bavarian State Opera<\/a>\u2019s yearly Silvester performances of Die Fledermaus<\/em> came to a sudden, poorly excused halt. Never mind that they were a global signature of the company; Carlos Kleiber famously led ten of them. As substitutes, the powers-that-be provided La traviata<\/em> (Verdi was 200) and then, weirdly, L\u2019elisir d\u2019amore<\/em>. But last month the bat returned, courtesy of GMD Kirill Petrenko<\/a>, who, it turns out, is as much a fan as Kleiber and a tautly disciplined but supple musical advocate. Indeed he conducted gleefully Dec. 31 and Jan. 4 yet with his customary, at times martial, intensity, the carotid arteries alarmingly discernible \u2014 which did not preclude ballerina-like poses, hands high, fingers pointed together, for stylish delays in Johann Strauss\u2019s three-four time. The orchestra sizzled. The chorus sang with astonishing precision and expressive warmth, not least for Br\u00fcderlein, Br\u00fcderlein und Schwesterlein<\/em>. Oozing charm and impeccable in their comic timing as the Eisensteins were Marlis Petersen<\/a> and Bo Skovhus<\/a>. She sang, also danced, a seductive table-top Kl\u00e4nge der Heimat<\/em>, ending on the eighth-note high D, as written, although less than forte<\/em>. Anna Prohaska<\/a> brought moxie and what may have been a fine Lower Austrian drawl, not much volume, as the \u201cUnschuld vom Lande.\u201d Edgaras Montvidas<\/a> contributed an ardent, grainy-sounding Alfred, Michael Nagy<\/a> a mellifluous Falke, mezzo Michaela Selinger<\/a> a game but too-bright-sounding Orlofsky; her party guest, Thomas Hampson<\/a>, in town to prepare for Miroslav Srnka\u2019s costly new opera<\/a> South Pole<\/em>, interpolated a lavish Auch ich war einst ein feiner Cs\u00e1rd\u00e1skavalier \u2026 Komm, Zigan, spiel mir was vor<\/em>. Missing, alas, was the magnetic Alfred Kuhn<\/a>, long a definitive, droll Gef\u00e4ngnisdirektor<\/em> Frank here (also Antonio the gardener and Beno\u00eet the landlord); in context, Christian Rieger<\/a> looked and sounded awkwardly robust. Andreas Weirich<\/a>\u2019s rethinking of the old Leander Hau\u00dfmann production worked best in Acts I and II. The cramped jail action sputtered, and Viennese actor Cornelius Obonya<\/a>, a Salzburg Jedermann, went on too long as Frosch; he will be replaced this coming New Year\u2019s Eve by a Bavarian.<\/p>\n Photo \u00a9 Wilfried H\u00f6sl<\/p>\n Related posts:
Published: January 31, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n
\nPetrenko\u2019s Rosenkavalier<\/a>
\nVerdi\u2019s Lady Netrebko<\/a>
\nSee-Through Lulu<\/a>
\nPetrenko\u2019s Sharper Boris<\/a>
\nManon, Let\u2019s Go<\/a><\/p>\n