Thaïs in Torino, Frittoli's Bewbs Get Upstaged By Topless Chorus

Teatro Regio di Torino, under the musical direction of maestro Gianandrea Noseda, is currently staging Massenet's Thaïs. Opening night was awash with bewbs (thanks to Barbara Frittoli's Thaïs in a low-cut costume and topless chorus ladies -- a picture after the jump below), sensitive monkery in a black turtleneck (thanks to Lado Ataneli's Athanaël, tho we also must credit secondary cast's Simone Alberghini), twinkling orchestration (thanks to Noseda), and tumultuous chorus scrimmages, straight out of a Turner canvas (thanks to Stefano Poda's direction). The show runs until December 21, and it's a good excuse to visit Torino for Caffè Mulassano's excellent brioche (and espresso, of course). omg.

~*~

~*~

**Click on the link below for xXx NSFW naked lady bewbs**

Comments

[val]

Wow, Turin seems to be a fine opera center. Last year I remember there was an excellend production of Salome (by Carsen, if I'm not mistaken). Now that Thais looks very interesting. BRAVI!

[Maria]

why not bottomless too? It would be more profitable(!); until all values are turned down,until the words "ethics" and "decency"
disappear from all dictionaries.
In the near future audiences should be encouraged to eat, drink,sleep or even smoke
during performances and generally act as they please. It would be the only way for the opera houses to survive the economic crisis. Oh, I almost forgot: Pets should be allowed too!!

[Ida Lopes]

I couldn't agree more with Maria's post. What next? XXX-rated "love" duets?

[maguy]

But not too long ago,audience could eat and drink while Mozart
was supervising the performing Magic Flute.Only some hundred years ago the 'Bourgeois' tradition imposed silence in the arena !
Now here and there in opera houses and concert halls silence is disrupted by persistent coughing ...in the ROH London ,you are provided with free cough-sweets....So, Maria you are not far from
the roots of opera !

[Crhis]

When performances are tarted up like this I have to suspect the music isn't very good, that is to say, the singers aren't up to snuff, nor the orchestar, etc. Rather like adding lots of "condiments" to a dish that doesn't really taste very good. Have to distract the listener or the diner.

[furst]

Um...that should be "chaste".

[furst]

Meh. Now if La Frittoli had had the decency to go topless herself....

In any event, a trip to Turin isn't in the cards so we'll have to content ourselves with seeing La Fleming in the elaborately designed yet appalingly chase frocks par Messieur La Croix.

[coccodrillo]

Bewbs or not, this is supergay.

[La Cieca]

The photographs are of scenes of debauchery in a Alexandria, a city notorious for its sexual licentiousness. Why, then, should the participants in the orgy be depicted with as little clothing as possible?

What seems interesting to me (based on the scenes included in the "Prima della Prima" video) is that the director also uses seminudity for the chaste and cloistered monks and for the ballet accompanying the "Meditation." My interpretation is that nudity (like sexuality) per se is neither sinful nor chaste, but rather takes on a moral character from the beholder. This may not be precisely what Thais is about, but it's certainly in my opinion an interesting and provocative way of approaching a work that is difficult to present to a modern audience.

[Adi Schnytzer]

This is cute, but hardly new. I recall an fabulous production of Samson and Delila in Melbourne more than ten years ago, in which the sexually active Phillistines were completely naked in the last act, male and female, if memory serves. What's the problem?

[Laurie]

I loved this production, and thought the bodies, naked and otherwise, were passionately spiritual and in completely good taste. Although I have to say the red shoes I did not quite "get"......

Glad you came to see it, OC!!!!

[Manou]

Never mind the decolletés and the look of the thing - I heard it streamed live and Frittoli gave a woeful vocal performance with execrable high notes. This is just not her répertoire - she is fine in most Italian opera. I guess she wanted to wear the frocks...

[Chris]

I heard Thais for the first time in the Met radio broadcast Saturday afternoon. The music is really quite awful, beyond mediocre, and that explained it all. You need to do something...anything... to take people's attention off the music.

[Manou]

De gustibus......I absolutely love Massenet's music, particularly the sinuous and captivating arias for Thais herself. This opera also offers, of course, the lollipop to end all lollipops in the Méditation: no matter how many times you have heard it, it still hits you right in the solar plexus - and the (12-year old...) Concert Master of the Met played it with amazing refinement and delicacy. But hey - I don't even like Aida that much...

[Carina]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm6L3FkAz28