Opera Chic

Daniele Gatti Makes Elektra Electrifiying for Zurich Opera (And a Cameo by Agnes Baltsa Isn't so Bad Either!)

(Above: Irène Friedli, Wiebke Lehmkuhl, Sen Guo, Liuba Chuchrova. Photo: Hans Jörg Michel.)

The New Music Director of the Zurich Opernhaus, Daniele Gatti, led the premiere of Strauss's Elektra in Martin Kusej's 2003 reprised production which opened last night.

The Milanese Maestro held firm the poduim, conducting the Orchester der Oper Zürich in the insanely taxing, expressionist work last heard at the Opernhaus Zurich seven years ago in the same production (with Christoph von Dohnányi conducting his Yamamotos off).

Eva Johansson sings the lead. Greek mezzo and former big playa in Herbie von Karajan's scarily awesome circle of singers, Agnes Baltsa, sings Klytämnestra. Sassy American soprano Emily Magee rounds-out the cast as Chrysothemis.

We're happy to hand Gatti his Elektra victory by his adoring Swiss fans, which is only made sweeter by last night's massacre at San Siro where Internationale FC handed Milan AC their collective a$$es on a platter in a 2-0 triumph. Although Gatti may call Zurich his new home, he'll never stop cheering for gli azzurri.

(Above: Eva Johansson. Photo: Hans Jörg Michel.)  

 

(Above: Emily Magee. Photo: Hans Jörg Michel.) 

You'll have to click the link below to see photos of the fabulous Ms. Agnes Baltsa. Are you ready?

Bolzano Bewbs Make Elektra Complete

 

Bolzano's Teatro Comunale just put on their first Elektra ever! If you happen to find yourself in Italy's Trentino/Alto Adige/Südtirol Northern hauls... the theater's "event of the season" -- Strauss's schlocky revenge extravaganza, the greatest opera Roger Corman never directed. In Bolzano, instead (it later tours Modena, Piacenza and Ferrara), it's been conducted by Gustav Kuhn and directed by Manfred Schweigkofler. The lead is being shared between Anna Katharina Behnke and Elena Popovskaya.

Speaking of sharing things, O.C. doesn't hide her penchant for bewbs which you can find on super-zoom after the cut (along with a couple more shots).

Weezy Does It! Fabio Luisi for The Metropolitan Opera's Elektra

 
(Photo Mary Altaffer) 

Fabio "Weezy" Luisi, Opera Chic Conductor of the Year 2008, the maestro with a German brain and an Italian heart, proved to the Metropolitan audiences that he can slay Strauss like the baton-wielding superhero he becomes when he picks up the baton. Currently in NYC (where he landed last month for the second run of Le Nozze di Figaro), his Elektra is exiting to rave reviews for a "voluptuous seductive sound".

Above is Weezy at the final dress rehearsal, rawking his skinny tie and black jeans. We hope the big guy in the back with all those tattoos is on his good side! What tattoos? Click the link below to get inked...

Weezy is my homebeezy!

Hush Hush Sweet Klytemnestra

Agnes Baltsa (Klytemnestra) tries to arm wrestle Nadine Secunde (Elektra) in Richard Strauss's Elektra; rehearsals at the State Opera House in Budapest, premieres Nov. 24. Murder, obviously, starts in the heart. (ph. EPA)