Saturday, December 16, 2006

Do I Hear A Waltz?

Last night, mom and I went to Lyric to see Die Fledermaus. Now, this is what I've been waiting for them to do all season.

Gorgeous sets? Check.
Amazing ensemble cast of singers and actors? Check! Check! Check!
Crazy talented dancers doing elaborate dance numbers including the famed waltzes? Check.
No parking hassles because I decided to spring for valet?? Check!

From the moment the overture started and those familiar strains started to play, I knew it was going to be great. It was as light and frothy and sparkling as the 'king champagne' they sing about. It was also really funny - the titles helped my understanding, of course since I do not speak deutsch, but the cast was very expressive and funny themselves, in their voices of courses, but also in their body language. Rosalinde was playbed by the talented coloratura Andrea Rost, Gabriel by the hunky Bo Skovhus, and the tenor Bonaventura Bottone (gotta love that name) - but it was the soprano playing the chamber maid, Marlis Petersen, who absolutely stole the show. The opera clocked in at 3 and a half hours, but it flew by like the titular fledermaus. Definitely my favorite of the season so far...

2 comments:

Sarah B. Roberts said...

http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=3232

Rachel said...

Glad you like it! I managed to get myself a seat as well and I really enjoyed it. It was a good change of pace for me after seeing a million Trovatores, several Salomes, a couple of Romeos... it was nice to laugh.

And I agree about Marlis Petersen- incredibly funny. I adored her. And you know she's back in 2008 singing the title role in Berg's Lulu? A little birdie told me so. Oh, and did you know that in real life, Petersen has pink hair? Oh yeah. It's pink with blonde streaks.

Anyway, glad you had fun. It was definitely a highlight for me as well, although Trovatore is still may favorite (although I may be a *wee* bit biased. :-D)

-Rachel