Haydn Il mondo della luna
I went to see this production in Theater an der Wien in December 2009. My wife had graciously alowed met to go as it was my birthday and so I flew from Amsterdam to Vienna, especially to see this production. I have been following Mr. Harnoncourts productions where I can for a number of years and wanted to see this one very much because you rarely are able to see a good production of a Haydn opera at all.
Theater ander Wien has for some years now been bringing opera productions again after a long time of only musicals and they have been able to do what the salzburg festival has not: secure Mr. Harnoncourts collaboration to conduct an opera every year. He has done Orlando Paladino (Haydn), The Rake`s progress (stravinsky) and will be doing a Rodelinda (handel) in 2010. Il mondo della luna is his second collaboration with Tobias Moretti, a well knwon German actor who has been increasingly active in the field of opera staging for some years. The first production they did together was Mozart`s La Finta Giadiniera at the Zurich opera. Yes, I saw that, as well.. And there is a dvd available of this production.
I really enjoyed the staging. It brings out the ridiculous and somewhat incredible story of the idiot Buonafede really well. Hilarious at points, but very severe at others. You are made to feel as if it could almost have been you..
Theater an der Wien has a large trickbag available, everything revolves, flies, turns, falls, rises etc. Mr. Moretti makes good use of this, there is always something to see and the jokes often turns to extreme human emotion in a second. This is Haydn at his best. A complete whirlpool of emotions that has you laughing and crying at the same time. (literally..)
Of course, the musical subtext has a lot to do with this. Concentus Musicus seemed even better, sharper than ever (if at all possible) and the sounds that came out of the pit were at times hardly recognisable as any kind of instrument.
The singing, too, was excellent and the singers were evidently well able to live their parts. As it were, they were not singing and/or acting it, they were IT.
Most of the very young cast I did not know. Of course, Dietrich Henschel is known to me and I had heard of Bernhard Richter, the others I did not know. Maite Beaumont made o profound impression on me, as did Vivica Genaux. Christina Landshamer and Anja Nina Bahrmann were stretched to the maximum of their abilities, but the dramatic expression was such that I easily forgave and forgot the few mistakes that they made.
The real star in the end is Mr. Harnoncourt, though. How this venerable old and wise man is able to touch everything he does with golddust is something that I have given up trying to understand several years ago. The story comes alive under his hands, tension is never released and most of all the human side of the characters is brought out to such a degree that the whole thing holds a mirror in front of you and that can be painfull at times..
I do not think that there is any production available that brings out the stunning genius of Haydn as a composer and as an opera composer to such a degree as this production does. Often underestimated, Mr. Haydn knows very well what goes on inside of us and how to address it. Perhaps he, in the end, is the true star of this production.
I would like to add a few comments after having viewed the DVD:
The staging is excellent. As a great compliment to Mr. Moretti, I have very rarely seen a staging that supports the music and the handling so well as this one does. Jokes are extremely funny and witty, made at just the right times and never preventing the singers from doing an excellent job. On the contrary, the singers are supported in bringing accross the idea to a great extent by the ideas of the staging. Also, the staging makes long lines and presents the story as a whole. Very well done.
The sounds that Mr. Harnoncourt produces from the orchestra are stunning. Much more than beautifull music, a life story with a large double bottom is presented here and the musical subtexts are extremely well done. This means that the joke or the drama is not allways evident in the text or the staging but comes from the musical subtext and is often taken further by the staging. This seems to be a production that is thought out to the smallest parts. It does not bring, however, a feeling of forcedness, but comes out very natural. As a whole, the production therefore provides one with a very entertaing evening filled with laughs on one hand, and on the other hand leaves one stunned and drained at the end. As Mr. Harnoncourt so justly said, when you scratch the surface of Haydn you find absolute madness just underneath.
The cast of singers really is excellent. Where do they find these people, that give their hearts and souls to such a production? As mentioned before, the majority I did not know but they are of a very high quality. I would especially like to mention Markus Shaefer her as I had not mentioned him before. Well sung and very well acted. Bravo!
When will we finally realise that the Haydn that everyone values, the Haydn of "creation" and "seasons" is the other side of the coin, that his operas are equally masterfull, are proof of the absolute genius of this composer. Mr. Harnoncourt and Mr. Moretti and their cast have set a standard here. Please, let others follow where they have led.
