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Il Trovatore in The White City [ Author Michael Daniel Watson ] [ From category THE Articles ] [ Subcategory OperaRail 2014 ] [ Translator Cristian Butnaru ] [ Article date: 2014-03-15 ] [ From city Belgrad ] [ Country Serbia ]   Il Trovatore at Belgrade, The White City, it was almost how a veridian minstrel should be. Due to this reason, I don`t have many things to write about; from Mr. Dejan Savici, conductor of the performance, point of view the classic set-up would be the most adequate approach. A gentle blue smoke fills the air. In the front of a wooden fortress, simply suggested by 3 wood constructions, Ferrando tells the frightening story of the gypsy woman burned on the stake and the kidnapped child. With the help of a rotating scene the background is efficiently changed. Leonora dressed in a long blue dress with golden patterns, the Count in his armor, black pants, cape and boots and Manrico the dressed the same only with a white shirt. Worth mentioning in the first act is the duel between Manrico and the Count; as the curtain drops, Manrico stands victorious with the sword over his opponent. The second part was magnificent. The choir was great, but most importantly Azucena interpretation, interpreted by Natasha Iovici Trivici, was sublime!!! With the best aria “Stride la vampa" which always gives chills up my spine. For the following acts, because it`s a classic set-up, there is nothing important to point out, leaving me with the chance to admire the advantages a modern set-up gives, because there I have things to notice. :-) I am joking, of course, almost every time I prefer a classical approach instead of a modern one because the charm of the opera with a 300 years old tale is given by the audience as well, placing yourself in that era among the costumes and scenery. After the spectacle Mr. Dejan Savici and I had a little chat. He spoke about the renovation of the opera and how the number of seats diminished from 800 to 700 which wouldn`t be bad for the population Belgrade had 145 years ago, about 30 000 people, compared to the present approximately 2 million. He spoke highly of Angela Gheorghiu and told me he is well aware of the situation our opera is in by collaborating with many Romanian artists (Roxana Briban, Viorica Cortez, Georgeta Stoleriu, Ludovic Spiess, Eugena Moldoveanu, Neli Miricioiu, Niculae Herlea etc) and conducting in cities like, Bucharest, Timisoara, Iasi, Craiova, where he will have a spectacle in the near future, on the 1st of May 2014, “Otello" by Giuseppe Verdi. Also he remembered with less pleasure how the national male handball team of Romania led by Hruia (alias Gruia) and Gatu beat Iugoslavia at the 70`s World Series. I came back to the Opera in Belgrade after 3 years and 3 days. From a personal view, the capital of Serbia represents the city where in the same day (12 March 2011), I saw my first foreign football game (Partizan-Ofk) and my first foreign performance ("The Swan Lake"). Recently, in December, I saw the final of the World Handball Championship (Women category) in Belgrade, which established the world record for attendance at a women handball game, 20 000 spectators! The link with the actual event is: Belgrade is for me the 3rd city after Bucharest and London, in which I have seen at least an opera, ballet, football and handball game. A fact that surprised me because this never happened to me even in Craiova, Brasov or Constanta! Cast: Leonora - Sanja Kerkez Manrico - Dusan Plazinić Contele de Luna - Dragutin Matic Azucena - Natasha Jovic Trivic Ferrando - Ivan Tomašev Conductor - Dejan Savić

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30-09-2024: Aida storica 1913
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Arena di Verona, the most Italian place on Earth!

These are the slogans through which Arena di Verona has chosen this year, 2024, to promote the Opera Festiva
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[ Author Michael Daniel Watson ]
From category THE Articles

21-09-2024: Aida shines brightly at the Arena di Verona
The Arena di Verona is also presenting a modern version of Aida, in addition to the old but wonderful version from 1913. And it looks something like this!

The stage is tilted, and the floor is made of glass. In the center, a giant hand
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[ Author Michael Daniel Watson ]
From category THE Articles

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Mario`s painting is huge, but... it`s on the floor, lying on its side. Mario doesn`t actually paint it, but "works" on some sketches. In the center of the stage you can see some huge shapes/objects, covered with black cloths. There are also two canno
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[ Author Michael Daniel Watson ]
From category THE Articles

01-09-2024: “La boheme� at Arena di Verona
Arena di Verona. We arrive. We park. We get off. We take a few pictures with the Arena in the background, then ... a heavy rain starts! We take shelter under a tree. :-) I don`t think the show is happening anymore, but we can`t leave either, so we ju
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[ Author Michael Daniel Watson ]
From category THE Articles

20-12-2023: Spoletta, symbol of Hungarian anti-communist resistance
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[ Author Michael Daniel Watson ]
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