The festivity of opera in Europe
by Jonathon Brown
When I wrote on Wine Festivals I reported how a friend had said that wine is a festival in itself; well, I shall take his remark over to opera, even more so. I always dress up a bit for the opera; it seems to me to bepart of the surreal treat of the evening to feel festive in the face of such celebration. But it's true, jeans and a t-shirt won't kill the spirit of opera
Along the road from me is a French village - rich in vines! - in which the smallest opera festival on Earth takes place; last year's opera was a specially written piece "Sorbet! Sorbet!", set in an ice-cream factory and this year's single performance is "La Voix humaine" by Poulenc, to the text by Cocteau. The WEM (it stands for Week-End Musical) at Carnoules is from 22nd to 26th July. Blink and you miss it. In the other direction, in more ways than one, is the Monte Carlo Opera House and a rather different celebration, no less nor more valid. (But, ahem, no t-shirts please.) And there is opera in Marseilles, Toulon, Nice as well as occasional outbursts in Antibes, Villefranche and Menton. The dedicated opera fan here will not wish to hire his evening wear, there are too many evenings out to be had...
The operatic evenings in Villefranche I mention are in the gardens of the Villa Rothschild on Cap Ferrat and this gives a clue: often the festive opera spectacles are focussed on a setting of spectacular natural or historical beauty. Both Salzburg and Edinburgh lie in the lap of great natural beauty, dominated by a castle, and in the late 1940s both festivals were determined to champion the riches of our artistic heritage after an era of destruction. Both festivals flourish but it is a measure of the worth of their vision that possibly hundreds of others have come to flourish in the sixty years since. (For Salzburg, go to www.salzburgfestival.at/; and for the Edinburgh Festival: www.eif.co.uk; and the Fringe: www.edfringe.com/)
Not that you need a castle, but perhaps it helps? Savonlinna for instance is a small town on the shores of the vast Lake Saimaa in eastern Finland, all surveyed by the fifteenth century castle of Olavinlinna, slumbersome in winter but alive with music in the summer thanks to the Savonlinna Opera Festival - whose home is the castle itself a ready-made auditorium whose stone and timber have provided backdrops for a wide array of operas. Though the festival was founded in 1912 by the Finnish soprano Aino Ackté, by 1918 she was unable to fund it and with the exception of one season in the 1930s, the renaissance of opera in the castle took place only forty years ago. Now it is difficult to imagine the European opera calendar without it. (www.operafestival.fi/)
One of the most impressive of statistics for opera in castles is this: the first record of a fully staged musical event - well, opera was a term still wet on the pages of history - in Lithuania was at the 'Lower Castle' in Vilnius in 1636, so, the Lithuanian Opera lives up to a long tradition. (www.opera.lt/) More recent traditions have been established at the castle of Peralada for instance, between Figueres (home incidentally to the Dalí museum) and the Costa Brava, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This Catalonian town has less than 2,000 inhabitants, but the Castell de Peralada Music Festival does them proud and it was here that José Carreras made his return to singing after his terrible illness. (www.festivalperalada.com/) Over in north Germany, on the other hand, the Eutiner Summer Festival enjoys a wonderful natural setting, in the royal castle gardens with an amphitheatre amidst tall, lush trees. (www.eutiner-festspiele.de/)
It doesn't have to be a castle, of course, but it isn't too irreverent for a Wagnerian to think of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre Wagner built in the 1870s as the composer's own opera castle. At least he insisted that opera be thought of as requiring a festival - the term Festival Theatre is his. Still, it is a curious mistake on the part of the Wagner family (who run the theatre to this day amidst intermittent scandals or squabbles) that they suppose he wished only his own work to be performed, when we have evidence from his conversations that he wished it eventually to be a festival for all great German opera. For the time being, though, it remains the shrine to his work. (www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/) No t-shirts here either, please.
And if it doesn't have to be a castle, it doesn't even have to have a roof: when it comes to the old Roman arenas, we think of course of Verona and Orange, but do not overlook the curiosity at Avenches, a Roman capital city then called Aventicum - but home now to an interesting opera festival. (Verona: www.arena.it; Orange: www.choregies.asso.fr; Avenches: www.avenches.ch/ota/page.php) And when the Three Tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo & Carreras, staged the first of their extravaganzas of opera and song, they did so at the Caracalla Baths in Rome, open-hearted in the open, the pining arias by the pines, the stars under the stars. (www.Rome-Museum.com)
At Bregenz, on Lake Constance [the Bodensee], Austria, the setting is the lake, and the opera stage is built out across water. You might think that what matters is what is on stage but, just as with the gold leaf and curlicues of the grandest opera houses, the surroundings have an infectious part to play in the magic of opera. An evening by that lake is an enchanted setting and Bregenz Festival productions are known for a very high standard. (www.bregenzerfestspiele.com/) Note that access to many German-speaking festivals, by the way, for instance those at Bayreuth, Salzburg and Bregenz, is gathered in one site: www.festspiele.de/.
And I'll mention here an oddity, the Hamburg festival for opera film - an increasingly important genre now that the DVD has gained such popularity with music-lovers for its sound quality, so far ahead of the old tapes. (www.opernfilmfestival.de/website.php)
What follows are items and addresses that have caught my eye as I sort a desk now inches deep in the wonderfully rich, varied and colourful world of opera in Europe! Tra-la!!
HUNGARY FOR OPERA?
LET ME GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHAT THERE MAY BE ON OFFER...
To give you some idea of the impossibility of doing more than skimming the froth of this brew, I shall look at Hungary in a little more detail than any other country.
Festivals aren't confined to capital cities, quite the contrary. In Miskolc the "Bartók + Szlávok" International Opera Festival seeks to encourage co-operation between Hungarian artists and artists within the European Union, especially in the contemporary and classical music; the focus is on Béla Bartók. The Festival opens on 11th June and the six operas on the programme this year are an impressive gathering. (www.operafesztival.hu/)
Janáček: Jenufa (12 June): a guest performance by Hungarian State Opera at the Miskolc National Theatre, Summer Theatre; with Anja Silja in the title role, conducted by János Kovács and directed by Attila Vidnyánszky
Bartók evening in memoriam Gyula Harangozó Sr. (13 June): Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle and the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, the North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oberfrank; at the Grand Theatre
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (15 June) a guest performance by the Slovak National Theatre Bratislava, conducted by Pavol Selecký
Directed by: Peter Konwitschny, at the Grand Theatre
Recital by Evgeny Nesterenko (15 June), at the Miskolc Synagogue
Tenor Gala (16 June) at the Grand Theatre: Lee Yeong Won, Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Leonardo Caimi, with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ádám Medveczky
Dvořák: Ruszalka (18 June) at the Grand Theatre; a guest performance by the State Theatre Kosice, conducted by Igor Dohovič, directed by Zdeněk Troška
Smetana: The Bartered Bride (19 June) at the Summer Theatre; a guest performance by the Csokonai Theatre, Debrecen
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (21 June) at the Grand Theatre, a guest performance by the Moscow Helicon Theatre; conducted by: Vladimir Plonkin, directed by: Dmitry Bertman.
On the other hand, in the capital, opera is well served of course. The State Opera House in Budapest is a magnificent auditorium dating from 1884 and was conceived as the equal to the opera houses of London, Vienna and Paris. The staircase and the auditorium of the palace, designed by Miklós Ybl, are decorated with frescos by Hungarian painters such as Bertalan Székely, Mór Thán and Károly Lotz. Mahler was director for many years, Klemperer cut his operatic teeth here and the premières of two of Puccini's operas took place here. Renowned guest conductors include Otto, Sergio Failoni and Lamberto Gardelli. Also in the capital and of interest to music-lovers are the Music Academy (in full the Ferenc Liszt College of Music Art, founded in 1875 and now housed in an imposing Art Nouveau building dating from 1907, with two concert halls: www.zeneakademia.hu/hp/english/index.html) and the Budapest Operetta Theatre (www.operettszinhaz.hu/index.php?nyelvid=2).
For a guide to theatre life in Budapest, see www.budapestinfo.hu/en/culture/theatres.
AUSTRIA
Salzburg has already been mentioned and Vienna scarcely needs introduction: the famous Vienna Staatsoper stands at the heart of the city, one of the grandest opera houses in the world and with a tradition to match. But do not over look the Volksoper...
www.vienna-opera.com/?gclid=CMXjqM62tJICFRciFQodHkNuQQ
www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/home/eninfo/2172.php
www.volksoper.at/Content.Node2/home/en/index.php
At Innsbruck there is a small but careful festival of early music, which takes place in July in the Spanish Hall of Ambras Castle - ah, those castles again! - and which in August has as focus Handel's oratorio "Belshazzar".... http://www.altemusik.at/english/terminuebersicht.php
BULGARIA
Sofia is a city of music-making, none as fine as the Sofia Opera House. Great performers such as Nicolai Ghiaurov, Nicolai Ghiuselev, and Ghena Dimitrova began their careers at the National Opera.
CROATIA
In Croatia it is in Zagreb that the richest tradition is to be found, dating of course back to Austro-Hungarian times. This year's new productions include Mirjana by Josip Mandic - a reminder that local national composers fare perhaps better in the New Europe than in the old centres such as London or Paris? www.hnk.hr/en/sezona.php
Nonetheless, do not overlook the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, which always includes opera. www.dubrovnik-festival.hr/
CZECH REPUBLIC
Father to Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek it is no surprise that the Czech nation has music and opera a-plenty. Prague has three opera houses: the State Opera House, The Estates Theatre - where Mozart put on the first performance of Don Giovanni - and the National.
ESTONIA
Opera has been performed in Estonia for 250 years. In 1865, the song and drama society "Estonia" was founded in Tallinn and in 1906 this became the basis for what (after several changes of name) is now the Estonian National Opera; the present Opera House in Tallinn was finished in 1913, funded by public subscription. The first Estonian opera, Evald Aava's "Vikerlased", was staged in 1928, and before his great presence in Scotland, Neeme Järvi was chief conductor and music director for over a decade here, 1963-1975. (www.opera.ee/index.aw/set_lang_id=2)
GERMANY
Now properly re-established as the capital of Germany, Berlin is rich in opera houses: Deutsche Oper Berlin (www.deutscheoperberlin.de), Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin with the Komische Oper Berlin (www.staatsoper-berlin.org), and least known, the Agon Opera (www.agon-lichtburg.de).
GREECE
The Greek National Opera is based in Athens:
LATVIA
The Latvian National Opera in Riga has a tradition of opera & ballet going back more than two hundred years and the annual Riga Opera Festival takes place in June. Latvians were quick to make-over Riga's Opera House following the ousting of the Soviets in 1991 determined as they were that the new Opera House would spearhead a drive towards recreating their national identity. The company director, Andrejs Zagars, has a reputation for 'youthful brashness and a willingness to take risks'. www.opera.lv/opera.php?lang=2
POLAND
Operatic life in Warsaw focuses on the Opera Narodowa (or National Opera) at the Teatr Wielki - one of the largest theatres in Europe - and the Warsaw Chamber Opera which on the other hand gives its performances in a small converted church. The National Opera performs ballet and opera from September to June, with a repertoire of what we may call the standards as well as the Polish repertoire past and present - another reminder of the vitality of opera as a living art form away from the supposed 'centres'... The much younger Warsaw Chamber Opera was founded in 1965 and is most associated with the Mozart Festival in June and July.
The Krakow Opera Company makes use of the immense stage and plush auditorium of the Teatr Slowackiego theatre (www.krakow-info.com/slowacki.htm) while the Krakow Chamber Opera has its playhouse at in the Kazimierz district. (http://www.krakow-info.com/kazmierz.htm)
ROMANIA
In Romania, Bucharest turns out to be a city of theatres indeed, with the Opera House as well as the Bucharest National Philharmonic, the Operetta House, the National Drama Theatre, the Marionette Theatre, the Nottara Drama Theatre, Odeon Drama, Jewish Theatre and the Romanian National Circus House...
www.visitbucharest.ro/en/TheatresOperaBallet.html
SLOVAKIA
The Bratislava opera & ballet has its home at the Slovak National Theatre, on Hviezdoslavovo Square - I recall how astounded we all were at an Edinburgh Festival nearly twenty years ago, by the panache and quality of their performances. www.bratislavaguide.com/
SLOVENIA
Ljubljana describes itself as a jewel in the crown of Europe if not the world: its opera company has similar ambition.
www.opera.si/operaen/app/informacije.asp
© Jonathon Brown. All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to the European Commission.