“Capriccio” at the Opéra de Paris Palais Garnier

Edited by Tiziano T. Dossena —


Photo © Enric Montes

Photo © Enric Montes-

Logo_OnPOpening night Tuesday 19 January 2016-
2h30 no interval-
Palais Garnier from 19 January to 14 February 2016-

Capriccio-

Conversation in music in one act (1942)-

Music-
Richard Strauss-
Libretto-
Clemens Krauss-
Richard Strauss-

2012 – 2013 © Élisa Haberer/OnP-

CAST-
Conductor-
Ingo Metzmacher-
Director-
Robert Carsen-
Die Gräfin-
Emily Magee-
Der Graf-
Wolfgang Koch-
Flamand-
Benjamin Bernheim-
Olivier-
Lauri Vasar-
La Roche-
Lars Woldt-
Die Schauspielerin Clairon-
Daniela Sindram-
Eine italianische Sängerin-
Chiara Skerath-
Ein italianischer Tenor-
Juan José De León-
Monsieur Taupe-
Graham Clark-
Der Haushofmeister-
Jérôme Varnier-
Acht Diener-
Ook Chung-
Julien Joguet-
Myoung-Chang Kwon-
Chae Wook Lim-
Vincent Morell-
Christian Rodrigue Moungoungou-
Hyun-Jong Roh-
Slawomir Szychowiak-
Set design
Michael Levine
Costume design
Anthony Powell
Lighting design
Robert Carsen
Peter Van Praet
Choreography
Jean-Guillaume Bart
Dramaturgy
Ian Burton

Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
French and English surtitles

capriccio-quote

capriccioDvdEven if the world were to fall apart – as indeed it did on October 28th 1942 when Richard Strauss first performed his opera in Munich – Countess Madeleine would still remain, impassively awaiting an answer that would come neither “tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock”, nor for that matter, ever – an answer to the seemingly futile question: “Prima la musica, o prima le parole?” Is this a nostalgic twilight tribute to the world of yesteryear, which in its collapse would swallow up Stefan Zweig, the very artist who, in 1934, planted the idea for Capriccio in the composer’s head; or is it a mere caprice whose theoretical hedonism questions the position of the ageing composer, who entrenched himself in his Garmisch villa as dramatic events took place around him.

Robert Carsen, a master in the art of metatheatre, transforms the perspective of the Palais Garnier’s stage and the Foyer de la Danse into a mirrored jewel box for Adrianne Pieczonka’s opalescent voice. Ingo Metzmacher conducts the great German composer’s’ lyric testament.