Columns linked to Javier Camarena

McVicar’s Old Zauberflöte continues to be Magical

Xavier Pujol

David McVicar’s production of Die Zauberflöte commissioned by London’s Covent Garden was premiered almost 20 years ago and it has now reached Liceu after touring the world and becoming a reference amongst the many stagings of Mozart’s Singspiel in the last decades. This wasn’t Liceu’s first choice, however, as when the season – now almost over – was first announced it featured a production form the Dutch National Opera signed by Simon...


The Great Lucia from Nadine Sierra and Javier Camarena

Xavier Pujol

Liceu continues with safe bets for guaranteed box office sold outs. Last month we had La Bohème and now for the closing of the season arrives Lucia di Lammermoor. The great title by Donizetti was presented with a premium cast: Mexican tenor Javier Camarena as Edgardo and North American soprano Nadine Sierra as Lucia for her debut at the theatre. The production, from 2015, came from the Bayerische Staatsoper, signed by Polish actress and theatre director Barbara Wysocka. The...


An Entertaining and Well Sung La fille du régiment at the Roya...

Sam Smith

La fille du régiment of 1840 was Gaetano Donizetti’s first opera set to a French language text (by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François-Alfred Bayard). Its premiere at the Opéra Comique in Paris has been described as a ‘barely averted disaster’ with the lead tenor apparently being frequently off-pitch, and composer and critic Hector Berlioz slating the piece as he had his own axe to grind with Donizetti. Nevertheless, Berlioz...


A pair of exceptional voices for a renewed Puritani

Xavier Pujol

A new production of I Puritani, Bellini’s last opera, a highly esteemed title at Liceu, was chosen to inaugurate the new season. The vocal demands of I Puritani are fearsome and great voices are required to achieve success in the two main roles. Liceu made sure this was covered by casting one of the trendy couples of today’s bel canto scene. Mexican tenor Javier Camarena and young South African soprano Pretty Yende will be featuring together in five different titles this season...


Gran Teatre del Liceu: A cruel, spectacular Rigoletto

Xavier Pujol

A dramatic conception that was complex to decipher and perhaps even polemic, a surprising and spectacular visual coldness and a totally convincing musical resolution were the three main axis of the performance of Rigoletto presented by Liceu. It is difficult to dramatically face the great titles of the repertoire because it is a matter of finding the right balance between redundancy and extravagance, two extremes that are both artistically sterile. In this production of the Verdian...


La Cenerentola at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival

Helmut Pitsch

This year the Salzburg Whitsun Festival was dedicated to Gioacchino Rossini and his works. The festival opened with a new production of La Cenerentola. A special opportunity to meet the artistic head of the festival, Cecilia Bartoli, in one of her renowned roles on stage. The audience could feel the joy and energy she put into her appearence on stage and singing. Damiano Michieletto and his stage designer Paolo Fantin created a typical Italian ambiance. Alidoro...