The scenic version of Mozart’s ‘requiem’ raised by Romeo Castellucci in the Lyceum these days had generated a lot of expectation and not little debate among fans. A long time ago that oratories and even masses are staged from time to time, but it seems that this practice continues to surprise who wants to be surprised. So animated were some elucubrations that some attend the representation soaked in the explanations of Castellucci himself and other feathers that have glossed the assembly – there is to be well pertrected to these gardens – but we forget the obvious: A Mozart Requiem can work with scenography or without, but it’s nothing without a choir. And in these that, when the curtain rise, we encounter reality: the choir of the Great Liceo Theater.
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Music:
Mozart. -
Interpreters:
A. Prohaska; M. Viotti; L. Sekgapane; N. Ulivieri. Montserrat Escolanía. Orchestra and Liceo Choir. R. Castellucci, scene. G. Antonini, director. -
Date:
February 19. -
Place:
Lyceum, Barcelona.
It has already been said by active and passive that needs an improvement in the template. That has not worked for a long time. That the orchestra under Josep Pons has evolved very well, but the choir is not up to it. That Conxita Garcia got tired of having to get gold under the stones. His relay was Pablo Assanteto whom, after many years (that if pandemia, that if amortizing the pending credits of the 2008 crisis …), the results do not seem to accompany. From time to time, lately, we thought that in some production was not so bad … but then the Requiem arrived.
Before continuing, let’s keep in two details. First, that the Great Liceo Theater is one of the few professional choirs in Catalonia, and that is the only especially participate in opera assemblies in which there are scenic movement. Second, that in functions like those of this requiem, people get to pay 279 euros for a armchair (Specifically, any of those located in the amphitheater boxes ranging from number 10 to 22).
It was one Of the worst actions They are remembered. At inaudible times, at times shouted, at times decompensated. We have already said it more times: the sopranos rope has a serious problem. The kyrie escape was a compendium of all this, to which the uncoordination with the orchestra was added (Antonini is a genius of the direction, but there are fights that exceed the most fornid of the Titans) and, of course, the mess of the scenic movement, which in no case can be an excuse for an opera professional choir to be so overcome.
The assembly of Castellucci contrasts the funeral music of the Requiem to the celebration of life that is the popular dance. A dance in which the choir has to participate actively. When mixing the singers with professional dancers, it was intended to provide them with a certain support, but the result was just the opposite: the contrast between them was so palpable that the members the choir were evidenced at every step. But in the moments when it was not danced, in which it had to simply gesture or move along the stage, the Liceo Choir showed The same problems that shows in any opera. It is already bad leg that, with so many amateur choirs that there is capable of singing choreographies (all the formations of the Orfeó Català do it quite well), it is precisely the professional choir of the city’s opera theater that has the most problems at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time at the time of moving the skeleton.
Antonini did what he could. The Liceo Orchestra, after the Pons era, is good in some repertoire. Classicism and Mozart already knew that they are not their forte. The soloists were irregular, although seen the wait they sounded quite well. The beautiful voice of the soprano Anna Prohaska It was a balm, but above all highlighted the mezzo Marina Viottinot only able to deal with the storm but to shine in his solo passages, while he danced and put on paper with a mastery that we thanked more than ever. Levy Sekgapane It was something strident already Nicola Ulivieri He lacked power in some moments. Nothing serious, taking into account everything else.
With regard to Castellucci’s proposal, it must have been much better when the Ensemble Pygmalion with Raphäel Pichon in front. There are good ideas. There are also bad ones, such as leaving a real baby completely alone, crying lying in the middle of the stage while everything is dark and lowers the curtain in a theater with two thousand people. Is it really necessary?
Leaving all the possible debates apart, a problem is that in the high school we saw the scenery without music. Throughout the show, a list of names of animal species, languages, religions, monuments and works of art that have been extinguished is projected. At the end of the assembly, the look to the past turns to the future to predict the Extinction of different places in Barcelona, including Liceo. Who knows?
In April 2024, the director of the house, Valentí Oviedoannounced the end of debts with the banks contracted since 2008. For stupor of those present, it has rushed to clarify that the available liquidity would be dedicated to Building maintenancewho is already 25 years old and does. Hopefully they will soon change bulbs, get brightness to the gold and attend to all the other priorities that must be until it reaches the turn to attend the choir and make it worthy of a level theater.
#Requiem #Lyceum #Extinction
