Reviews of Bluebeard's Castle and Iolanta

Anna Netrebko in Iolanta

Saturday is Bluebeard's Castle and Iolanta at the movie theatres that carry the New York Met HD Live.

I hope there is an event like this in your city.

In the January 30, 2015  New York Times review of theses operas,  there is a 1 1/2 minute video of Anna Netrebko singing Iolanta.  Just listening to 90 seconds of this, I could feel the chills going up and down my arms.

I must be susceptible to sudden musical pleasure, having seen Bluebeard's Castle in London when I was there with Wyona and Greg.  In fact I can bring back to my mind exactly where we were sitting and who was sitting beside whom.

Yesterday in my film class on the Western we were talking about the implcations of genre mixing.( ie  a musical western or a romantic comedy).

When I was looking at pictures about Bluebeard's Castle the subtitle was "psychological thriller". Yes.  That genre mixing doesn't just happen in the movies.  I am going to enjoy it in the opera, too.

Here are some other reviews of this production:

The New York Times, Jan 21, 2015

The New York Times also publishes this short synopsis:

★ ‘Iolanta’ and ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’ Anna Netrebko brings Tchaikovsky’s lush fairy tale “Iolanta” to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time, singing the title role of a princess whose blindness is cured by love. The slightly surreal production is directed by Mariusz Trelinski with references to film noir, and as in “Eugene Onegin,” Ms. Netrebko is conducted by the Russian master Valery Gergiev. He also leads the second half of the evening, Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle,” whose mysterious central couple (sung by Nadja Michael and Mikhail Petrenko) arrive at a less happy ending. 

I still can't believe that for $25, I can go to the opera -- as though I were in New York and sitting in one of the best seats in the house.

Amazing.

Arta