Alcina 2000Stuttgart State Opera
Read more about the opera Alcina
These rare Scottish performances of Alcina, one of the great masterpieces of baroque opera, introduced British audiences to the directorial talents of the Wieler Morabito duo. Their efforts however were not universally admired due to the constant imposition of concepts that seemed to be at odds with the other elements of the performance. Mind you, the second staging of theirs to be seen in Edinburgh in 2004, Pelléas et Mélisande, offered even less respect for the music.
Universal enjoymant was supplied by the returns of Alice Coote and Catriona Smith, as well as the introduction of Catherine Naglestad in the demanding title role. The musical performance, led by Alan Hacker, was quite outstanding, and well worth putting up with the eccentricities of the staging, which seemed to take place, for the most part, in a suburban living room.
