Graz Opera: – A diva, a revolution and a brave tenor

With Nico Dostal’s “Clivia”, the Graz Opera did not exactly put a key work in operetta history on the program. Frank Hilbrich’s indecisive directing doesn’t really help you through the three-hour marathon. The playful ensemble and the swing of the orchestra under Marius Burkert are more likely.

The shoot in the South American pampas with film diva Clivia serves producer Potterton (Markus Butter in cool gear) only as a pretext for his dubious business, which does not shy away from a coup in the fictional Boliguay. The main actor jumps out of the way and is replaced by a gaucho who is in reality the Revolutionary General Olivero. Confusing enough for an operetta. And the evening starts well too.

Wrong distance
The iron curtain turns into a cinema screen and shows the first scenes of the film. But that means all the good ideas have been used up. What follows is a rather incoherent string of songs sung into an omnipresent microphone. Despite heavy smooching, there is no credible relationship between the two protagonists. Not even the otherwise so convincing Buffo couple (Anna Brull as the lively leader of a female brigade and Ivan Oreščanin as Reporter Without Borders) get a chance. Distance in the wrong place doesn’t help an operetta.

Injury bad luck
Sieglinde Feldhofer is a perfect cast for the film diva Clivia. In pure white and silver and constantly changing costumes (Gabriela Rupprecht) she can show many facets. Matthias Koziorowsky found it a little more difficult: the first time he appeared, his Achilles tendon tore. But with clenched teeth and hobbling the tenor, who has been a permanent member of the ensemble in Graz since this year, sings the performance to the end. In the second part, assistant director Florian Kutej jumps to his side and plays the scenes for the painful singer. By the way, that was by far the most exciting thing of the evening. The funniest is Gerald Pichowetz as the Viennese Gustav Kasulke.

The right operetta swing comes from the orchestra pit, where the Graz Philharmonic under Marius Burkert also proves to be a splendid dance orchestra, as well as from the choir and ballet (Beate Vollack).

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