Getting to the heart of a work
Robert Carsen stages Der Rosenkavalier in Salzburg
After the oppressive but magnificent premiere of Macbeth at Cologne Opera reviews claimed that “The most dreadful performance of the season is perhaps the strongest”, and one enthusiastic critic went on to say that Carsen’s production displayed “precision hardly to be surpassed”, “magnificent images” and “disturbing relevance”.
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| Robert Carsen |
Meanwhile the Cologne Ring has almost become a trade-name, inseparably linked with Robert Carsen; since 2000 Carsen has staged one part of the Ring tetralogy in each season. “What I know now about Rheingold, since staging it, is of course very much more than what I knew before,” said Carsen in an interview before the premiere of Siegfried. “Also, by working with the singers one develops the production much further. During the rehearsals you can really get to the heart of a work.”
Robert Carsen is from Canada and studied drama at York University in Toronto and at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After his highly acclaimed debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera he was invited to stage productions at the Opéra de Paris, La Scala Milan, the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, at the Met, at the Maggio Musicale festival in Florence, at the Aix-en-Provence festival and for the English National Opera. Many of Carsen’s productions have been awarded renowned prizes. His revival of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites at La Scala, Milan was recently again very highly acclaimed. In Salzburg we can look forward to discovering what Richard Strauss and his Rosenkavalier say to stage director Robert Carsen.
Heidemarie Klabacher
Titel and Salzburg-Impressions © Thomas Klinger, Munich