Synopsis
Barely a month separates the premieres of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s last opera VASCO DA GAMA and Wagner’s TRISTAN, yet while TRISTAN was quickly hailed as a ground-breaking work, VASCO was long dismissed as a late example of an art form – grand opéra – that had already had its day. It was not until the appearance of the critical edition of the work, first performed only 3 years ago, that VASCO DA GAMA was rehabilitated as a worthy counterpart to the musical dramas of Wagner and Verdi. As he had done in the LES HUGUENOTS, Meyerbeer uses the tools afforded by grand opéra to show individual happiness being dashed on the rocks of social and religious notions. The central character in VASCO is not the Portuguese explorer, who still gets to sing one of opera’s greatest tenor arias, but in fact the Indian Queen Selica. She is the only figure who is not hostile or prejudiced towards people from different countries and religions, and she becomes a victim of her unrequited love for Vasco.Conductor: Enrique Mazzola; Stage Director: Vera Nemirova; Assistant Stage Director: Sonja Nemirova; Set Design: Jens Kilian; Costume Design: Marie-Thérèse Jossen; Choreographer: Silke Sense, Bharti Ramdhoni; Video: Marcus Richardt; Chorus Master: William Spaulding; With: Seth Carico, Andrew Harris, Nino Machaidze, Roberto Alagna, Clemens Bieber, Dong-Hwan Lee, Markus Brück, Sophie Koch u. a. Chorus and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Premiere on 4. October 2015 / A trailer by Chris and the Fatsox
