30 Sep 2004

FROSCH at Innsbruck

Die Frau ohne Schatten, Tiroler Landstheater, Innsbruck By Larry L Lash Published: September 29 2004 03:00 | Last updated: September 29 2004 03:00 It was a strange match: Richard Strauss's hugest, most difficult opera - with one of the largest...

Die Frau ohne Schatten, Tiroler Landstheater, Innsbruck
By Larry L Lash
Published: September 29 2004 03:00 | Last updated: September 29 2004 03:00

It was a strange match: Richard Strauss's hugest, most difficult opera - with one of the largest orchestras in all opera and five insanely demanding lead roles - given in a provincial 830-seat house (approximately one orchestral player for every seven audience members). The result? An evening of miracles and revelations.

The conductor Dietfried Bernet achieved something I have never heard in 33 years' experience with this opera: the singers were never overwhelmed. Not once.

[Remainder of article here (subscription to FT Online required)]

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