A SELECTION OF PRESS ARTICLES
A night at the opera is a rare treat for Pattaya’s music lovers
[Pattaya Mail Vol. XV No. 48 Friday November 30 - December 6, 2007- Paul Strachan]
Fun City was treated a rare night of culture on Saturday November 10 when opera fans welcomed back the European Chamber Opera Company (ECHO) to the Sheraton Hotel. This is the third year that ECHO has held these fine performances here in Pattaya and this year they staged Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.
Alfredo is captivated by the beautiful Violetta.
It was a sell-out event with all 150 tickets sold prior to the evening. The Sheraton offered a choice of ticket options that included either dinner at their Elements restaurant, which serves a sumptuous buffet, or those with a few more baht to spend could opt for dinner at the chic Mez restaurant. Standalone tickets for just the opera itself were also available. After dinner the eager attendees made their way to the auditorium, their physical needs taken care of, their ears ready for a night of music. There was no orchestra to play the score that Verdi wrote back in 1848, just a lone piano; however, that was of little importance as the real focus was what was happening on stage.
La Traviata is an all-encompassing opera and ECHO did a great job in staging it in such a small venue. It tells the story of a beautiful courtesan, Violetta, who has a wealthy benefactor and protector. However, within the opening act she is introduced to a charming man, Alfredo, who can’t take his eyes off her.
Violetta’s wealthy protector objects to Alfredo’s advances.
They end up living together and then Alfredo’s father intervenes by asking Violetta to shun his son’s affection so that the family name can remain intact.
She does so, losing him and her previous beau, and at the end of the show is all alone and sadly her mind becomes addled as consumption takes a hold on her, so much so that as the curtain falls Violetta’s madness becomes too much and she dies.
This synopsis only touches on the storyline; however, you can see that there is a huge transformation in Violetta in the three acts that make up La Traviata.
The audience applaud a great performance by the European Chamber Opera Company
The enthusiastic audience was treated to a very fine performance indeed, especially from the Danish-born Soprano Anja Rossau who played Violetta magnificently. This is such a demanding role, not only in terms of vocal performance but also in the acting demands upon the performer, and Anja clearly relished the challenge.
Anja later told me that she sort of stumbled into opera as she went for an audition and she thought that she had to sing as a soprano. She was an instant hit and now has carved a career to become one of Denmark’s most popular sopranos.
Danish born Soprano Anja Rossau tells Paul Strachan (PMTV) that Violetta is her favourite role as she has to sing & act
Stefan Sanchez is the director of the opera and indeed of ECHO, and after the show he told me that when his company performs in the UK they use full orchestras. However, when touring in Asia, a piano has to suffice. But he firmly believes that the audience only takes a few moments to tune into the fact that it is a piano and when the performers start to sing, any misgivings are quickly forgotten.
He went onto to say that the sets were all built at each location by the hotel staff and that ECHO has a special relationship with Sheraton. After the performance in Pattaya, they would be flying off to Japan to play a number of nights at various Sheraton hotels there.
Opera lovers usually have to make the increasingly terrible journey to Bangkok, so it was a comparatively small trek up to Pratamnak Hill for the 150 or so classical buffs who seemed to revel in the atmosphere the evening provided.
The European Chamber Opera Company will return again next year at around the same time where they will stage Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme, a night that will, I am sure, bring the Eastern Seaboard’s culture vultures (including me) out of the woodwork.
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Al Qasba Brings the World’s Most Famous Operas to Sharjah
[From http://www.coral-international.com/newsroom.asp, November 2009]
European Chamber Opera (ECHO) performed to a packed house at Al Qasba, Sharjah on Thursday evening. The much-awaited Grand Opera Gala gave audiences – that included royalty, top dignitaries and connoisseurs – a rare opportunity to enjoy some of the world’s most famous operas.
The brilliant artistes that had both veterans and newer talent seduced the select gathering with their sweet, sensual voices and powerful performances. Each act burst with daring vitality that is the hallmark of opera.
Adding to the mood was Al Qasba’s romantic setting, resplendent sets, gorgeous costumes and beautiful lighting. Particularly engaging was Mozart’s most famous opera Cosi Fan Tutte – making you wish ECHO would perform it all over again. The legendary opera was written and composed by Mozart on the request of Emperor Joseph II.
This was the second time in less than a year that the Grand Opera Gala returned to Al Qasba on popular demand. The outstanding event was supported by Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah alongside Bridgestone and Etisalat who were the official partners.
The European Chamber Opera (ECHO) is a leading European opera production company with a huge fan-following worldwide. Marwan J. Al Sarkal, CEO, Al Qasba Development Authority said: ‘It was indeed an awesome evening for all opera lovers. Some of the greatest and most memorable operas were performed beautifully by the artists who came all the way from Europe. The feedback from the audiences has been phenomenal and we will be delighted to host such an event again.’
Guests were welcomed at the Masrah Al Qasba Theatre with a beautiful mocktail reception. Nearly all performances were equally special and involving. Included in the highlights of the evening were the world’s most loved operas like La Traviata, Don Pasquale, The Pearlfishers, Tosca, Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Don Carlo and Nozze di Figar.
Stefan Paul Sanchez, Artistic Director ECHO said, ‘Al Qasba is a unique venue and it’s a pleasure to perform here. We have always been received very enthusiastically in Sharjah. It is wonderful to see such an interest in opera and the other arts in the city. The popularity of this event once again reinstates Sharjah’s status as the cultural Capital of the Middle East’. Having produced several musical galas in England and Spain, Stefan founded the European Chamber Opera in 1991 with a performance of II Trovatore.
Yet another unique feature of the Grand Opera Gala was the presence of a compere who wove the opera together by interpreting the themes of the melodies to the audiences.
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Capital performance of La Bohème
Paul Strachan
The Grande Ballroom of The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok was the venue to welcome back The European Chamber Opera, who had returned to Thailand for a fine performance of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème on November the 3rd.
For this performance the cast, who were previously seen in Pattaya last year performing La Traviata, were joined by the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra which was conducted expertly by Somtow Sucharitkul, the founder of the famous Bangkok Opera and was as ever directed by Stefan Sanchez the Artistic Director of European Chamber Opera.
This was a departure from the usual fare from the European Chamber Opera who normally tour with a pianist, so the audience was in for a rare treat.
This was an incredible evening, with some great performances and La Bohème was the perfect opera to showcase not just the cast but also the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra.
I personally will look forward once again to being treated to another night of opera next year by the European Chamber Opera and with a bit of luck they will return to Pattaya because despite what you might think – there is certainly an audience for the arts in all their guises in fun city.
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Colonial makeover brings 'Tosca' into Southeast Asia
[http://www.bangkokpost.com/ January 2011, Newspaper section: Life ]
The Bangkok Opera and Opera Siam present Puccini's Tosca, one of the world's top 10 operas, at the main hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre on Jan 26 and 27 at 8pm.
Puccini's sizzling drama of betrayal, corruption, sadism, passion and artistic sacrifice will be given a thrilling new look in Stefan Sanchez's new production inspired, in part, by the paintings of Goya and set in an imaginary Southeast Asian country during the colonialist era.
Playing Tosca will be Dutch soprano Janny Zomer who was last seen in Bangkok in 2007 in the role of Sieglinde, a performance called "profoundly moving" by The Financial Times.
Her Tosca elicited this response a Dutch critic - "She moves like tigress, her eyes like laserbeams, showing remarkable insight into Tosca's character. Her voice is supple and full of vocal expression, giving Tosca's whimsical character full scope. Effortlessly she combines Tosca's full passion and inner fury with the more lyrical part of her nature ..."
The evil Scarpia will be portrayed by one of Britain's most celebrated baritones, Phillip Joll, well-known around the world for his depiction of Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle. Spanish tenor Javier Agullo, last seen in Bangkok in 2009's Thais, will play the role of Cavaradossi.
Janny Zomer Javier Agullo