2012 | Don Giovanni | Rassegna Stampa

DON GI OVANNI PI CCOLO FESTI VALFVG

PRESSRELEASE20122013

Enm

■■■■

the JerusalemOpera Orchestra providing

Mozart

The

JerusalemOpera isbringing Giovanni' to the

Don

underpinning,and podium.

picturesque

Ribis observes

on

instrumental

the conductor's

social considerations

were

oeuvre in general, operatic and feelsthat directors would do well to keepthat factor in mind when addressingDon Giovanni, no matter when theyset the piece.

"When you do, for instance, modern settingsof the opera, think you should never this [social forget the social differences are These down aspect]. days,

Citysetting

at

By

BARRY

DAVIS

doesn't than Giovanni. Mozart's thrilling masterpieceis the latestcontribution by the burgeoning JerusalemOpera

Don

outfit,which

will be

it outdoors performing

week

than

to money

more

poor

Of

that

mean

who

has money

course,

it

is better

person."

course,

opera

social classes,but of

someone

believe that while

some

peopletodaysee

partof highbrowculture, coupleof centuries

as

the pop music of its day.Ribis does actually subscribe to that idea. entirely Gabriele Ribis, the Italian baritone who plays "Operawas the elitemusic in Mozart's time. You had the eponymous character and is also directing the lesswealthypeoplegoingto the theater,but that was in is clearly enthused by the subject matter for example, differentcircumstances. In Prague, Mozart production, the lead character. remembers how he heard peoplein the street whistling particularly and everything,"his melodies, and he was proudof that.That was mostly "He has an influence on everybody "He... changesthe lifeof because Praguewas singer. says the 29-year-old very different cityfrom Vienna, After the Don Giovanni, where the most attemptedrape by everybody. important theater was the Karnt lifechangescompletely."

Theater, so basically [as composer]ifyour opera was licentious Don It is that act by the incorrigibly music for goingto be performedthere, you were writing all manner of dramatic Giovanni that sets in motion the emperor. That's why an opera likeDon Giovanni had seasoned with comic segments.Through such success ." development, at the Tower

Tower

that

Arieli

central element of Mozart's

Old

the

Omer

the two

Old of David in Jerusalem's

acts, this Don

Juan

next

City.

ago it was not

tries his luck with several

ladies,while his initialvictim, Donna

Anna,

to packin the crowds since publicat the Teatro di Pragaon betrothed can take him to task.Compounding Anna's of the world's October ,92 .7871 To this day,it is one emotional turmoil is that Don Giovanni killed her most performed operas. to his daughter's father after the lattercame rescue.

Ribis, naturally, would like to keep the genre as basic theme, like Don Quixote," popularas possible, "This is such needs to be done but believes more notes the director. "In that storythere is one to make productions likethe upcoming Tower of David characters in the historyof of the main accessible to the public. performances This is universal theme."

"In humanity. my opinion,it is importantthat opera starts to out of theaters," he states. "That's why was one Placing the operaticform in its come

much

effort in

trackingdown

invests

her assailant

historical and social context,

so

her

Ribis notes

"goingto the opera was way to pass time. Peoplewould go to the opera and listen to the stories. Opera was also social matter. Peoplewent to drink and that

you had boxes with two compartments: one to watch the opera, and the back part to do other things," he chuckle. "Of course, that was for adds with eat, to have sex

peoplewith money."

The

such Jerusalemshows will not be offering

facilities, but the

productionmakes

full use

of the

has continued

WORK

it was

unveiled

of those

who

to

the

proposedto perform \Don Giovanni]not

theater,but at the Tower

in

of David. That's because

opera has something to do with with beautiful the putting opera together think

two

will illuminate

counterparts,baritones Yaakov

Zalevskyand come

from the

Oshri

Strizhak and

Netanel

Segev.Vocal support of the JerusalemOpera,with singers

tenor

will the

beauty,so placemakes

beauties

together." surelythere are some

But

indoor "The

venues,

old

aesthetically pleasing

too?

ones,

yes, but not

the modern

ones," he

we are ones, sometimes says. "With the new hostages of architects with strange ideas. We now have new

theater in Florence like

me: [that] really surprised strange."

station. It's railway very

The Italian baritone feels that LightingdesignerYogi historic surroundings, there can be healthyreciprocal will be video art and enhancingthe visual spectacle between the physical relationship designedby Italian video artist and photographer aesthetics of an opera venue Gianmarco find and the vocal and instrumental D'Agostino.For those who themselves in less-than-ideal viewing positions, sounds produced there. "I efforts should helpto compensate, think that whenever you have D'Agostino's around the citadel as he will have five cameras music is way interesting places, that will relay real-time imagesto screens dotted of allowing you to enjoy the around the site.

It adds placeeven more. baritone vocals, the In addition to Ribis'svelvety something." skillsof sopranos Olga opera will feature the polished Efrat Raz and Shaked Bar, and their male Senderskaya,

outdoor

Mazuz

venue's location. the

THE

It looks

The themes Indeed,

of 'Don Giovanni'

some

by confining would

one

be

venue

of his

universal.(EladZagman

argue that art feeds off lifeand nature, and as such, work of art to the interior of man-made structure,

severingthe

its lifesource.

creation and

are

upcoming

umbilical

cord between

the artistic

The

director agrees, addingthat the than just operatic productionoffersmore

the alfrescoelement. of David, you don't need scenery, you have natural scenery. Second, and this is one of the of the opera, you can build production and only strengths exactly for that particular place."

"First of all,with the Tower

because

to the subject of pop Returningbriefly opera offers assets that the publiccannot appealsectors of the music market.

"What

Ribis feels that

music,

get from

more

mass-

opera givesthat pop music

and movies generally cannot is uniqueexperience," he says."If single performance you go to the same opera two dayslater,itwill be different.Thank God. That's why like theater and opera so much, and it is also different experience each time for us, the performers, because you feeldifferent every time. And ifitis differentfor the performers, itis isthat every

also different for the audience."

As staunch supporterof puttingon the Mozart opera outdoors, he also expectsthe show to connect with the ebb and flow of the of cityaround it. "I will try to put Don Giovanni into the reality am tryingto put the public."

Jerusalem. to the

opera into the

to getcloser reality,

That goes for allMozart's operatic works. heart, to the "They are all close to the human

he feelings," "They speak lot about love, and about relationships between think everybodycan find couples,and people.So somethingof interest for their own lifein this opera."

continues.

Still,Ribis says there is at least one importantarea attention. requires urgentprofessional "We

need

learn from

how

of opera that

to do

for advertising stop thinking we are and that's why peoplecome to see us perform, superior just because our music is better.Of course, opera music is deeperthan to

pop

music

opera /‫׳‬he says. "We don't do that well. We have

to

pop music. There is more meaning,more about human more art in the music than pop music. But we have to to

life, there is that explain

Otherwise, theywill not get it." people.

In that

dream.

Don Giovanni should be respect, lot going for it love

"Yes, it has

marketingexecutive's and

lot of

sex.

In that

it's bit likepop music," says Ribis. respect, From

the looks of it,the

lack for musical

performancesin

visual pulling power.

The performances will take placeon October

ticketsand

more

the Old

Citywill not

or

information:

and 10 at

6226* orwww.bimot.co.il

p.m. For