Monday, June 16, 2008

Farina steps in at the Vienna Don Carlo and the first reviews emerge...


Franco Farina has stepped in for Fabio Sartori (?) at the Wiener Staatsoper Don Carlo with parsifal's favorito, René Pape and Norma Fantini, Luciana D´Intino and Thomas Hampson.

Brian at "Out West Arts" writes:

At the heart of the problem here is the need for a major suspension of disbelief. Yes, this is not unusual at all for opera, but there are limits. What person in their right mind is going to be tempted to even think about going behind the back of René Pape for a tenor. Especially Franco Farina. Especially when you’re René’s freaking queen and you could have the tenor axed by the Spanish Inquisition with little more than a thought. Let’s get real people. You could at least get the man a gray wig to tone down his hotness and provided some half-hearted attempt at consistency.

Unfortunately, there was a particularly weak link in the cast and that is Franco Farina. He was not originally in the announced cast of this revival and appears to be a last minute replacement. We’ve had some not so pleasant performances from him in L.A. and little has changed.

3 comments:

operanuts said...

"Franco FARINA kämpft als Infant hingegen ständig um den Sitz seines relativ großen Tenors, er klingt vor allem in den ziemlich tremolierenden Höhen schon „ausgeleiert“. Dazu kommt sein absolut unbeteiligtes Spiel, in Summe ein akustischer und optischer Ausfall."

Franco Farina, as Infante, however, is constantly fighting for the placement of his relatively big tenor, he sounds already "worn out" especially on the rather wobbly high notes.
Add his absolutely uninvolved acting, all in all an acoustical and optical shortfall.

Merker-Kritik (Peter SKOREPA) Wiener Staatsoper 15.6.2008 : „DON CARLO“

Make your peace now, Parsifal.

poltergeist said...

Parsi, thanks for the welcome :)

Seems Farina is not having a good season...I didn't like the Nessum Dorma you posted at all (perhaps this is due to that I have been listening to a fantastic Kraus' version of this aria for the last 4weeks in my mp3 reproductor...)

Willym said...

Have seen Fabio Satori twice now since coming to Italy. Last October in Oberto at the Parma Verdi Festival and last month in I Lombardi at San Carlo. He's of the good - or bad depending on your point of view - old school Italian tenor. Short, stocky and as I said the first time I head him of the "Sing Out Luigi" school. Not much subtlety but at times a very exciting sound.