LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST

On June 13, Giacomo Puccini’s LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, directed by Lydia Steier, who had her house debut with this production, and conducted by Antonio Pappano, celebrated its premiere. This was the first time this opera was performed at Staatsoper Unter den Linden – with Anja Kampe as Minnie, Marcelo Álvarez as Dick Johnson and Michael Volle giving his role debut as Jack Rance.
   
California, at the heyday of the Gold Rush: the place of people’s dreams turns out to be an inexorable wasteland, governed by the law of the jungle. Minnie’s bar is the only place where people live in peaceful coexistence. It is revered by gold seekers and fiercely presided over by the gruff Sheriff Rance. But when Minnie falls in love with a stranger who turns out to be the notorious bandit Johnson, the fragile community is turned upside down.
  
In her production, Lydia Steier plays with clichés and romanticized images of the Wild West. However, she clearly shows how close this lawless society is to companionship, melancholy and homesickness on the one hand, and revenge, outbreaks of violence and lynching excesses on the other.
    
The cast includes Anja Kampe (Minnie), Marcelo Álvarez (Dick Johnson), Michael Volle (Jack Rance), Stephan Rügamer (Nick), Łukasz Goliński (Sonora), Jan Martiník (Ashby), Grigory Shkarupa (Jake Wallace), Siyabonga Maqungo (Trin), Adam Kutny (Bello), Florian Hoffmann (Harry), Andrés Moreno García (Joe), Viktor Rud (Happy), David Oštrek (Larkens), Natalia Skrycka (Wowkle), as well as Jaka Mihelač (Sid), Žilvinas Miškinis (Billy Jackrabbit), Frederic Jost (José Castro) and Spencer Britten (Ein Postillon), who are part of the International Opera Studio sponsored by the Liz Mohn Kultur- and Musikstiftung. The Staatskapelle Berlin performed as well as the Staatsopernchor, rehearsed by Martin Wright. The stage design and costumes are by David Zinn.

Conductor：Sir Antonio Pappano
Director：Lydia Steier
Stage/Costume Design: David Zinn
Light: Olaf Freese
Video：Momme Hinrichs

For videos, visit https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/de/veranstaltungen/la-fanciulla-del-west.9713/?mediaId=4