opera notebook
some operas I have seen on videoAndré Grétry, Zemira e Azor (1776)
Nationaltheater Mannheim at Schlosstheater Schwetzingen, 2023
- Conductor: Bernhard Forck
- Director and Set Designer: Nigel Lowery
- Azor: Patrick Kabongo
- Zemira: Amelia Scicolone
Despite an inexplicable motif of characters sitting down to eat milk and cereal, this production of a little-performed 18th-century comic opera is charming, thanks to the appeal of the leads Amelia Scicolone and Patrick Kabongo. The French original Zémire et Azor dates from 1771, but this Italian version was first performed in Mannheim in 1776, so it was chosen for a revival at the historic Schlosstheater Schwetzingen nearby in 2023.