La fanciulla del West – G.Puccini
Opera Hedeland
With Puccini’s “The Girl of the Golden West,” the gold mining environment is moved from the harsh life around the saloon in the western USA to the grand amphitheater of the gravel pit at Opera Hedeland in the summer of 2024.
In the Wild West, the strong woman Minnie rules with her gentle regime. She is a woman with grit and a heart for the true values of life, as she navigates a male-dominated world.
True love is the focal point of the story when the courageous Minnie must fight for love after falling for a wanted bandit, so they can face a future together.
Thus, Minnie stands as a strong female character and becomes the center of attention for the men in Puccini’s opera, which is unusual for his works, where women have otherwise suffered greatly.
09.08.2024 Premiere / 16.08.2024 /17.08.2024
Conductor: Carlo Goldstein
Director: Rodula Gaitanou
Minnie: Kseniya Bakhritdinova
Jack Rance: Lars Fosser
Dick Johnson, alias Ramerrez: James Lee
Nick: Jens Christian Tvilum
Ashby: Steffen Rørvig Bruun
Sonora: Simon Duus
Trin: Fabian Düberg
Sid: Frederik Rolin
Bello: Leif Jone Ølberg
Harry: Jonathan Keiding
Joe: Per Jellum
Happy: William Pedersen
Jim Larkens: Albin Ahl
Billy Jackrabbit: Gustav Johansson
Wowkle: Kirsten Voss
Jake Wallace: Lucas Bruun de Neergard
José Castro: Giacomo Schmidt
Pony express rider: Fabian Düberg
berlingske.dk
The second is Dick Johnson/Ramerrez, a role that the South Korean tenor James Lee imbues with – one senses – a great deal of authority. He seems to master the dramatic, the heartfelt, the intense, and pure bel canto. He completes the trio that is the focal point in The Girl of the West. A constellation without which nothing would work.
kulturinformation.org
Ksenia Bakhridtinova sings with convincing passion as she defends her love and her chosen one. You can feel her commitment and despair when her beloved is under serious accusation. She sings with full force. Dick Johnson, played by James Lee, also gives his all when he sings about his misery and shame over the person he is. The enormous orchestra continually supports the action and plays at full strength when the lovers declare their love for each other. The set design appears as a realistic Western style, with wooden doors leading into the saloon and a water mill for washing gold. The costumes are beautiful and dusty in color, as befitted the time.
