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Donizetti: La Favorite
In the autumn of 2016 the Bavarian State Opera staged Donizetti’s La Favorite in the original French version, with Elīna Garanča making her debut in the title role in a staged production of this grand opéra. Director Amélie Niermeyer’s dense and minutely choreographed production had the intimacy of a chamber opera, the tiniest gestures shedding light on the action and allowing Niermeyer to bring out the opera’s feminist potential. Alongside the Fernand of Matthew Polenzani and the Alphonse of Mariusz Kwiecień, Elīna Garanča painted the portrait of a woman who, able to see through others’ motives, is overcome by disillusionment but who by controlling her two lovers succeeds in remaining their superior. The Süddeutsche Zeitung enthused: “The fabulous Elīna Garanča sings with exceptional tonal beauty and emotional restraint, making her death scene profoundly moving ... Polenzani possesses an astonishing musical and dramatic intelligence ... coupled with sensational vocal resources.”