Rise and Shine! ROH Friends Booking 4th March 2014

Last week The Royal Opera announced a rude awakening for Friends who want to nab those choice tickets.  They have moved the opening of the summer season booking on 4th March from a reasonable and sedate 10.00am to a mind-boggling 8.00am!  Not so bad I suppose if you have no need to earn a crust and get into work or have some lackey do the booking for you.  But for a lot of London and outer-London based Friends 8am is prime commuting time.  And in my case that means being stuck on a train, usually standing up and with no hint of a wi-fi signal.  What with that and the ROH's recommendation that I log in to the computer in good time, basically means I have to drag myself out of bed at around 5.30 to ensure I'm at my desk, logged in and ready to go by 8.00 am,  

Is it worth it?  Let's have a look.

La Boheme - Puccini

The revered and much loved John Copley production starts its final run before being retired for good. There are 11 performances and two casts to choose from.  First cast offers the delights of  Anna Netrebko gracing London with a rare visit....possibly.  I wouldn't lay odds on her actually turning up as the role of Mimi doesn't really seem to fit in with the rest of her current repertoire of Lady Macbeth, Leonora (Trovatore), Manon Lescaut, and Anna Bolena.   She last sang Mimi around two years ago so there's every chance she will....and equally every chance she won't.  However her colleagues are not to be sniffed at with Joseph Calleja as Rodolfo and Jennifer Rowley making her much anticipated (by me) ROH debut as Musetta.

The second cast is actually my preferred - especially if I could do a bit of swapping around.  Lianna Haroutounian, who made a big impression here as Elisabetta in Don Carlo and Helene in Les Vespres siciliennes, sings Mimi, Piotr Beczala is Rodolfo.  For the final performance Placido Domingo takes up the conductors baton - very apt as he was this production's very first Rodolfo.  Tears will be shed!

Don Giovanni - Mozart

Kasper Holten's production of Don Giovanni makes a speedy return to the stage with a brand new cast.  Can't say that I'm overly keen to reacquaint myself with this production as I found it misogynistic and hard to take. However the cast assembled for this revival is very good indeed. Christopher Maltman is the Don, while Alex Esposito returns as his sidekick Leporello. Albina Shagimuratova, Dorothea Roschmann and Julia Lezhneva are Anna, Elvira and Zerlina while Rolando Villazon essays Don Ottavio - sharing the role with the fantastic Michele Angelini.  Alain Altinoglu conducts what should be a musically fabulous revival - if only the production were better.

Guillaume Tell - Rossini

Finally a new production! Damiano Michieletto makes his Royal Opera House debut with Rossini's opera - the one with the famous overture! Antonio Pappano will conduct a strong cast with Gerald Finley in the title role, Malin Bystrom as Mathilde and American tenor John Osborne as Arnold.  One to watch!

Falstaff - Verdi

Verdi's final opera makes a welcome return in Robert Carsen's very amiable production, updated to the 1950's.  The updating doesn't really work but doesn't really jar either so definitely worth seeing if you haven't seen it before.  Casting is fine without being star-driven - but then its not that sort of opera. Ambrogio Maestri returns as the corpulent knight,  Spanish soprano Ainhoa Arteta is Alice Ford (replacing a previously announced Marina Poplavskya) and Roland Wood (who I enjoyed as Roucher in Andrea Chenier) is Ford.

And that's it for opera performances for the 2014/15 season. There are a couple of extras to round off the season.  The Jette Parker Young Artists have their 'end of term' concert on 18th July which will include excerpts from Simon Boccanegra, Adriana Lecouvreur, Les pecheurs des perles, Romeo et Juliette and others.

While on 19th July Placido Domingo's Operalia competition comes to London for the first time.  A great chance to do spot possible stars of the future.

So that's it!  But what does next season hold?  No one quite knows - or at least they're not telling.  A season announcement is not expected until early April so until then why not visit the Future Royal Opera Wiki to keep abreast of matters - or even add some inside information!

I'll leave you with my bit of wishful thinking for next season:

Gala Celebration - Royal Opera House 25th February 2015

I enjoy a good opera gala. And it has to be said I have attended some memorable ones at Covent Garden including the Farewell Gala before the house closed down in 1997 for refurbishment.  No such noble cause this time - this was essentially a fund raising gala grandly entitled. 'Life Reimagined'

As with all such enterprises the end result didn't quite match the anticipated line up.  Mariusz Kwiecien was originally billed to star but pulled out quite some time ago.  Tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko was recruited but fell at the last hurdle causing a hasty reshuffling of the program - more of which later.  This was essentially opera and ballet's greatest hits - although it has to be said that once again the ballet elements seemed a tad more imaginative than the vocal offerings.

I must admit I was pretty impressed with the overall production values of the concert.  I loved the fact that a camera in the pit enabled the orchestral numbers to be shown close up on the stage screen. Clever use of screening and visuals masked the comings and goings and there were plenty of video clips to enhance the live numbers and give some insight into what was coming up next.

So without further ado, my brief comments on the programme as follows:

Eugene Onegin - Polonaise
Nicola Luisotti led the band in a enthusiastic rendition of this number which set the appropriate celebratory mood.  Loved the video of the orchestra projected onto the stage.

Still Life at the Penguin Cafe - Texan Kangaroo Rat
The first slice of ballet and a hugely enjoyable one mostly due to the enthusiastic participation of the young dancers aged 10-11 who were obviously enjoying themselves.  Cute factor = 9/10

Sola, Perduta, Abandonata, Manon Lescaut
The originally billed duet from Cavalleria Rusticana with Antonenko had to be abandoned when the tenor jumped ship due to illness.  But luckily Eva-Mara Westbroek was on heartbreaking form as Manon Lescaut in the final act solo.  Gorgeously if not perfectly sung, it made me want to see her in the full role.  Extra points for looking glamorous in black twinkly frock.

'See, even Night herself is here'. 
Another ballet slot with vocals by soprano Lauren Fagen.  It was very pretty and I enjoyed the music by Purcell.  Alas I could have done with subtitles here as even though sung in English, I understood not a word!

Au fond du temple saint, Les Pecheurs de perles
Standard concert fare this duet for tenor and baritone but nicely done all the same.  Toby Spence and Samuel Dale Johnson blended perfectly without exactly setting the house on fire.

Qualia.  Pas de deux
Ballet.  Modern dance. This totally flumoxed me.  I didn't really enjoy if I'm honest - I suspect mainly because the music by Robin David Rimbaud was recorded and played into the auditorium leaving the orchestra twiddling their thumbs - metaphorically if not literally.

Ebben, Ne andro lontana - La Wally
A rather ubiquitous aria choice for a gala, but gorgeously sung by Sonya Yoncheva nonetheless.  I'm looking forward to Ms Yoncheva's upcoming Traviata's - they should be something special.

Jewels 'Diamonds' pas de deux
Another grand slice of ballet and very nice it was too. Loved the music but again I'm afraid that out of context ballet just doesn't really move me.

Credo in un Dio crudel, Otello
Now this is more like it!  In the brief video clip  before he came on stage Bryn commented that he wouldn't sing the full role on stage but loved to sing this aria. A great pity if this brief glimpse is anything to go by.  Gloriously malevolent and biting this was a real highlight of the evening.  Bryn brings his A game - 9/10.

Grand Defile 
Basically an excuse to get the whole of the Royal Ballet School on stage. I rather enjoyed it and rather impressive to see the whole stage filled with pupils of all ages.

Out of the Ruins music by Charlotte Bray
Part two kicked off with this world premiere performed on stage by the ROH Youth Opera Company. Lovely to see such enthusiasm on stage from the younger generation and if there was one theme I picked up on tonight was that we really do have to nurture the future opera and ballet stars.

March from The Love for Three Oranges
The orchestra get their chance to shine again and Luisotti's enthusiasm is really infectious.

The Cards, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
One of the very few full length ballet's I actually know!  Having seen this on New Year's Eve I loved this reminder that modern ballet can be fun. I also loved the music by Joby Talbot which totally fits the story.  Highly recommended if you haven't seen it.

Kuda, kuda vi udaililis, Eugene Onegin
Lensky's lovelorn aria was wonderfully sung by Toby Spence. Full of desperate sadness and longing - one of my favourite pieces of the evening.

Tchaikovsky pas de deux
I think I may have reached by ballet threshold by this point.  Went on just a tad too long for my boredom levels.  I can admire the athleticism and artistry of the dancers but.....  

Suicidio, La Gioconda
Eva-Maria leaps to the rescue with a sizzling account the heroine's aria from this rarely performed opera. Would love to see EMW in this but realistically it probably won't happen unless Jonas Kaufmann decides he wants to sing Enzo.

Summertime
A world premier by choreographer Liam Scarlett to one of Gershwin's most famous songs.  I actual enjoyed this and the orchestral playing was especially fine.

Quanto amore, L'elisire d'amore
You can always rely on Donizetti....and Bryn Terfel to liven up a party!  Sure enough, Bryn brought his own two cans of 'elixir' on stage and downed one can in one gulp at the end. Sonya Yoncheva was a lyrical and pert Adina who entered into the fun of it all.

If I loved you, pas de deux, Carousel
A final helping of ballet and definitely worth waiting for.  The Richard Rogers music instantly familiar of course, but I loved the characterisation by Carlos Acosta and Sarah Lamb.  Probably my favorite ballet extract of the evening.

Der Holle Rache, Die Zauberflote
The final item on the programme was originally scheduled to be Nessun Dorma!  Not wishing Antonenko ill,but I'm rather glad we didn't get it. A sadly overexposed aria and out of context,not very interesting. Instead we got the Queen of the Night's showcase aria which was executed with efficiency and aplomb by Anna Siminska, currently singing the role in David McVicar's ROH production.

So, all in all it was a bit of a mixed bag but some very enjoyable moments indeed.

Competition Time! Madam Butterfly Royal Albert Hall

Yes, dear and loyal readers its competition time.  To thank you all for your kind comments and for visiting this site on a regular basis, I have a rather lovely ticket to the upcoming Albert Hall production of Madam Butterfly up for grabs! Free! Gratis! No strings attached!

The ticket is for the matinee performance of Madame Butterfly on 8th March 2.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall,  This is for one seat in the Stalls, third row, face value around £70 - so not a bad seat at all.

All you have to do to be in with a chance to win,  re-tweet the Twitter post that led you here. Everyone who retweets before midnight on 25th February will be entered into the competition - name drawn at random.  Winner will be announced on 28th February and ticket will be posted to your address.

Further details of the production are here .  Go on you've got nothing to lose!  Retweet that tweet!

Zut alors! Andrea Chenier 26th January 2015

I think it's fair to say that Giordano's Andrea Chenier is not exactly top of the operatic hit parade when it comes to performances at the Royal Opera House.  A cursory glance indicates that it was last performed there over 30 years ago!  And yet it has some fabulous arias and duets that are loved by singers and audiences alike and quite rightly rolled out at gala concerts all over the world.  La Mamma Morta is famously featured in the movie Philadelphia.  As voiced by Maria Callas the aria is a high point and usually has audiences reaching for the hankies in no time.  So why the dearth of performances?

When I asked the same question not so long ago about Puccini's Manon Lescaut the answer seemed to revolve around the tenor role and the lack of a suitable voice (or at least one willing) to take on the part.  And so the story seems to be repeated here.  And it seems to be no coincidence that once again Jonas Kaufmann steps into the breach and dares to go where no other tenor at Covent Garden has gone before - at least for quite some time.

Covent Garden has certainly rolled out the big guns for this new production.  David McVicar directs, Antonio Pappano conducts and along side the 'world's greatest tenor' the cast is pretty decent too. Eva-Maria Westbroek (something of a house favourite) debuts her Maddelena with baritone Željko Lučić as nominal villain Gerard. Minor casting is not skimped on either with former diva Rosalind Plowright as the Contessa, Denyce Graves as Bersi and Peter Coleman-Wright as Fleville. What could possibly go wrong?

On the vocal side, actually very little indeed.  Jonas sings with practiced technique and a golden burnished ardour throughout - an accomplished debut of a very arduous tenor role.  Four arias and duets aplenty - not forgetting to save your best for the final blistering duet - this is not an easy sing by any means.  If I'm honest there's definitely a sense of power held in reserve and the singing is never anything less than tasteful - whether verismo should be quite this tasteful is for others to judge.  I did enjoy it (more so the second performance I saw) but think an ounce more 'oomph' wouldn't go amiss. But quite honestly, not sure which other tenor (preferably alive) who I'd rather see and hear in the role.  His portrayal of Chenier was more detailed than most - a sulky resentful poet in Act 1 as he surveys the aristocrats at play; Act 2 reveals Chenier as drunk and disillusioned with revolution and its excesses...until love is revealed in the shape of Maddalena.  In Act 3 a sense of resignation to his fate is revealed, only briefly illuminated by his angry self-defense.  Act 4 is simply the culmination of all that has gone before - a short very sublime postscript, the duet a mini-Liebstod  as the lovers welcome the embrace of Madame la Guillotine.

Eva-Maria Westbroek also makes her stage debut as Chenier's doomed love Maddalena.  The soprano has less to sing perhaps but also has to work harder to make an impression.  The diligent soprano is rewarded with slightly more character development than the tenor, going from young flighty aristocrat to world-weary fugitive and finally, and in the final act, to absolute heroine.  Her Act 3 confrontation with Gerard is the turning point of the opera and she certainly makes the most of it. The voice may not be ideally suited to the repertory but she is a warm-hearted and totally believable character and in many ways becomes the beating heart of the opera.

Revolutionary fervour is encapsulated in the form of Carlo Gerard - and as played by Željko Lučić he makes the most of every opportunity - saving his best singing for his aria Nemico della Patria. Again, not typically Italianate in tone but dark, firm and secure of voice - and a decent actor to boot.  Not sure if he's already done Scarpia but that role surely beckons?

As you might have noticed by the photographs, this was a resolutely traditional production by David McVicar.  Or as he put it himself  'It's the French Revolution - its a no brainer!' Costumes by Jenny Tiramani were equally traditional and well researched.  It's a very decent production though to be honest, not that exciting.  I though the vast open sets worked well for the opulent French chateau of Act 1 - less well for the remaining acts.  It was all a bit too vast, too well-scrubbed and too polite - no sense of real menace or threat.  There was no real sense of shock and outrage in Act 1 as Chenier impolitely rounded on his hosts with his improvised denunciation of the aristocracy.  Or even when a scattering of peasants intruded - quickly shooed away as the gavotte resumed.  The Act 3 trial scene was also curiously tepid in places - a bit more grit here wouldn't go amiss.

I feel the composer also has to take his share of the blame for being less than convincing in places. While the arias and duets shine with passion and  inspiration, some of the other music is less memorable and the energy sags as you wait for the next big "tune".  Maddalena and Chenier could also have done with a bit more stage time together as the progress of their relationship is episodic to say the least and you have to take it on trust that they fell in love somewhere along the way!

These are minor quibbles which are swept away by the passion of final short act where it almost feels as it there has been a sudden power surge!  The temperature leaps up as Jonas lets rip in Come un bel di di Maggio - Chenier's final soaring lament, quickly followed by the ecstatic duet Vicino a te, as his beloved comes to die with him.  A gorgeous and sublime ending to a not quite perfect opera.

If you can't get to London or can't get a ticket, ROH are broadcasting this opera around the UK and the rest of the world.  Transmission details for your area can be found Here - have a feeling this production will work even better in close up.   

And for your viewing pleasure the final glorious duet can be heard here:

All photographs copyright ROH/Bill Cooper

And the nominees are...Opera Awards 2015

Award season is upon us once more...and not just for the likes of Meryl Streep!  Yes folks, opera has its very own award ceremony and the nominations have just been announced. Full details of finalists in all the categories can be found here but some highlights are:

CD (Operatic Recital)

Anna Bonitatibus: Semiramide: La Signora Regale, deutsche harmonia mundi
Cecilia Bartoli: St Petersburg, Decca
Joyce DiDonato: Stella di Napoli, Warner Classics
Franco Fagioli: Porpora—il maestro, Naïve
Carolyn Sampson: Arias for Marie Fel, Hyperion
Krassimira Stoyanova: Verdi Arias, Orfeo

DVD

Andriessen: La Commedia, Nonesuch
Berg: Lulu, Bel Air Classiques
Britten: Death in Venice, Opus Arte
Hahn: Ciboulette, FRA Musica
Strauss: Elektra, Bel Air Classiques
Wagner: Parsifal, Sony

Female Singer

Joyce DiDonato
Anja Harteros
Liudmyla Monastyrska
Anna Netrebko
Anita Rachvelishvili
Sonya Yoncheva

Male Singer

Lawrence Brownlee

Iestyn Davies
Christian Gerhaher
John Osborn
Michael Spyres
Ludovic Tézier

Young Singer

Angel Blue

David Butt Philip
Nicole Car
Aurelia Fabian
Justina Gringyte
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Ross Ramgobin
Nicky Spence

Congratulations to everyone nominated.  But wait! You get a chance to vote too! You can vote here for  The Readers Award finalists:

Piotr Beczała
Ferruccio Furlanetto
Susan Graham
Jonas Kaufmann
Aleksandra Kurzak
Mariusz Kwiecien
Karita Mattila
Nina Stemme

And as if that wasn't excitement enough you can attend the awards presentation on 26th April at the Savoy Theatre for the bargain price of £30 (upper circle) - or if you really want to splash out, why not buy a table for the gala dinner as well!  A snip at £4500 for a table for ten.  Further details can be found here  

A Glimpse of the Future? New season speculation......

So Christmas is officially over, the dark and dreary days of winter are here, and opera lovers' thoughts turn to....the 2015/16 opera season of course.  Yes, before we know where we are, opera houses will be announcing their selections for the 2015/16 season.  Of course, we don't have to wait until the official announcement.  Some fun is to be had by speculating about what the new season might bring....will La Gheorghiu sing at the Met again?  Why on earth is Jonas singing that when he could be singing  Wagner/Verdi/Puccini (insert composer of choice)? 

Luckily we don't have to wait!  Or at least, we can have a bit of fun while we do. There are a couple of internet sites out there that have a fair stab at predicting what might be happening at the Met and the Royal Opera House in the not so distant future.  There has been a small twitterstorm today following speculation that Jonas Kaufmann will be singing Otello at ROH in the not too distant future (2017) so I thought I'd make life easier and post some links and information.

Just remember these sites post speculation and not necessarily fact!  There will be speculation, guesses and pure wishful thinking no doubt.  Until the season is actually published by the opera house all bets are off...or as they say around these parts "it ain't over until the fat lady (or tenor) sings".

Metropolitan Opera House New York

The Future Met Wiki has a fairly comprehensive list of future seasons at the Met, going right up to 2019/20...although admittedly detail is sketchy for that particular season! For 2015/16 they currently (as of 13 Jan 2015) have the following listed:

New Productions 2015/16

Verdi's Otello
Dates: Opening Night
Conductor: Yannick Nezet-Seguin
Production: Bart Sher
Designer: Catherine Zuber (costumes)
Otello: Aleksandrs Antonenko
Desdemona: Hibla Gerzmava / Sonya Yoncheva / Angela Meade (?)
Iago: Zeljko Lucic / Dmitri Hvorostovsky


Berg's Lulu
Dates: Nov / December 2015
Production: William Kentridge
Conductor: James Levine
Lulu: Marlis Petersen
Geschwitz: Susan Graham
Alwa: Daniel Brenna
Dr. Schon / Jack the Ripper: Johan Reuter
Animal Trainer / Athlete: Martin Winkler
(Co-production with the Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, & Canadian Opera Company)

Puccini's Manon Lescaut
Production: Sir Richard Eyre
Manon: Kristine Opolais
Des Grieux: Jonas Kaufmann
(Co-production with the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden)

Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles [The Pearl Fishers]
Production: Penny Woolcock
Leila: Diana Damrau
Nadir: Vittorio Grigolo / Matthew Polenzani (?)
(Co-production with the English National Opera)

Donizetti's Roberto Devereux
Production: David McVicar (?)
Elisabetta: Sondra Radvanovsky
Roberto Devereux: Matthew Polenzani

Strauss's Elektra
Production: Patrice Chéreau
Dates: April 14 to May 7
Elektra: Nina Stemme
Klytemnestra: Waltraud Meier
Chrysothemis: Adrianne Pieczonka
(Co-production with the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Finnish National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, & Berlin Staatsoper)

Revivals 2015/16

Donizetti's Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena: Sondra Radvanovsky

Rossini's The Barber of Seville
Holiday abridged version in English

Puccini's La Bohème
Rodolfo: Piotr Beczala
Mimi: Maria Agresta
Musetta: Marina Rebeka / Ana Maria Martinez?
Marcello: Levente Molnar / Quinn Kelsey

Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
Nedda: Barbara Frittoli
Canio: Roberto Alagna
Santuzza: Lyudmila Monastyrska

Rossini's La Donna del Lago
Malcolm: Daniela Barcellona

Donizetti's Don Pasquale
Ernesto: Javier Camarena
Norina: Angela Gheorghiu/Eleonora Buratto
Don Pasquale: Ambrogio Maestri

Donizetti's L'Elisir d’Amore
Adina: Aleksandra Kurzak
Nemorino: Vittorio Grigolo / Roberto Alagna

Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Conductor: James Levine

J. Strauss's Die Fledermaus
Adele: Lucy Crowe

Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Sharpless: Artur Rucinski
Conductor: Karel Mark Chichon

Donizetti's Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda: Sondra Radvanovsky
Elisabetta: Elza van den Heever / Angela Meade

Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro

Verdi's Rigoletto
Duke of Mantua: Stephen Costello/Piotr Beczala
Gilda: Olga Peretyatko

Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
Simon: Placido Domingo
Amelia Grimaldi: Angela Gheorghiu/Barbara Frittoli
Gabriele: Joseph Calleja

Wagner's Tannhauser
Tannhauser: Johan Botha
Elisabeth: Eva Maria Westbroek

Puccini's Tosca
Tosca: Maria Guleghina
Scarpia: Bryn Terfel

Verdi's Il Trovatore
Leonora: Anna Netrebko/Angela Meade
c. Marco Armiliato

Puccini's Turandot
Turandot: Lise Lindstrom / Christine Goerke
Calàf: Marcelo Alvarez
Liu: Hibla Gerzmava/Leah Crocetto


Just remember, all are subject to change. I seem to remember Jonas Kaufmann slated for Don Carlos (French) at the Met until relatively late in the day for 2014/15. Ended up being re-run of the Italian version and no Jonas!

Royal Opera House Covent Garden

A similar site for the Future Royal Opera House Wiki has less listed but still makes interesting reading and who knows - you may be able to add something! Both Wiki's are editable so if you know something then join in the fun! Anyway, the Royal Opera 2015/16 wiki has this so far:

(amended 14th Jan 2015)

New Productions 2015/16

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) and Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Canio - Aleksanders Antonenko
Tonio/Alfio - Dimitrias Platanias

Orphee et Euridice (Gluck) Autumn 2015
Director: John Fulljames
Orphee - Juan Diego Forez


Carmen (Bizet) Autumn 2015
Don Jose - Bryan Hymel

Lucia di Lammamoor (Donizetti)
Lucia - Diana Damrau
Enrico - Artur Rucinski
Edgardo - Stephen Costello

Il Trovatore (Verdi)
Conductor - Antonio Pappano
Manrico - Gregory Kunde
Leonora - Carmen Gianattasio
Azuncena - Ekaterina Semenchuk

L'Etoile (Chabrier)
Director - Mariame Clement
Set/Costume Designe - Julia Hansen

Mitridate, Re di Ponto (Mozart)
Conductor: Christophe Rousset

Werther (Massenet) ?Revival
Conductor - Antonio Pappano
Werther - Vittorio Grigolo
Charlotte - Joyce DiDonato

Revivals 2015/16

Il Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Il Conte - Stephane Degout

Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss) October 2015
Ariadne - Renee Fleming/Elizabeth Meister

Tannhauser (Wagner)
Original direction: Tim Albery
Costume designer: John Morrell
Elizabeth - Emma Bell

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky)
Director - Kasper Holten
Conductor - Semyon Bychkov
Tatiana - ?Anna Netrebko
Lensky - Michael Fabiano

Il Trittico (Puccini) Feb/March 2016
Suor Angelica - Ermonela Jaho

That's all for now but feel free to comment or join in the speculation!

A Fright at the Opera! Ballo in Maschera 2nd January 2015

Copyright Catherine Ashmore

Oh dear!  I had hoped that my first opera excursion of 2015 would be something to inspire and kick the year off in fine style!  Despite the dark rumblings of discontent following the first (and subsequent) nights, I hoped that inspiration and a Christmas miracle might have intervened.  Alas, and sad to say, it has not.

Un Ballo in Maschera (to give the opera its full title) is fabulous middle-period Verdi and full of wonderful if tricky arias, duets and ensembles.  Verdi's original version was set in Sweden with the story portraying King Gustav III's assassination at a masked ball,  Of course, the censors would not allow this on stage and so he was forced to change both character and location - Gustavo eventually became Riccardo the Governor of Boston.  In this latest production however, all is a bit more vague.  While the Boston version names are retained, the location appears to be some Ruritanian middle-European location prior to World War 1 - none of which really has any impact on the story telling.

I really have nothing positive at all to say about the physical production and direction on display. The sets and costumes looked cheap and old-fashioned, the choreography dismal and singer-direction non-existant.  My initial tweeted reaction was to use the word inept.  Today I would add amateurish - except that would be an insult to some fine amateur performances I have seen.

There was conversely too much action in places and yet not enough in others.  Focus was constantly pulled from the lead singers by distracting stage business going on around them.  The overture was of course staged - to no real effect.  More annoyingly there was a side-show with Amelia's little boy constantly in and out of bed and Oscar (the page) having a bit of hanky-panky with the maid - all while the lead singers attempted to focus audience attention - and failed for the most part.  It really looked as though the director Katherine Thoma, had concentrated her attention on the peripheries and totally abandoned any attempt to direct the lead singers.

On paper the cast certainly appeared to have the vocal goods, although in my pre-season round up I did express doubts about their dramatic abilities.  Joseph Calleja, Liudmyla Monastyrska and Dmitri Hvorostovsky are very fine singers - great actors they are not.  Casting all three in the same production is unfortunate as even one great acting performance might have enlivened the evening. But it was not to be and unfortunately they received no help at all from the director.  They were all at their best when left alone singing solo arias and the audience rewarded those efforts appropriately.

Joseph Calleja is a fine tenor but his vibrato heavy voice is an acquired taste and I haven't really acquired it.  I don't think he's quite got the measure of this particular role but that may come in time and with better direction may well be a success.  I don't think pairing him with uber-dramatic soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska particularly helped his cause.  She has a magnificent voice it has to be said, although I did feel at times that her lowest notes were completely disconnected from the rest of her voice.  I've now seen her in three roles including a previous Lady Macbeth and Abigaille and unfortunately I've seen no dramatic engagement on any of those occasions. She faired slightly better here it has to be said but only slightly.  Hvorostovsky is pretty much a known quantity at this stage in his career and there were no surprises pleasant or unpleasant.   

Real dramatic engagement and some vocal allure was provided by both Serena Gamberoni as Oscar and Marianne Cornetti as Ulrica the fortune teller.  The conspirators as played by Anatoli Sivko and Jihoon Kim were also well within their roles dramatically and vocally.

Daniel Oren in the pit managed to suck the life out of what should be music of sparkling wit and hidden depths.  Combined with the directorial ineptitude of Katherine Thoma this Ballo really had no chance at all.