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

The Devil Rides Out - Faust, Royal Opera, 4th April 2014

I've probably said this before but I don't normally do first nights.   I like to see the production and singers once everything is 'bedded in' as it were.  However, Since this particular first night fell on a Friday, and was one of the few dates I could actually get to see Faust, I brushed aside any hesitation and booked.

Of course, when I originally booked for this opera, Anna Netrebko was scheduled to sing Marguerite - something I looked forward too as I've not managed to catch this diva live before.  Alas, I (and countless others) were to be disappointed when she pulled out citing role incompatibility. I tend to agree with her assessment, however the late timing of this announcement left something to be desired.  A replacement was hastily arranged and luckily for us, Sonya Yoncheva, a young soprano making a name for herself,  shuffled her hectic diary and agreed to step in.

The rest of the cast was not to be sniffed at either; Joseph Calleja as Faust, Simon Keenlyside as Valentine and last but infinitely not least, Bryn Terfel as Mephistopheles.  With such a cast, you can understand why this was a highly anticipated event for the Royal Opera.

Okay, another confession.  Before this performance I'd never seen Faust on the stage before!  Yes, I know.  It seems totally shocking even to me.  Faust is one of those opera that is almost compulsory it seems - or at least to me.  Don't get me wrong, its not like I don't know the music, but somehow actually attending a live performance had seemed like something I could do another day - I didn't feel any strong compulsion to investigate the opera further.  However with this cast I really couldn't resist.

In the title role, acclaimed tenor Joseph Calleja delivered the goods with some lovely heartfelt singing and an especially good 'Salut, demeure chaste et pure.'  However, I want to like the voice more than I actually do.  I recognise it as an impressive voice but I don't love it - possibly the distinctive vibrato which marks him out from his peers is slightly too much for my personal taste.  But as I say, his is an important voice but just not one that personally appeals.  His acting is limited but on this occasion he threw himself into the action without necessarily revealing any particular insights.

Sonya Yoncheva I have encounterd twice before; once in a Domingo Operalia concert (she was a previous winner) and the next time as Musetta in La Boheme.  As Marguerite, she finally came into her own at Covent Garden.  The voice is distinctive, secure, lovely and lyrical - ideal for this role.  If her trills in the Jewel Song were a little approximate then no matter - she made up for it with a finely characterised portrayal which tugged at the heartstrings in the finale.

I like Simon Keenlyside.  A lot.  I think he is a very fine singer and actor.  However, I'm not entirely sure why he is singing Valentine.  Nostaglia?  Because there just doesn't seem enough for him to do here in comparison to the rest of the cast.  Yes his aria was nicely sung and yes he also had a very good death scene - but is that enough when there are so many other roles he could be doing? Given the stellar company in which he found himself, I also found his voice less immediately 'distinctive' than Yoncheva, Calleja and Terfel.

As yes, Terfel.  Possibly my main reason for booking to see this opera.  I have a bit of a bass-baritone thing going on at the moment and I was keen to see Bryn away from his usual diet of Wotan, Scarpia and Falstaff.

I was not disappointed.  He strides through this production like the devilish operatic colossus he is! He dominates every scene that he appears in - with force of presence and cannily managed vocal resources. According to some comments he is not as good as in younger days.  I have no idea as I never really heard him sing when he was younger, so I have nothing to compare him to.  To me he was the very embodiment of the Devil himself - probably one of the best operatic actors on the stage today.

I've not spend much time on David McVicar's production but I enjoyed it very much.  I've seen people (me included) describing it as a 'show'.  And that's exactly what it is.  There is so much going on, so many scene and costume changes, that it sometimes resembles a Broadway or West End show.  But that's not a criticism at all and this would probably be an ideal starter for the operatic novice.

Having said all of this, I now find myself wondering if I really want to see this again - I have a ticket for another performance.  This is more a reflection on the opera itself, than any criticism of the performers.  Even with such a cast, I'm not sure that seeing Faust again would give me any added insights.  Then again, the chance to see Bryn in action might just sway me!

Photographs courtesy of the Royal Opera House

The Magic of Mozart - Die Zauberflote, ROH 27 April 2013

Before I review this performance I thought I'd better give you a little insight into my operatic adventures to date. I suppose I grew up listening to operatic music in the home on a fairly regular basis.  My late Mum loved the opera and listened to singers ranging from Mario Lanza to Placido Domingo and Pavarotti and most singers in between - but she never really had the opportunity to see live opera on a regular basis - due to geographical location and lack of funds.  So for me the music was there in the background and something that over time I came to love myself.  However, again due to geography and funds, I let my live performance going slide and contented myself with DVD's and recordings....until a couple of years ago I found my enthusiasm renewed - and lo and behold I was in the right place (just outside of London) and with just enough disposable income to indulge my love for all things operatic.

I write this as quite a lot of my reviews will undoubtedly start with the words 'this is my first performance of....etc etc'.  So let's just say that I'm making up for lost time when it comes to live operatic performance.


So, taking the above into consideration let me start by saying that this was my first experience of Zauberflote (Magic Flute) in the theatre and it was with a little trepidation that I settled myself into my seat and waited for the music to start. Don't get me wrong, I love Mozart although mainly his orchestral works it has to be said.  For me, as with Wagner, there are some unacceptable dramatic longueurs in Mozart opera even though the music is sublime. Luckily my slight misgivings evaporated almost as soon as the overture sprang into life in the capable hands of Julia Jones, our conductor for the evening. Sometimes you can just tell from the overture when the performance is going to be a good one and that was the case here.

It's almost impossible for me to single out any of the performers as they were pretty much all equally good.  Charles Castronovo as Tamino brought a rich lyric Italianate tone to the role and some pretty convincing acting to what could be a stock 'romantic fairy tale prince' sort of role.  Tenors are not on the whole the most interesting roles in Mozart opera - he had most fun with sopranos and baritones, but Castronovo almost convinced me that Mozart tenors aren't such a bad lot really.  I now look forward to seeing him in Puccini's La Rondine in July.

But as I said, all of the cast were equally good - Ekaterina Siurina in gorgeously lyrical voice as Pamina, Brindley Sherratt noble and persuasive as Sarastro and a special mention to Albina Shagimuratova as the glacial Queen of the Night who threw off the stratospheric high notes and coloratura with ease. I've never encountered Christopher Maltman before (my loss) but as Papageno the delightfully dumb bird catcher, he gave us a funny but still touching portrayal of a man looking for love in all the wrong places and his bewilderment in being caught up in events beyond his control was evident.

David McVicar's production is colourful and magical with some now iconic images of the Queen of Night, the serpent and the Three Boys who fly over the stage in a wooden go-kart.  I was pleased to see a fair scattering of children in the audience as this is an opera entirely suitable for younger opera lovers as well as older one's.

However, there is one thing about the production that does does give me pause for thought.  The character of Monostatos, portrayed here as a rather silly pantomime-ish villain who lusts after Pamina has been subjected to the politically correct whitewash treatment - for in the original libretto Monostatos is in fact a Moor and there are references to this scattered throughout the libretto - all of which have been removed for this production.  I find this rather bizarre although alas not surprising.  For while it seems we can deal with the sexism prevalent in the text of the opera - the audience (including the women) laughing ironically at such old fashioned ideas, it seems that we can't yet deal with the implied racism portrayed and have to quite literally whitewash it out of existence - easily done as I presume the majority of the audience like me, can't speak German and therefore rely on the super-titles above the stage for the translation.  How easy then just to brush the racism out as if it never existed.  But why do it just because you can?  Would you make Shakespeare's Othello a white man? Or Shylock a Gentile   Of course not.  It would make a mockery of the whole play.  So why brush racism under the carpet?  Why not find a way to deal with it in the opera?

Rant over.

This is still  an opera that can be seen and enjoyed on many levels - for the music obviously.  But also it is an opera about fairy tales and rituals, right and wrong, it is an opera about magic, theatre and music - and that's without acknowledging the undoubted Masonic influences liberally scattered throughout.

This was a highly enjoyable and uplifting night at the opera.  Mozart really is magic.