The Best and the Worst of 2013

Following in the footsteps of so many bloggers, tweeters and opera critics I offer my own thoughts on the highs and lows of the live performances I attended in the year 2013.  I've restricted myself to five categories - as inspired by Opera Britannia's own review of the year.

Outstanding New Production

Amongst some lean pickings, my very first experience of a staged Parsifal won by a long margin. Apparently I may be going against the grain, but for a Parsifal virgin such as I, this was the ideal production to start with. It wasn't perfect by any means...but then I don't seek perfection in live performances.  Amongst the many glories was Gerald Finley as Amfortas, surely one of the greatest singing actors we currently have.

Best Revival

Of course it must be Don Carlo -  hardly surprising I hear you cry.  But quite apart from my predilection for Jonas Kaufmann, I must admit that Don Carlo is rapidly becoming my favourite Verdi opera. This revival, with a top notch cast was a real treat - if only the production itself was a little more inspiring but that is a minor cavil when you have such superb musical values on display.

Best Male Performance

All things considered this has to be Gerald Finley for his amazing performance as Amfortas in Parsifal. Simply stunning.  Close contenders were Erwin Schrott in Les Vepres Siciliennes (almost clinched by the infamous black dress) and Jonas Kaufmann in Don Carlo.

Best Female Performance

Another difficult choice but in the end I was so blown away by Lise Lindstrom's performance as Turandot that she emerged as the outright winner.  While I found the production itself a little disappointing (surely time for a new one?) she took the role by the throat and made her house debut in very fine style indeed.  I can't wait until I get the chance to see her again.

Honourable mention must go to Joyce di Donato in La Donna del Lago - again while I didn't love the production, she could do no wrong in my eyes.

Biggest Disappointment

Oh dear - where to start?  I suppose my biggest disappointments (apart from Anja Harteros cancellations) have been with most of the new productions I have seen at ROH - especially Nabucco and Eugene Onegin. Uninspiring, dreary and sometimes just plain weird, I have had some of my most disappointing evenings when attending a new production - with the honourable exception of the new Parsifal and I do hope that is an encouraging start to the 2013-14 rosta of new productions.  I'm certainly looking forward to Don Giovanni, Manon Lescaut and Maria Stuarda and Die Frau ohne Schatten but only time will tell if there has been an improvement.

So there it is - my highlights and lowlights of 2013.  It only remains for me to wish you a very Happy New Year and to wish you happy opera-going wherever you may be.

Remembrance of Things Past - End of Season Review

Looking back over my 2012-13 season of opera, concerts and theatre I can only count myself lucky to have access to some truly great theatre in London.  As this blog is mainly operatic in nature and dedicated to a certain opera house, I'm going to concentrate on opera I have seen at the Royal Opera House from September 2012 to July 2013 - and hand out a few awards in the process.  But to give you an idea of which opera I'm judging, this is what I managed to see at Covent Garden this season:

Albert Herring (not strictly ROH but staged by ETO at the Linbury)
The Minotaur
Eugene Onegin (new production)
Written on Skin (new production)
La Boheme
Tosca (twice plus a rehearsal)
Nabucco (new production)
Die Zauberflote (twice)
Don Carlo (twice)
La Donna del Lago (new production)
Gloriana (new production)
La Rondine

So, not included in my considerations are the Ring Cycle which kicked off the season (still a bit of a Wagner-phobe...or Ring-phobe), L'elisir d'amore, Robert le Diable (probably just as well), Simon Boccanegra or Cappricio in concert.

Best New Production
This was a perversely hard decision as quite frankly I think most of the new productions this season have been a bit of a let down - I do hope this isn't going to be a trend. But in the end my vote goes to....

Gloriana. Although some critics didn't enjoy the 1950's framing device, I thought it worked.  I also enjoyed the commitment of the cast and of the conductor Paul Daniel, and although Susan Bullock's voice is not a beautiful instrument, she was touching in the final scene and the whole opera was a joy to watch.  Toby Spence was also a fine Essex and brought a sweet vulnerability to the part.

Worst New Production.
Where to start?  For the most part I found the new productions this season depressing or incomprehensible or both.  Doppelgängers in Eugene Onegin could have been a good idea but the execution was clumsy and interfered too much with the story.  Rather perversely I enjoyed the production of Written on Skin but hated the actual music. Nabucco was musically very good indeed but so depressing to watch - 50 Shades of Grey indeed. So that just leaves the winner of this category....

La Donna del Lago.  Poor Joyce.  She's a game girl but even she couldn't persuade me of the merits of this one.  Which is a pity as the singing was sublime - as you would expect with Joyce di Donato and Juan Diego Florez.  But what a waste of such fantastic singers.  One where you closed your eyes and listened.

Best Production Revival
A bit spoilt for choice here and most of the revived productions were well executed, well sung and had their particular merits but for me the winner is....

Die Zauberflote.  For me, the sign of a great production or performance is that I want to go back and see it again - and in this instance I did, with the added bonus of a different cast for the second performance.  Both casts were equally good.  Stand out performances for me were Charles Castronovo as Tamino, Simon Keenleyside still funny as Papageno and Sophie Bevan as Pamina - not all in the same cast unfortunately. David McVicar's production is still magical and I'd definitely go back and see another performance.

Worst Production Revival
Actually very hard to pick out a production that I'd label 'worst' so be kind I'd say that this one is less good in comparison to others this season.  The winner is....

La Boheme.  Now don't get me wrong, I like Boheme as much as the next person and I also know that this production is vintage and 'well loved' but honestly I think its time for a new production to have a fresh look at this. Mind you, given the lack-lustre new productions this season perhaps we'd better stick with this for a few more years.  The singers were fine and in some cases very fine indeed.  Sonya Yoncheva as Musetta impressed, as did Hibla Gerzmava as Mimi. Vittorio Grigolo I found quite annoying.  His arrogance and mannerisms on stage did him no favours, which is a pity because when he settled down and started paying attention to his fellow singers (and the conductor) he was actually quite good.

Which brings me to...

Best Male Singer Performance
For regular readers of this blog (and my twitterfeed) the winner of this award will probably come as no surprise. However there was some serious competition and honourable mentions must go to Charles Castronovo in Zauberflote and La Rondine; Feruccio Ferlanetto in Don Carlo, Aleksandrs Antonenko in Tosca and Toby Spence in Gloriana.  But the winner has to be...

Jonas Kaufmann. As as I said, probably no surprise but honestly this performance just blew me away - so good I saw it twice. I would venture that the role of Don Carlo is a great fit for Kaufmann, he really seems to relish the dark, tormented characters in opera so this one fits the bill perfectly.  And if you add superb acting to the daring vocalism and you have the perfect package.  I'm hooked.

Best Female Singer Performance.
Lots of competition for this one too.  I'm not as heavily invested in the female voice, although I do love a good mezzo it has to be said.  Honourable mentions go to Angela Gheorghiu in Rondine, Sophie Bevan in Zauberflote,  Lianna Haroutounian in Don Carlo and Krassimira Stoyanova in Eugene Onegin.  But for me the winner is.....

Joyce di Donato.  Whatever the faults of the production, the singing from Joyce was absolutely superb and if she had any doubts about what she was being asked to do, she certainly didn't show it.  Add to that a winning manner and a wonderful down to earth personality which I was lucky enough to see in her masterclass, then Joyce is my Best Female Singer Performance of the season.  Brava!

And finally...

Operatic Highlight of the Year.
This simply has to be...

Don Carlo.  And not just because of the wonderful performance by Jonas Kaufmann.  If you add Ferruccio Ferlanetto, Lianna Haroutounian, Mariusz Kwiecien, not to mention Tony Pappano conducting then you have a top class performance.

So that's it.  Covent Garden is (relatively) quiet until the new opera season starts with Turandot on 9th September - I'll be having an early preview with the dress rehearsal on 7th September so watch this space.

In the meantime please do let me know your favourites of the season.

From the frustrating to the sublime - a tale of two opera

La Donna del Lago 17th May and Don Carlo 18th May, Royal Opera House

I wasn't originally due to see Rossini's Donna del Lago until 7th June but a last minute ticket appeared and I grabbed the chance for an early visit.  With a cast featuring Joyce Di Donato and Juan Diego Florez my expectations were high to say the least.  This was staged in a new production by John Fulljames, the ROH Associate Director of Opera and I think its fair to say that interest was high, especially after his boss's less than successful Eugene Onegin earlier in the season.

This is one of Rossini's neglected opera and hasn't been seen at Covent Garden since 1985 and I can understand why.  Only the best Rossini singers will do and you simply have to wait until they appear before you even think about staging this.  You need not only one but two world class mezzo-sopranos and two world beating Rossini tenors, one for a role that on paper should be un-singable.  Luckily ROH have assembled a cast that pretty much hits the target musically.

This is my first time (there's that phrase again) of hearing Joyce di Donato and Juan Diego Florez live in the theatre and I wasn't disappointed in either of them.  Both displayed the virtuosity required by Rossini while still managing to convincingly portray their characters in somewhat trying circumstances -  more on that later.  But this is not Verdi or verismo - the voice is the thing here and if there is any reason to go and see this opera then its for the voice - not for the drama.

One of my pet hates on opera is the convention of a woman playing a male role - or 'trouser role'.  I find it so ridiculous most of the time that it totally takes me out of the story being told in front of me.  However Daniela Barcellona as Malcolm, almost succeeded in convincing me she was indeed a hairy Highland warrior - kudos to wardrobe and make-up.  But of course the voice is still recognisable feminine and the illusion is destroyed.  Impressive singing by the kilted Ms Barcellona though.

Kasper Holten announced that Colin Lee was unwell and unable to sing the fearsome role of Rodrigo - the second virtuostic tenor role in this opera, and Michael Spyres had stepped into the breach. I have to say that I think he has a freakish voice - but that is what the role calls for.  His voice is baritonal - but not in the Kaufmann sense of the word.  He is most definitely a tenor but when the low notes are called for he can throw them out with abandon - sometimes sounding more like a bass than a tenor.  But then the high notes come forth and it leaves you wondering just what sort of singer this was written for - a very impressive one obviously.

That was the good - now onto the production.

The basic concept looked to be an operatic "Night at the Museum", with Elena (the Lady of the Lake) in a glass cabinet, along with other cabinets containing various mementos and gentlemen in 19th centenary evening dress wandering around getting very excited by their exhibition.  Elena is then released from her cabinet and the story proper begins but not without the annoying presence of one or more actors observing the action as it unfolds.  Also present were singers costumed as Rossini and Sir Walter Scott - to what end I really don't know.  Combine that with unwarranted rape scenes and you get a production that really doesn't know what it wants to be - apart from controversial maybe?  It seems that I was not in the minority as the production team received plenty of boos at the curtain call while the singers were cheered to the rafters.

And on top of that a lot of the action took place on the left of the stage - coincidentally the bit of the stage I couldn't really see from my restricted view seat.  Now I don't expect all the action to take place centre stage but when you have a theatre with a traditional horse-shoe shape, to stage 70% of the action to one side of the stage seems bizarre.

In conclusion this was a very frustrating night - the singing top rate but the staging not only annoying but detracting from the performance.  Go see it for the singing if you can and if you really want to see the production find a seat centre or on the right of the auditorium.

Luckily for me, I had a second visit to see Don Carlo planned for the following night.  And what a contrast it was.  I won't go into all the detail here (see previous post) but the singing here was just as sublime and in its own way as virtuostic as the Rossini, but here the production (although not ideal) didn't interfere with the drama - no dead composers on stage and no silent observers of the drama.  Just a straightforward telling of the story which didn't need any concept pasted on.  The singing and acting were even better than when I saw this the first time, each singer now completely within the character they were portraying.  The final act duet for Carlos and Elisabetta once again almost had me in tears - quite frankly I don't expect to hear it sung so beautifully again for quite a long time - if ever.

In contrast to the previous evening the audience cheered to the rafters, almost unwilling to let the cast go as they took bow after bow. There was a special feeling in the house and I felt privileged to have been there.  Simply magical.

And that's the beauty of opera - one night so frustrating you want to scream, and the next so sublime you want to weep.  And that's also why I keep going back for more.

Starry Starry Night - Don Carlo, Royal Opera 11th May 2013

I may have mentioned this before but I love Verdi.  I may also have mentioned that my current favourite tenor is Jonas Kaufmann. So imagine what would happen if my two loves were combined in one fabulous evening....read on.

Don Carlo is one of Verdi's most epic opera - both in ambition and scale.  With a performance length hovering at around 4 and a half hours, this takes commitment both from the artists and the audience.  Not all of the audience were up to it and a couple of young women seated next to me abandoned ship at the first interval  their places gratefully taken by an Italian couple from the standing places. But perseverance pays dividends for this is one of Verdi's most ravishing scores wrapped in a deeply dark political and personal plot.

Hearing Jonas Kaufmann's voice live in the theatre for the first time is probably something I will always remember.  Yes, of course it sounds just a good as on DVD or CD, but live in the theatre you can feel the full impact of the varied tone and dynamics.  But I can now sort of understand why some reviewers think that hasn't got a 'Verdi voice' - it lacks the typical ping and innate sunshine in the sound, but in Don Carlo this matters less given the dark overtones throughout.  I for one would gladly listen to Herr Kaufmann in whatever he chooses to sing.  Yes, even Wagner!

But he wasn't the only vocal star of the evening. There was barely a weak link in this magnificent cast, even given the cancellation of Anja Harteros who was due to appear as Elisabetta but cancelled due to acute tonsillitis.  I won't go into the furore (not in the House but on social media) that greeted this latest of many cancellations, but will simply say that her replacement was much more than adequate.  Lianna Haroutounian has an impressive dark toned voice with ringing high notes and sympathetic acting in her portrayal of Elisabetta and she clearly impressed the audience judging by her reception at the end of the opera.  I would hope that the ROH management are even now beating down her door armed with future contracts.

In the role of Rodrigio, Mariusz Kwiecien displayed a robust baritone but I found his acting in this role pretty generalised, although I appear to have been in the minority as he also was cheered to the rafters. Beatrice Uria-Monzon sang Princess Eboli who cut a beautiful figure (as her character should) but whose voice is an acquired taste.

The fabulous Ferrricio Furlanetto as the despotic tyrant  Philip humanised by Verdi's music, was simply sublime.  Out of all of the singers on stage he was the one who fully embodied the role he was playing - that comes from over 30 years of playing the role and the experience shows.  His duet with the Grand Inquisitor as sung by Eric Halfvarson was masterly and almost the best moment in the opera.  Almost.

Although hard to pick the greatest moment out of so many great moments, the best for me was the final heart-rending farewell duet between Carlo and Elisabetta at the tomb of Carlos V.  It was simply ravishing and I cannot imagine I will ever hear it sung so beautifully again.  Kaufmann dared to reduce his voice to the merest whisper in places and yet was still clearly audible.  Haroutounian joined in this Verdian 'liebestod' until there was barely a dry eye in the house.

Last but certainly not least, Antonio Pappano led the orchestra in a rousing and dynamic reading of this complex music.  The ROH Chorus too played a vital role in making the performance come alive.

I've concentrated on the singing in this review and I think that's how it should be.  Nicholas Hytner's production has been well documented elsewhere and has both detractors and admirers.  It's semi-abstract style certainly doesn't detract from an outstanding evening although I don't think it particularly added anything either.  I've certainly seen the autdo-da-fe done better but as I say, it didn't detract from the fabulous singing and acting on stage.

I've said that I cannot imagine hearing the final duet sung so beautifully again - actually I'm hoping I will as I'm revisiting this on the 18th May where I hope to be blown away all over again.