Roméo et Juliette, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, October 2010
Posted on 27 October 2010Piotr Beczala’s performance of Romeo’s cavatina “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!” elicited huge applause and moved the performance into a higher gear.
Monthly Archives: October 2010
La Bohème, English National Opera, ENO at the London Coliseum, October 2010
Posted on 19 October 2010… Mimi herself was the star of the show, gloriously sung by Elizabeth Llewellyn, making her ENO debut.
La Valse/ Invitus Invitam/ Winter Dreams/ Theme and Variations, Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, October 2010
Posted on 16 October 2010The high point of this lovely mixed bill was Theme and Variations, created by Balanchine in 1947 for Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch. The following year Ms. Alonso founded the Cuban National Ballet, and now at almost 90 years old did us the honour of attending, and appearing on stage at the end flanked by Monica …
The Duenna, English Touring Opera [ETO], Royal Opera House Linbury Studio, October 2010
Posted on 14 October 2010It’s a pleasure to see English Touring Opera in London, and know that they will be taking this delightful production to other cities. It deserves to be a sell-out everywhere.
Rigoletto, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, October 2010
Posted on 12 October 2010The duke gets many of the best tunes, but the most important character is the jester, Rigoletto, and we are lucky in this new run to have Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the role. He was sensational, both in singing and acting …
Promised End, English Touring Opera, Royal Opera House Linbury Studio, October 2010
Posted on 11 October 2010One might expect an operatic treatment of King Lear to be of Wagnerian proportions, yet Alexander Goehr’s version lasts only one and three quarter hours, including an interval.
Das Rheingold, Metropolitan Opera live relay, October 2010
Posted on 10 October 2010One cannot help feeling sympathy with Alberich as he cries out, “O Schmerz!” (What pain!), and Eric Owens sang and acted the role brilliantly. His dark, rich voice expressed his anguish and determination, …
Onegin, Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, October 2010
Posted on 8 October 2010This was a second view of John Cranko’s wonderful ballet during the present run, this time with an entirely different cast of principals: Federico Bonelli and Laura Morera as Onegin and Tatiana, Sergei Polunin and Melissa Hamilton as Lensky and Olga, and Gary Avis as Prince Gremin. For my previous review of the first night …
Radamisto, English National Opera, ENO at the London Coliseum, October 2010
Posted on 8 October 2010On 27th April 1720, a month before his sixtieth birthday, King George I attended the opera with his son the Prince of Wales. They’d only recently reunited after not speaking to another for three years, so this was just the right opera to see.
Les pêcheurs de perles, in concert, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, October 2010
Posted on 5 October 2010As the evening warmed up we were treated to a very fine duet between Osborn and Cabell in Act II, and a lovely soliloquy by Finley in Act III.