Mainly Opera and Ballet
This was a very welcome revival of Mike Leigh’s colourful production, which appeals, as Gilbert always intended, to both the eye and the ear. The singing was not on the same level as when the production was new, but everything otherwise worked very well – see my review in The Article.
Quite why director Harry Fehr decided to update this opera to a 1960s television sitcom about the air war against Germany in World War Two I do not know, but the fact that the garish uniforms were the wrong colour blue might suggest this was very much tongue-in-the-cheek. Fine singing and conducting though — see …
E. T. A. Hoffmann was an inspired writer of stories that melded fantasy and reality, and three in particular informed this opera by Offenbach. It is unquestionably the greatest work by this French master of operetta, and a new production at Covent Garden is hugely welcome — see my review in The Article.
This production by the late Jonathan Miller is a classic, and congratulations to the ENO for putting it on with a splendid cast. Recent threats by the Arts Council notwithstanding, the ENO does a fine job of bringing people in to witness one of the great art forms, which is exactly what they should be …
This new production is by someone who has previously made her name as a stage designer, and I found the designs too clever by half. The key to this opera is ambiguity, but this was absent. The mystery of the story however was heard in the excellent performance of Britten’s music and the carefully crafted …
This was a new production featuring some excellent singing, particularly in the roles of Tatyana, Lensky and Prince Gremin, but the staging was very dull. A white stage with almost no props may emphasise the emptiness of Onegin’s life, but gives little to the audience — see my review in The Article.
Even in Wales, the Land of Song, they are having to cut back on opera and defend themselves against the Arts Council. Yet despite the cuts this was a magnificent new Rigoletto with superb singing — see my review in The Article
The wonderful acoustics of the Glyndebourne opera house yielded a perfect musical experience, enhanced by imaginative off-stage contributions that came from more than one location. The conducting by music director Robin Ticciati allowed Wagner’s music full expression in this abstract production. See my review for The Article.
Thomas Hardy’s early novel of this name has been made into a wonderful opera by Paul Carr. This was its premiere by Dorset Opera, and the performance left me with a great feeling of inspired serenity. See my review in The Article.
In this excellent double bill the lightness of Wolf-Ferrari’s I segreto di Susannah (the secret is she smokes) was followed by the disturbing emotions displayed in Leoncavallo’s opera about a troupe of actors, brilliantly conducted and performed at OHP. See my review in The Article.
