Plans

Tonight we're going to see Handel's Tolomeo at the London Handel Festival. The performance takes place in the Britten Theatre of the Royal College of Music, a theatre which is ideal in size for this sort of opera. I've been cudgeling my brains trying to remember what the 'hit' number is from this opera; I don't know the opera but I'm sure that one particular piece gets into recital programmes. No doubt all will be revealed tonight.

Previous opera productions at the festival have been variable, but tonight's production is a co-production with English Touring Opera and being directed by James Conway. So it should be good as long as he keeps away from Scottish manses (the mis-en-scene for his production of Ariodante).

Then on Friday its Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House, their reconstruction of the 1949 Oliver Messel designed production. This production was one of the highlights of my Mother's ballet-going career and was much talked about. I shall be interested to see what the 2006 version is like; at least the reviews have been promising.

Saturday its off to the London Coliseum for the new production of The Makropoulos Case. Having seen Catherine Wilson (Scottish Opera), Elisabeth Soderstrom (Welsh National Opera) and Ana Silja (Glyndebourne) in the title role, Cheryl Barker will have to be good!