Its is a considerable number of years since I was in any way involved in active gay politics, and even then I wasn't that active; more just interested and concerned. But age, and the changes in the UK political climate have meant that I only think about politics when reading a couple of gay news blogs.
The news from these has now intersected with my musical activities. A choir I know is thinking of travelling to Poland next year, to sing in Krakow. From a musical point of view, this makes a great deal of sense. Krakow is a lovely, historic place for the choristers to visit and they would be entitled to expect a musical welcome.
Unfortunately the current Polish government is evidently rather Right wing and is currently having a crack-down on Lesbians and Gay men. The question is, of course, how much should these political issues impinge on a cultural trip.
This raises the sort of questions that I remember from proposed Cricket tours to South Africa under apartheid. How much should the cultural tourists be influenced by the political situation in the host country and how much does their visit, in some way, validate the government and political situation.
Should a cultural group worry about these issues, or should they simply leave it to market forces to decide. I.e., let the choir members decide whether they wish to travel. The problem with this scenario is that not all people are politically aware. But there is an additional problem with a choir, you need a balance of members to provide a good range of voices. If certain key members feel unwilling or unable to travel, then it can endanger the viability of the choir and thus cause problems on the tour.
There are two issues which relate to me personally. The first is the simple on of whether it is safe for me and my partner, as gay men, to travel in Poland. The other is one of simple politics and solidarity, whether we want to travel to Poland when other Lesbians and Gay men are being persecuted by the regime, even if we ourselves are not in danger.
I must confess that these issues are not ones that I ever anticipated having to consider when travelling to an EU country. Normally I try to keep my politics out of this blog and concentrate on musical issues. But here we have them intersecting in a startling way. Anyone wanting to learn more, you can read a little here.
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
St. Matthew Passion at Glyndebourne
Labels:
opera review
On Friday we went to one of the final performances of the St. Matthew Passion at Glyndebourne. Katie Mitchell, in her production has opted to embed the performance of the passion in a scenario involving a community who have lost a number of children in a tragic accident. They are being helped by a group of 4 travelling players who enact the passion, with help from members of the community.
I found that the imposed scenario either did not go far enough or went too far; whichever way it seemed to me to be unhelpful except in the way that it engendered superb performances from some of the singers. The plight of the villagers neither moved me nor involved me. I felt that Mitchell should have either staged the work as a theatre piece based on the passion, thus allowing her to be much more interventionist and to give the villagers a real voice. Or to have simply staged the work without specific reference to them. Embedded in the performance was in interesting (and confusing) symbolic view of the passion.
Mark Padmore, strikingly shaven headed, made a passionate and committed Evangelist. Henry Waddington was the noble and much put upon Christ (repeatedly dowsed with salt, water and generally abused). Ingela Bohlin was an impressive soprano soloist and Sarah Connolly the superb alto soloist, both obviously took strength from Mitchell's interpretation. Andrew Tortise sang the tenor solos. At times he tended to push his voice for dramatic effect, which spoiled the musical performance; but when he relaxed he sang with his familiar easy and fluency. Christopher Purves was the bass soloist and I must confess to finding his performance a little boring.
The set, by Vicki Mortimer, was most impressive. The conducting, from Richard Egarr, was not. Even so late in the run, Egarr was having trouble keeping the chorus in time. Bach's big choruses are not meant to be sung by singers careering around the stage, so extra care needs to be taken. Unfortunately the closing choruses from Parts 1 and Parts 2 were marred by serious disagreements between stage and pit. Granted, the chorus sound was not ideal. In the opening chorus they were stationary, and so perfectly in time. But the chorus sound is heavily vibrato based and designed for 19th and 20th century music. The results in Bach's choruses made the sound confused and occluded.
I was glad I went to the performance, it was frequently musically satisfying. Also, it was provocative so that even if we didn't like it, it made us think and talk about what we would have wanted from a staging of the work.
I found that the imposed scenario either did not go far enough or went too far; whichever way it seemed to me to be unhelpful except in the way that it engendered superb performances from some of the singers. The plight of the villagers neither moved me nor involved me. I felt that Mitchell should have either staged the work as a theatre piece based on the passion, thus allowing her to be much more interventionist and to give the villagers a real voice. Or to have simply staged the work without specific reference to them. Embedded in the performance was in interesting (and confusing) symbolic view of the passion.
Mark Padmore, strikingly shaven headed, made a passionate and committed Evangelist. Henry Waddington was the noble and much put upon Christ (repeatedly dowsed with salt, water and generally abused). Ingela Bohlin was an impressive soprano soloist and Sarah Connolly the superb alto soloist, both obviously took strength from Mitchell's interpretation. Andrew Tortise sang the tenor solos. At times he tended to push his voice for dramatic effect, which spoiled the musical performance; but when he relaxed he sang with his familiar easy and fluency. Christopher Purves was the bass soloist and I must confess to finding his performance a little boring.
The set, by Vicki Mortimer, was most impressive. The conducting, from Richard Egarr, was not. Even so late in the run, Egarr was having trouble keeping the chorus in time. Bach's big choruses are not meant to be sung by singers careering around the stage, so extra care needs to be taken. Unfortunately the closing choruses from Parts 1 and Parts 2 were marred by serious disagreements between stage and pit. Granted, the chorus sound was not ideal. In the opening chorus they were stationary, and so perfectly in time. But the chorus sound is heavily vibrato based and designed for 19th and 20th century music. The results in Bach's choruses made the sound confused and occluded.
I was glad I went to the performance, it was frequently musically satisfying. Also, it was provocative so that even if we didn't like it, it made us think and talk about what we would have wanted from a staging of the work.
Tete a Tete opera festival again
Labels:
opera review
On Thursday we went to another instalment of the Tete a Tete opera festival. This time the party included the librettist of my new opera. We are currently mid collaboration so the operas in the festival gave rise to extensive discussion about what opera was and what we intended.
The first part consisted of 4 short operas from their forthcoming programme, Blind Date. The full programme will include 6 short operas all fully staged, here we saw 2 staged and 2 done in concert. Perhaps the most successful was the first, Feathered Friend in which a parrott (played by soprano Stephanie Corley, with a glove puppet on her hand), revealed the truth about a cheating wife (Susdan Atherton). Husband, Damian Thantrey, had such a close relationship with the parrott that the opera could easily have slipped into anthropomorphic surrealism. It didn't and perhaps it would have been even better if it had. My only reservation was that we laughed at the antics of the parrott but not at the parrott's music.
The middle two 'operas' were as yet unstaged, but seemed to be the ones most in need of it. Neither was overtly dramatic and both seemed to have librettos and music which were closer to choral music or vocal ensemble than dramatic opera. I will be interested in seeing what they look like in their ultimate form this autumn.
The final opera was both more dramatic in form and well staged. A curious fantasy about a Russian man searching for a new childhood nanny figure. Damian Thantrey was wonderfully amusing and touching in the main role.
After the interval we had The Girl Who Liked to Be Thrown Around, a monologue sung by Natalie Raybould, really a series of intercut monologues from the same character. A trashy girl who liked dodgy men. A brilliant short idea, it did rather go one to long, she made a few too many phone calls to her friend and watched the film Now Voyager once or twice too often. Still Raybould certainly impressed and I would like to see her in stronger material.
The final event was not opera, just cabaret; a lively and imaginative sax player called Jason Yarde, who is currently an LSO Sound Adventure Artist.
The first part consisted of 4 short operas from their forthcoming programme, Blind Date. The full programme will include 6 short operas all fully staged, here we saw 2 staged and 2 done in concert. Perhaps the most successful was the first, Feathered Friend in which a parrott (played by soprano Stephanie Corley, with a glove puppet on her hand), revealed the truth about a cheating wife (Susdan Atherton). Husband, Damian Thantrey, had such a close relationship with the parrott that the opera could easily have slipped into anthropomorphic surrealism. It didn't and perhaps it would have been even better if it had. My only reservation was that we laughed at the antics of the parrott but not at the parrott's music.
The middle two 'operas' were as yet unstaged, but seemed to be the ones most in need of it. Neither was overtly dramatic and both seemed to have librettos and music which were closer to choral music or vocal ensemble than dramatic opera. I will be interested in seeing what they look like in their ultimate form this autumn.
The final opera was both more dramatic in form and well staged. A curious fantasy about a Russian man searching for a new childhood nanny figure. Damian Thantrey was wonderfully amusing and touching in the main role.
After the interval we had The Girl Who Liked to Be Thrown Around, a monologue sung by Natalie Raybould, really a series of intercut monologues from the same character. A trashy girl who liked dodgy men. A brilliant short idea, it did rather go one to long, she made a few too many phone calls to her friend and watched the film Now Voyager once or twice too often. Still Raybould certainly impressed and I would like to see her in stronger material.
The final event was not opera, just cabaret; a lively and imaginative sax player called Jason Yarde, who is currently an LSO Sound Adventure Artist.
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
From this month's Opera Magazine
Rather late, I'm afraid, come my gleanings from the August edition of Opera.
The main interview is with Nina Stemme. An attractive Swede who has been making a name for herself as Isolde, I was very surprised to find that she is already in her early 40's; she was 30 when she launched herself professionally. This is becoming increasingly rare and but is very necessary to vocal health, particularly if the bigger roles are in sight. Another welcome piece of Stemme's make-up is that fact that she recognises that that, currently, Isolde is her physical limit and she limits her appearances in that role to one per year. She has recently sung Maguerite in Faust, with considerable success, so she is not limited to Wagnerian roles and seems to preserve an admirable suppleness of vocal line. I have only heard her live once, as Amelia in the Covent Garden Un Ballo in Maschera and would love to hear her in a more sympathetic production.
A diva from another generation, Galina Vishnevskaya, appears in Alexander Sokurov's latest film Alexandra about a grandmother making her way on train and on foot, pulling a shopping cart, to the Russian army camp where her grandson is stationed on the Chechen front. Always a dramatic presence on stage, I look forward to seeing her on film.
One sad loss, the bass John Connell and he was only 50. I remember hearing Connell at ENO and at Opera North. He was one of those people who disappeared and whom one hoped were actively engaged somewhere else. Sadly not the case here.
There is a major article reviewing Peter Gelb's first year at the Met. One interesting point, which also struck me when I was last there (for Les Troyens) is that in recent years the feeling of the theatre was that it was for a small group of high-level patrons. That us plebs were not seen as part of the essential fabric of the theatre going.
Evidently the much revered Rudoph Bing used to ride the subway to work and chat to the audience during the interval, thus providing his rather autocratic administrative style with a more humane public face.
The issue of Meyerbeer's reputation continues to rumble, now in the letter pages where Jennifer Jackson makes some very apposite points. L'Africaine is schedules in Gelsenkirchen for April 2008, let us hope this is followed by some higher profile opera houses as well.
Nigel Osborne's most recent opera received its first performances in Mostar (Bosnia and Hercegovina). It will be travelling to the UK, but Osborne is admirably putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to making a difference with music-making.
La Fille du Regiment crops up in Brazil, with the dialogue in Portugese. The only French person in the cast, Jacqueline Laurence, played the Duchess of Krakentorp. She spoke only French, thus highlighting the character's aristocratic arrogance - rather a neat device I think. And in Chile they have been celebrating the 150th anniversary of one of the oldest theatres in the Americals, the Theatro Municipal in Santiago.
And over in Toronto, Eva Podles took on the mantle of Klytemnestra for the first time. Podles is a sing whom I admire, even though I've never seen her live. Joseph K. So was impressed and so perhaps, one day, I'll get the chance to hear for myself.
According to Joel Kasow, in his review of Les Pecheurs des Perles from Avignon, the opera is not often done in France. Strange, because in the UK it went through a period of being ubiquitous. And Rodney Milnes, reviewing the new Carmen from the Chatelet, said it was only the 2nd time in 50 years that he'd heard a French mezzo-soprano in the title role! The performance, conducted by Mark Minkowski, was described by Milnes as surprisingly Teutonic and he didn't like the production much either. Will ENO and Sally Potter manage to do better in the Autumn, we'll have to wait and see.
Luc Bondy's staging of Handel's Hercules, which I missed when it came to the Barbican, has made its way to Amsterdam. Michael Davidson liked the production about as much as my friends who did see it (i.e. not a lot).
The reviews of the new Aida from Houston, designed by Zandra Rhodes, don't make me regret my decision to not buy tickets for ENO forthcoming version of the production. I still find the costumes and general look of the piece ugly and unsympathetic to the singers though I must admit this is made purely on the basis of photographs in magazines - hardly a reliable guide I admit.
In New York, Riccardo Muti made the patrons at the New York Philharmonic concerts sit up by scheduling Paul Hindemith's Sancta Susana. How about doing this in a double bill with Suor Angelica - from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Over in the UK, Music Theatre Wales's production of Boesman's Miss Julie was the first staging of any of his work in the UK - surely an omission indeed.
Hugh Canning's review of The Magic Flute from Grange Park made me think that he'd been at a different opera to us. The performance we heard wasn't perfect, but the faults that I perceived and those described in Canning's review seemed to be almost complementary. The delights of reviewing. But George Hall's review of The Gambler from the same company, did describe substantially the same production as we saw.
Andrew Porter's review of Capriccio from the Guildhall makes the interesting comment that he is old enough to have attended Mme de Noailles's salon - which was evoked in the John Cox productions of the opera at Glyndebourne and at La Monnaie. Incidentally I saw both of these and found the Brussells version quite, quite stunning (with Felicity Lott as the Countess). Porter is unhappy that the Guildhall performed the opera in French, with a polyglot cast. But I'm not sure that hearing it in badly accented English would be any better. I've heard that in other student operas and its not pretty.
An interesting quote from Patrick O'Connor relating to the Aldeburgh Death in Venice. Those who like to claim that this is not an opera about frustrated sexuality have not altogether grasped the implications that there are from the very first phrases, as Aschenbach first beholds the Traveller loitering in the cemetery near the English Gardens in Munich. Quite so. Perhaps something of this frustrated sexual tension might not have gone amiss in the ENO production.
Michael Kennedy complains about Ivor Bolton's sluggish tempi in Don Giovanni: With sluggish tempos from the conductor Ivor Bolton, I sometimes found myself sighing for the brevity of Gödämmerung..
And Primaveria did Ethel Smyth's The Boatswain's Mate at the Finborough Theatre. And I missed it!!!! Andrew Porter was highly complimentary about the straightforward production, perhaps they can find the money to revive it just for me.
The main interview is with Nina Stemme. An attractive Swede who has been making a name for herself as Isolde, I was very surprised to find that she is already in her early 40's; she was 30 when she launched herself professionally. This is becoming increasingly rare and but is very necessary to vocal health, particularly if the bigger roles are in sight. Another welcome piece of Stemme's make-up is that fact that she recognises that that, currently, Isolde is her physical limit and she limits her appearances in that role to one per year. She has recently sung Maguerite in Faust, with considerable success, so she is not limited to Wagnerian roles and seems to preserve an admirable suppleness of vocal line. I have only heard her live once, as Amelia in the Covent Garden Un Ballo in Maschera and would love to hear her in a more sympathetic production.
A diva from another generation, Galina Vishnevskaya, appears in Alexander Sokurov's latest film Alexandra about a grandmother making her way on train and on foot, pulling a shopping cart, to the Russian army camp where her grandson is stationed on the Chechen front. Always a dramatic presence on stage, I look forward to seeing her on film.
One sad loss, the bass John Connell and he was only 50. I remember hearing Connell at ENO and at Opera North. He was one of those people who disappeared and whom one hoped were actively engaged somewhere else. Sadly not the case here.
There is a major article reviewing Peter Gelb's first year at the Met. One interesting point, which also struck me when I was last there (for Les Troyens) is that in recent years the feeling of the theatre was that it was for a small group of high-level patrons. That us plebs were not seen as part of the essential fabric of the theatre going.
Evidently the much revered Rudoph Bing used to ride the subway to work and chat to the audience during the interval, thus providing his rather autocratic administrative style with a more humane public face.
The issue of Meyerbeer's reputation continues to rumble, now in the letter pages where Jennifer Jackson makes some very apposite points. L'Africaine is schedules in Gelsenkirchen for April 2008, let us hope this is followed by some higher profile opera houses as well.
Nigel Osborne's most recent opera received its first performances in Mostar (Bosnia and Hercegovina). It will be travelling to the UK, but Osborne is admirably putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to making a difference with music-making.
La Fille du Regiment crops up in Brazil, with the dialogue in Portugese. The only French person in the cast, Jacqueline Laurence, played the Duchess of Krakentorp. She spoke only French, thus highlighting the character's aristocratic arrogance - rather a neat device I think. And in Chile they have been celebrating the 150th anniversary of one of the oldest theatres in the Americals, the Theatro Municipal in Santiago.
And over in Toronto, Eva Podles took on the mantle of Klytemnestra for the first time. Podles is a sing whom I admire, even though I've never seen her live. Joseph K. So was impressed and so perhaps, one day, I'll get the chance to hear for myself.
According to Joel Kasow, in his review of Les Pecheurs des Perles from Avignon, the opera is not often done in France. Strange, because in the UK it went through a period of being ubiquitous. And Rodney Milnes, reviewing the new Carmen from the Chatelet, said it was only the 2nd time in 50 years that he'd heard a French mezzo-soprano in the title role! The performance, conducted by Mark Minkowski, was described by Milnes as surprisingly Teutonic and he didn't like the production much either. Will ENO and Sally Potter manage to do better in the Autumn, we'll have to wait and see.
Luc Bondy's staging of Handel's Hercules, which I missed when it came to the Barbican, has made its way to Amsterdam. Michael Davidson liked the production about as much as my friends who did see it (i.e. not a lot).
The reviews of the new Aida from Houston, designed by Zandra Rhodes, don't make me regret my decision to not buy tickets for ENO forthcoming version of the production. I still find the costumes and general look of the piece ugly and unsympathetic to the singers though I must admit this is made purely on the basis of photographs in magazines - hardly a reliable guide I admit.
In New York, Riccardo Muti made the patrons at the New York Philharmonic concerts sit up by scheduling Paul Hindemith's Sancta Susana. How about doing this in a double bill with Suor Angelica - from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Over in the UK, Music Theatre Wales's production of Boesman's Miss Julie was the first staging of any of his work in the UK - surely an omission indeed.
Hugh Canning's review of The Magic Flute from Grange Park made me think that he'd been at a different opera to us. The performance we heard wasn't perfect, but the faults that I perceived and those described in Canning's review seemed to be almost complementary. The delights of reviewing. But George Hall's review of The Gambler from the same company, did describe substantially the same production as we saw.
Andrew Porter's review of Capriccio from the Guildhall makes the interesting comment that he is old enough to have attended Mme de Noailles's salon - which was evoked in the John Cox productions of the opera at Glyndebourne and at La Monnaie. Incidentally I saw both of these and found the Brussells version quite, quite stunning (with Felicity Lott as the Countess). Porter is unhappy that the Guildhall performed the opera in French, with a polyglot cast. But I'm not sure that hearing it in badly accented English would be any better. I've heard that in other student operas and its not pretty.
An interesting quote from Patrick O'Connor relating to the Aldeburgh Death in Venice. Those who like to claim that this is not an opera about frustrated sexuality have not altogether grasped the implications that there are from the very first phrases, as Aschenbach first beholds the Traveller loitering in the cemetery near the English Gardens in Munich. Quite so. Perhaps something of this frustrated sexual tension might not have gone amiss in the ENO production.
Michael Kennedy complains about Ivor Bolton's sluggish tempi in Don Giovanni: With sluggish tempos from the conductor Ivor Bolton, I sometimes found myself sighing for the brevity of Gödämmerung..
And Primaveria did Ethel Smyth's The Boatswain's Mate at the Finborough Theatre. And I missed it!!!! Andrew Porter was highly complimentary about the straightforward production, perhaps they can find the money to revive it just for me.
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Labels:
diary
We're off the the Tete a Tete opera festival at the Riverside Studios again on Thursday for another stimulating evening. The on Friday to Glyndebourne for their new staging of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. This has got rather mixed reviews, some critics like it, some don't (Opera Magazine describes it as dreary), so I'll report back.
Whilst at the Proms on Saturday we succumbed to their marketing campaign and bought tickets for the Nov. 11th performance of John Foulds World Requiem given by BBC forces under Leon Bottstein. The strong cast includes Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Stuart Skelton and Gerald Finley. As the performance starts at 6.30pm does this mean that the work is mammoth in length as well as scale?
Whilst at the Proms on Saturday we succumbed to their marketing campaign and bought tickets for the Nov. 11th performance of John Foulds World Requiem given by BBC forces under Leon Bottstein. The strong cast includes Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Stuart Skelton and Gerald Finley. As the performance starts at 6.30pm does this mean that the work is mammoth in length as well as scale?
Elgar's The Apostles
Labels:
concert review
On Saturday we saw Elgar's Apostles at the Proms. A work that I enjoy seeing once every 10 years or so. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus were directed by their Finnish musical director, Sakari Oramo. He made the best possible case for the work, providing a magical performance that was beautifully flexible and the CBSO conjured a gorgeous sound-world.
Amanda Roocroft sang luxuriantly as the soprano soloist (Virgin Mary and Angel Gabriel) but I think the role calls for a purer type voice (think Isobel Baillie). Catherine Wyn-Rogers was Mary Magdalene, but she and Oramo still did not convince me that the Magdalene's bit scene actually worked. Perhaps if one had a smokey voiced opera singer in the role, it just might; but I doubt it. Apart from Judas (James Rutherford) the men do not get any really big moments. But each managed to be very distinctive of voice and utterance thus providing some neat distinctions and characterisations. Anthony Dean Griffey was a meliflous John, Alan Opie a strong voiced Jesus, Peter Rose characterised each of Peter's utterances vividly.
All in all this was a strong and captivating performance. Oramo made much of Elgar's varied textures in the piece and the final chorus came over very strongly. To my ears, the work lacks the dramatic pacing and sheer oomph that The Dream of Gerontius has but there were some lovely moments.
Amanda Roocroft sang luxuriantly as the soprano soloist (Virgin Mary and Angel Gabriel) but I think the role calls for a purer type voice (think Isobel Baillie). Catherine Wyn-Rogers was Mary Magdalene, but she and Oramo still did not convince me that the Magdalene's bit scene actually worked. Perhaps if one had a smokey voiced opera singer in the role, it just might; but I doubt it. Apart from Judas (James Rutherford) the men do not get any really big moments. But each managed to be very distinctive of voice and utterance thus providing some neat distinctions and characterisations. Anthony Dean Griffey was a meliflous John, Alan Opie a strong voiced Jesus, Peter Rose characterised each of Peter's utterances vividly.
All in all this was a strong and captivating performance. Oramo made much of Elgar's varied textures in the piece and the final chorus came over very strongly. To my ears, the work lacks the dramatic pacing and sheer oomph that The Dream of Gerontius has but there were some lovely moments.
Tete a Tete opera festival
Labels:
opera review
Last Friday (17th August) we went off to the Tete a Tete opera festival at the Riverside Studios. There were three events that evening. To start with a workshop on the opera La Cantatrice Chauve by Jean Philippe Calvin, based on the play by Ionesco. I must confess to being unfamiliar with the play (a severe gap in my education). In the workshop we got potted highlights of the opera, accompanied by piano, percussions (the composer) and live electronics (Stefan Tiedje). We heard the conclusion twice, once with and once without electronics. The electronics repeat, echo and distort the voices of the singers providing an eerie chorus of comment which adds to the distortion in communication which is part of the play. The singers (Alison Bell, Jeremy Williams, Rachel Nichols and Daniel Norman) were admirable and I look forward to hearing the full opera. I gather that the workshop is part of a process of working towards a production to tour in the autumn.
The main event of the evening was less of an opera than an art installation. The visual s were presented by ArtProjx and curated by Clare Fitzpatrick. The composer and sound designer Ian Dearden provided a sound installation against which soprano Linda Hirst improvised, at times it was difficult to tell what was live and what not. The underlying music was based on Monteverdi, but mostly this was quite deeply hidden. Though presented on stage, it was not dramatic in the conventional sense and relied heavily on the interaction between sounds and the projected visuals. The results were, for me, rather mixed; though I'll never be able to see the famous scene from Brief Encounter without thinking of the evening's take on it.
Finally, we were treated to 'cabaret' by the duo Hereby a Scorecard; Matt Rogers and Chris Mayo use lo-fi electronic components (no computer, just lots of off the shelf bits and lots of wires) to create a remarkable sound world. A CD is in the offing I gather.
The main event of the evening was less of an opera than an art installation. The visual s were presented by ArtProjx and curated by Clare Fitzpatrick. The composer and sound designer Ian Dearden provided a sound installation against which soprano Linda Hirst improvised, at times it was difficult to tell what was live and what not. The underlying music was based on Monteverdi, but mostly this was quite deeply hidden. Though presented on stage, it was not dramatic in the conventional sense and relied heavily on the interaction between sounds and the projected visuals. The results were, for me, rather mixed; though I'll never be able to see the famous scene from Brief Encounter without thinking of the evening's take on it.
Finally, we were treated to 'cabaret' by the duo Hereby a Scorecard; Matt Rogers and Chris Mayo use lo-fi electronic components (no computer, just lots of off the shelf bits and lots of wires) to create a remarkable sound world. A CD is in the offing I gather.
Saturday, 18 August 2007
London Handel Festival
Labels:
preview
I see that the programme for next year's London Handel Festival is on line. It looks interesting as ever. The oratorio is Joshua, one of those for which we know a couple of items but the rest is a blank (or a blur at best). Its not one of his best, and the libretto is a bit crap but nothing Handel wrote is entirely without interest,
They are also doing the Italian version of the Acis and Galatea story, Aci, Galatea e Polifemo a rather different take on the events to the more familiar English pastoral. The opera is Atalanta, which was written to celebrate a Royal Wedding and is charming but less 'heavy' than some of his pieces. I have an old recording of it on LP's but have not seem the opera on stage.
I notice that there is some variation in venue this year. Acis and Galatea will be disporting themselves in Middle Temple Hall and there is a chamber music concert, Handel at Home, in the Wigmore Hall. This is welcome as, frankly, I find St. George's Hanover Square neither comfortable nor adequate in regard of sight lines.
They are also doing the Italian version of the Acis and Galatea story, Aci, Galatea e Polifemo a rather different take on the events to the more familiar English pastoral. The opera is Atalanta, which was written to celebrate a Royal Wedding and is charming but less 'heavy' than some of his pieces. I have an old recording of it on LP's but have not seem the opera on stage.
I notice that there is some variation in venue this year. Acis and Galatea will be disporting themselves in Middle Temple Hall and there is a chamber music concert, Handel at Home, in the Wigmore Hall. This is welcome as, frankly, I find St. George's Hanover Square neither comfortable nor adequate in regard of sight lines.
Friday, 17 August 2007
True to the score
Labels:
feature article
If you read Ethel Smyth’s autobiography she has some very amusing things to say about the trials of a young composer dealing with copyists, translators etc. In early 20th century Europe a composer was still dependent on manually copying to create vocal scores and orchestral parts, and without these there could be no performance.
It is easy, in our photocopy and desktop printer world to forget that it is not so long ago that composers where highly dependent on manual copying. And for a large scale work, this copying could be a significant overhead.
When Bach died, his manuscripts were divided. When it came to the St. Matthew Passion, one son got the score and another son got the parts so that each had enough information to perform the work. There was no question of having a second copy of the score made; it was probably just too expensive.
Bach was a great re-user of music, re-cycling works or movements in other forms. One of the more interesting areas for musicologists and instrumentalists is the attempted re-creation of his early instrumental concertos. Some of these are only know in their re-used form, as cantata movements or as transcriptions for harpsichord concertos. In at least one case, the original instrumental parts were used to accompany the new harpsichord solo part.
The reason why the originals of these concertos have disappeared is probably that once Bach had re-used the concerto and had no use for the original, there was never much impetus to ensure that the original score/parts did not disintegrate or to replace them if damaged.
Often, of course, we only know works from early copies, the original score having disappeared. This can mean that works get mis-assigned or simply overlooked and forgotten. Scholarship in the 20th and 21st centuries has done much work re-assigning misattributed works. Also, a number of manuscripts which have got overlooked have turned up. Such as the Handel Gloria, unattributed in the score, it has been attributed to Handel on the basis of the vocal style. Another striking example is the recently discovered Striggio mass, premiered at the Proms this summer. This survives in a presentation score send to the French King, but mis-filed in the Royal Archives. It took much detective work for the work to come to light again.
Buxtehude wrote a series of oratorios for his evening concerts at his church in Lübeck. These concerts and the works performed were highly influential, but no complete scores have survived. We have a number of surviving librettos, plus the score of one oratorio which Ton Koopman confidently attributes to Buxtehude. But the format of the work does not quite correspond to what we would expect from one of Buxtehude’s oratorios, leaving us to wonder what might have happened to the structure of the work between the original score and the copy that we have.
Sometimes things do turn up, and with the opening of libraries in Eastern Europe, the possibility of more scores appearing is appealing. But we must remember that much has been lost in the wars which have ignited Europe over the last 200 years.
Part of the problem is that, if a work was popular then the score could be used to destruction. Purcell’s theatre works suffered from this problem. As the composer died young, he did not have time to make archive copies of his works; and might not have wished to even if he had lived. So the scores were used, almost to destruction in the theatre.
The score of The Fairy Queen is so unproblematical because it was lost quite early on. Only to be re-discovered in the late 19th century, thus allowing us to be relatively confident that what we hear is what Purcell intended. But with Dido and Aeneas our only musical source, is a score for the work which has been dismembered and each act forms a musical interlude in each act of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. To us, a rather bizarre treatment of a masterpiece; luckily we have early librettos of the work so we know that what we are missing is probably not large. Though it would be fascinating to know what form Purcell’s prologue took.
A composer like Handel was pretty obsessive about keeping his scores, for which we must be grateful. He was also lucky in that his musical executors and heirs took some care of his scores (both the originals and conducting scores) so that a large part of his output is readily available in libraries. Handel was also eminent enough and sufficiently in the public eye that collectors tended to have his music copied so we have a number of early copies of his music.
Handel, of course, also published his music, some of it supervised by himself, but much of it in pirate editions. One way of assessing how close the pirate edition is to the composer is to check how far the publication is from the autograph score. It is evident that some of the ‘pirate’ editions, though not officially sanctioned, were based on scores which had originated either from the composer or from his circle. But this was because Handel was surrounded by the admiring group of aristocrats, who supported and collected his music.
This is something that did not seem to happen to Bach, his scores seem to have been restricted to his family. If his circumstances in Leipzig had been a little different then we might have had an interesting selection of very early copies of Bach’s major works to compare to the surviving manuscripts. Or perhaps selections from the oratorios arranged for chamber performance.
In the case of their contemporary, Telemann, we have lost a great deal. A composer who was positively profligate in his writing, Telemann’s output of cantatas, passions and passion oratorios baffles by its sheer size. Inevitably much has been lost as scores and parts reached the end of their life and no-one bothered to copy them out again.
It is sheer popularity which contributes to the loss of the score to Monteverdi’s opera Arianna. It was never published and we can imagine the original score gradually disintegrating with use. It is possible that an aristocratic collection somewhere has a copy of the score, after all its popularity makes this a possibility. But I’m not holding my breath.
The sheer fragility of works written on paper means that it is truly amazing that so much has survived; what with war, fire and incendiary religious upheavals, it is heartbreaking to thing of what has been lost but heartening to learn of remarkable survivals.
It is easy, in our photocopy and desktop printer world to forget that it is not so long ago that composers where highly dependent on manual copying. And for a large scale work, this copying could be a significant overhead.
When Bach died, his manuscripts were divided. When it came to the St. Matthew Passion, one son got the score and another son got the parts so that each had enough information to perform the work. There was no question of having a second copy of the score made; it was probably just too expensive.
Bach was a great re-user of music, re-cycling works or movements in other forms. One of the more interesting areas for musicologists and instrumentalists is the attempted re-creation of his early instrumental concertos. Some of these are only know in their re-used form, as cantata movements or as transcriptions for harpsichord concertos. In at least one case, the original instrumental parts were used to accompany the new harpsichord solo part.
The reason why the originals of these concertos have disappeared is probably that once Bach had re-used the concerto and had no use for the original, there was never much impetus to ensure that the original score/parts did not disintegrate or to replace them if damaged.
Often, of course, we only know works from early copies, the original score having disappeared. This can mean that works get mis-assigned or simply overlooked and forgotten. Scholarship in the 20th and 21st centuries has done much work re-assigning misattributed works. Also, a number of manuscripts which have got overlooked have turned up. Such as the Handel Gloria, unattributed in the score, it has been attributed to Handel on the basis of the vocal style. Another striking example is the recently discovered Striggio mass, premiered at the Proms this summer. This survives in a presentation score send to the French King, but mis-filed in the Royal Archives. It took much detective work for the work to come to light again.
Buxtehude wrote a series of oratorios for his evening concerts at his church in Lübeck. These concerts and the works performed were highly influential, but no complete scores have survived. We have a number of surviving librettos, plus the score of one oratorio which Ton Koopman confidently attributes to Buxtehude. But the format of the work does not quite correspond to what we would expect from one of Buxtehude’s oratorios, leaving us to wonder what might have happened to the structure of the work between the original score and the copy that we have.
Sometimes things do turn up, and with the opening of libraries in Eastern Europe, the possibility of more scores appearing is appealing. But we must remember that much has been lost in the wars which have ignited Europe over the last 200 years.
Part of the problem is that, if a work was popular then the score could be used to destruction. Purcell’s theatre works suffered from this problem. As the composer died young, he did not have time to make archive copies of his works; and might not have wished to even if he had lived. So the scores were used, almost to destruction in the theatre.
The score of The Fairy Queen is so unproblematical because it was lost quite early on. Only to be re-discovered in the late 19th century, thus allowing us to be relatively confident that what we hear is what Purcell intended. But with Dido and Aeneas our only musical source, is a score for the work which has been dismembered and each act forms a musical interlude in each act of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. To us, a rather bizarre treatment of a masterpiece; luckily we have early librettos of the work so we know that what we are missing is probably not large. Though it would be fascinating to know what form Purcell’s prologue took.
A composer like Handel was pretty obsessive about keeping his scores, for which we must be grateful. He was also lucky in that his musical executors and heirs took some care of his scores (both the originals and conducting scores) so that a large part of his output is readily available in libraries. Handel was also eminent enough and sufficiently in the public eye that collectors tended to have his music copied so we have a number of early copies of his music.
Handel, of course, also published his music, some of it supervised by himself, but much of it in pirate editions. One way of assessing how close the pirate edition is to the composer is to check how far the publication is from the autograph score. It is evident that some of the ‘pirate’ editions, though not officially sanctioned, were based on scores which had originated either from the composer or from his circle. But this was because Handel was surrounded by the admiring group of aristocrats, who supported and collected his music.
This is something that did not seem to happen to Bach, his scores seem to have been restricted to his family. If his circumstances in Leipzig had been a little different then we might have had an interesting selection of very early copies of Bach’s major works to compare to the surviving manuscripts. Or perhaps selections from the oratorios arranged for chamber performance.
In the case of their contemporary, Telemann, we have lost a great deal. A composer who was positively profligate in his writing, Telemann’s output of cantatas, passions and passion oratorios baffles by its sheer size. Inevitably much has been lost as scores and parts reached the end of their life and no-one bothered to copy them out again.
It is sheer popularity which contributes to the loss of the score to Monteverdi’s opera Arianna. It was never published and we can imagine the original score gradually disintegrating with use. It is possible that an aristocratic collection somewhere has a copy of the score, after all its popularity makes this a possibility. But I’m not holding my breath.
The sheer fragility of works written on paper means that it is truly amazing that so much has survived; what with war, fire and incendiary religious upheavals, it is heartbreaking to thing of what has been lost but heartening to learn of remarkable survivals.
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Opera Festival
Labels:
diary,
performance
The ever enterprising Tete-a-Tete opera company, directed by Bill Bankes-Jones, are in the middle of their 3 week opera festival at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.
The aim is to offer a wide range of diverse contemporary takes on opera, ranging from fully formed stage performances to workshops or merest sketches to allow composers to try things out and perhaps, take them to another level. It is a format which they originated at Battersea Arts Centre and works well, because it gives us composers the chance to put something before the public. And find out what the reaction is.
The evenings are organised in 3 parts, with Starters, Mains and Afters. The Starters and Mains are the meat of the performances, the Afters are the fun bits in which writers and performers involved in the festival perform and improvise.
Inevitably the Hammersmith location is not ideal for everyone, but we hope to be going to a couple of the performances. This week includes a new piece based on Ionesco's La Cantatrice Chauve by French composers Jean-Philippe Calvin and Broken Voices a new multimedia performance by Terry Smith and Linda Hirst based on music by Monteverdi. Then at the end of the evening there's a chance to hear Jean-Philippe Calvin and Stefan Tiedje performing electronic music. Quite a mix for one evening.
The aim is to offer a wide range of diverse contemporary takes on opera, ranging from fully formed stage performances to workshops or merest sketches to allow composers to try things out and perhaps, take them to another level. It is a format which they originated at Battersea Arts Centre and works well, because it gives us composers the chance to put something before the public. And find out what the reaction is.
The evenings are organised in 3 parts, with Starters, Mains and Afters. The Starters and Mains are the meat of the performances, the Afters are the fun bits in which writers and performers involved in the festival perform and improvise.
Inevitably the Hammersmith location is not ideal for everyone, but we hope to be going to a couple of the performances. This week includes a new piece based on Ionesco's La Cantatrice Chauve by French composers Jean-Philippe Calvin and Broken Voices a new multimedia performance by Terry Smith and Linda Hirst based on music by Monteverdi. Then at the end of the evening there's a chance to hear Jean-Philippe Calvin and Stefan Tiedje performing electronic music. Quite a mix for one evening.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Now that's more like it
Chelsea Opera Group have just announced the 3 operas which they are performing next season. After my rather jaded reaction to the Royal Opera's new booking period (December to April), COG's season came like a breath of fresh air.
COG specialise in concert performances of operas not being performed currently in London. At the moment, this means we get a lot of Bel Canto, which is nice.
On Sat. 24th November they are doing Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Cadogan Hall, with Majella Cullagh in the title role. The opera has not been seen in London, I believe, since the ENO production mounted for Anne Murray. Notable for its lovely Jasper Conran costumes, it does not seem to have been revived (I understand for economic reasons).
On Sat. 29th March 2008 the group returns to the Queen Elizabeth Hall (hurrah!), for a performance of Verdi's original 1847 version of Macbeth with Nelly Miricioiu as the Lady and Brad Cohen conducting. This version of the opera has not been seen in London since the semi-staged production at Covent Garden just prior to closing. A promised revival of the current production but using the 1847 text never seemed to materialise. I've always been fond of this version, with its rather dour ending and rather more showy arias for the Lady. Do try the Opera Rara CD set from the BBC with Rita Hunter as the Lady.
The final opera of their season is Massenet's Cendrillon on Sat. 1st June 2008 , again at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I know this opera has been done by the colleges but I'm not sure its ever feature at the Coliseum or Covent Garden, though WNO did once have a notable production.
So all in all, a magical trio of operas. Significantly, Bel Canto features highly as it seems out of favour on our London stages at the moment. Covent Garden do provide us with the odd morsel, but Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini have become something of a rarity in St. Martin's Lane. Though this seems, perhaps, set to change as they are doing a new Lucia di Lamermoor at the Coliseum in February.
COG specialise in concert performances of operas not being performed currently in London. At the moment, this means we get a lot of Bel Canto, which is nice.
On Sat. 24th November they are doing Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Cadogan Hall, with Majella Cullagh in the title role. The opera has not been seen in London, I believe, since the ENO production mounted for Anne Murray. Notable for its lovely Jasper Conran costumes, it does not seem to have been revived (I understand for economic reasons).
On Sat. 29th March 2008 the group returns to the Queen Elizabeth Hall (hurrah!), for a performance of Verdi's original 1847 version of Macbeth with Nelly Miricioiu as the Lady and Brad Cohen conducting. This version of the opera has not been seen in London since the semi-staged production at Covent Garden just prior to closing. A promised revival of the current production but using the 1847 text never seemed to materialise. I've always been fond of this version, with its rather dour ending and rather more showy arias for the Lady. Do try the Opera Rara CD set from the BBC with Rita Hunter as the Lady.
The final opera of their season is Massenet's Cendrillon on Sat. 1st June 2008 , again at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I know this opera has been done by the colleges but I'm not sure its ever feature at the Coliseum or Covent Garden, though WNO did once have a notable production.
So all in all, a magical trio of operas. Significantly, Bel Canto features highly as it seems out of favour on our London stages at the moment. Covent Garden do provide us with the odd morsel, but Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini have become something of a rarity in St. Martin's Lane. Though this seems, perhaps, set to change as they are doing a new Lucia di Lamermoor at the Coliseum in February.
Monday, 13 August 2007
All Traviata'd out
Labels:
diary
Amongst my in-tray awaiting my return from holiday was the latest Royal Opera, Covent Garden booking. Now I know that I ought to find David McVicar's new production of Salome, Parsifal with Christopher Ventris, John Tomlinson, Petra Lang, Willard White and Bernard Haitink, Eugene Onegin with Gerald Finlay, exciting. But some how, I feel as if I've seen rather too many. Perhaps my tastes are changing and the current slant on the ROH repertoire is not what I want.
I think that I've definitely reached a plateau with Wagner and can't see many visits to his operas on the horizon. Similarly, I am only really tempted by the more unusual Strauss operas. Yep. I think I'm definitely getting jaded.
I think that I've definitely reached a plateau with Wagner and can't see many visits to his operas on the horizon. Similarly, I am only really tempted by the more unusual Strauss operas. Yep. I think I'm definitely getting jaded.
Sunday, 12 August 2007
Labels:
cd review
Whilst I've been away a whole batch of reviews have come out, all are on MusicWeb International.
My review of a new disc which mixes jazz and gregorian chant is here.
This isn't for everyone. You have to be interested in both plainchant and modern jazz to get the best out of this disc. ...
My review of a disc of Georg Schumann's choral music is here.
Fine performances of well-crafted music. Anyone interested in the byways of German neo-Romantic composers in the 20th century would be well advised to try this disc. ...
My review of the 2nd volume of Buxtehude Choral music from Ton Koopman is here.
All it remains to say is that everyone should have a copy of this lively and
inspiring disc on their library shelves. ...
My review of Vivaldi's L'Estro Harmonico is here .
Will not appeal to everyone but their sheer brilliance and rhythmic impetus is her attractive. A very welcome release ...
My review of a disc of Rameau and Campra cantatas is here.
A charming, well performed disc. Anyone interested in exploring French baroque music further should buy it immediately ...
And finally, my review of Stephen Hartke's The Greater Good, is here.
This is one of those sets which I would have liked to have liked more. ...
My review of a new disc which mixes jazz and gregorian chant is here.
This isn't for everyone. You have to be interested in both plainchant and modern jazz to get the best out of this disc. ...
My review of a disc of Georg Schumann's choral music is here.
Fine performances of well-crafted music. Anyone interested in the byways of German neo-Romantic composers in the 20th century would be well advised to try this disc. ...
My review of the 2nd volume of Buxtehude Choral music from Ton Koopman is here.
All it remains to say is that everyone should have a copy of this lively and
inspiring disc on their library shelves. ...
My review of Vivaldi's L'Estro Harmonico is here .
Will not appeal to everyone but their sheer brilliance and rhythmic impetus is her attractive. A very welcome release ...
My review of a disc of Rameau and Campra cantatas is here.
A charming, well performed disc. Anyone interested in exploring French baroque music further should buy it immediately ...
And finally, my review of Stephen Hartke's The Greater Good, is here.
This is one of those sets which I would have liked to have liked more. ...
Friday, 3 August 2007
Labels:
diary
A quick posting from Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland. We have been travelling for the past week, with no internet cafes in the French and Swiss countryside. But it is back to work tomorrow(Saturday) as London Concord Singers will be performing twice in Basel in the Basler Muenster plus singing mass on Sunday morning at Maria Stein monastery. We will be then travelling more, so posts will be scarce again.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Review of Macbeth (Glyndebourne at the Proms)
Labels:
opera review
To the proms last night for the Glyndebourne Prom, their performance of Verdi's Macbeth. First of all, though we had to negotiate the perils of getting into and around the Albert Hall. There were huge queues at the doors, as attendants were searching bags. Luckily some of the attendants had sense and were redirecting people to doors where there were no queues.
Once in, we had to encircle the dreaded corridor; why is it that this space seems to encourage people to linger in awkward groups thus making the circumnavigation rather cumbersome. The queue for the ladies toilet was so long that it was blocking the way into the gents. Oh I do love this place! Still, at least they had not run out of programmes as they did at the late night Striggio Prom last week.
Geoffrey Dolton had reduced Richard Jones's production to manageable proportions, given the tiny stage area available. The chorus were dressed vaguely in tartan and remained generally stationary. When being witches, 3 actressess/dancers came onto the stage dress in the costumes familiar from the production photos. They proceeded to gyrate during the choruses and frankly, I wished they hadn't. Given the vividness of the chorus utterance and the intensity of their Italian diction, I could quite happily have done without the visuals. For the men of the chorus, sitting in serried ranks in kilts on a level above the audience must have given them a cause for concern when sitting, lest they flash more than just their knees.
This was also true in the ballet when the 3 actresses were joined by 3 others garbed as a skeleton, a mummy etc. Looking at the production photos again, I could imagine that on the Glyndebourne stage with the whole ensemble, this might have been effective. But with just 6 people gyrating on the Albert Hall acting area the results were risible. I just closed my eyes and listened to Verdi's ballet music. It was the first time I'd heard it in situe. I'd like to hear it again in a more propitious circumstance.
This reduction of the production to small details meant that what might have been effective and powerful at Glyndebourne, became risible in the Albert Hall. The reliance of both Macbeths on axes - in moments of stress each reached for an axe (or two) - looked a little foolish. Similarly the Sleepwalking Scene was reduced to a pile of rubber gloves, an orange sack and a bucket. Whether or not you liked the original production, such reduction is hardly helpful.
Still, what we were left with was the sheer intensity of the individual performances. Whether the cut-down production worked or not, the soloists delivered stunning performances. Stanislav Shvets made a fine, meliflous Banquo; very much a cut above the barking, older bass that we can sometimes expect in this role. He seemed to have developed a real dialogue with Macbeth in the opening scenes. His appearance as a ghostly card-board box was one of the other less helpful bits of production business.
As the Lady, Sylvie Valayre had all the notes that the role required, including the ability to do the coloratura. Hers is not the most lovely voice and she seemed to have a tendency to push it at times, but I'm not sure how much of this was to do with trying to cope with the Royal Albert Hall. If I have time this week, I plan to listen to the opera on the BBC web site and will report back again.
Her coloratura was generally done in a lighter, more lyric voice which lent it subtletly and shading. Valayre is definitely not a Lady in the Ghena Dimitrova/Rita Hunter mould where one huge voice is called upon to negotiate itself round Verdi's fiddly bits. But those that heard Hunter in the role probably know that she did the negotiating with brilliant skill.
Valayre simply did not, in the end, endear her voice to me no matter how well she played the role. Which was a shame as she made a very fine Lady. Her presence was a bit more subtle than the usual blood and thunder we can get, for this we must credit both Valayre herself and Richard Jones.
She developed a fine rapport with her husband. And it was Andrzej Dobber as Macbeth which made the whole thing worthwhile. He gave a stunning account of the role, beautfully sung and fine stage-crafted, totally believable and lovely to listen to. He even managed to not look embarrassed at having to wear a kilt. I was glad that
Jones had opted for the 1845 ending. Not only do I prefer this, as it omits Verdi's rather trivial chorus of praise from the 1865 revision. But it also gave us the opportunity to hear Dobber singing Macbeth's final 1845 aria. I long to hear Dobber again, but next time in a decent size theatre please.
Peter Auty made a fine Macduff, giving us a fine Italianate account of the single tenor Aria in the piece.
I think the Albert Hall may have given Vladimir Jurowski one or two problems, at least the orchestral ensemble seemed to take a little time to settle. But when it did, it was fabulous. Dobber apart, the main reason for going to this performance was to hear the wonderfully subtle performance by Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This was worlds away from the rumty-tum image of early Verdi; it was beautifully paced and shaped.
Once in, we had to encircle the dreaded corridor; why is it that this space seems to encourage people to linger in awkward groups thus making the circumnavigation rather cumbersome. The queue for the ladies toilet was so long that it was blocking the way into the gents. Oh I do love this place! Still, at least they had not run out of programmes as they did at the late night Striggio Prom last week.
Geoffrey Dolton had reduced Richard Jones's production to manageable proportions, given the tiny stage area available. The chorus were dressed vaguely in tartan and remained generally stationary. When being witches, 3 actressess/dancers came onto the stage dress in the costumes familiar from the production photos. They proceeded to gyrate during the choruses and frankly, I wished they hadn't. Given the vividness of the chorus utterance and the intensity of their Italian diction, I could quite happily have done without the visuals. For the men of the chorus, sitting in serried ranks in kilts on a level above the audience must have given them a cause for concern when sitting, lest they flash more than just their knees.
This was also true in the ballet when the 3 actresses were joined by 3 others garbed as a skeleton, a mummy etc. Looking at the production photos again, I could imagine that on the Glyndebourne stage with the whole ensemble, this might have been effective. But with just 6 people gyrating on the Albert Hall acting area the results were risible. I just closed my eyes and listened to Verdi's ballet music. It was the first time I'd heard it in situe. I'd like to hear it again in a more propitious circumstance.
This reduction of the production to small details meant that what might have been effective and powerful at Glyndebourne, became risible in the Albert Hall. The reliance of both Macbeths on axes - in moments of stress each reached for an axe (or two) - looked a little foolish. Similarly the Sleepwalking Scene was reduced to a pile of rubber gloves, an orange sack and a bucket. Whether or not you liked the original production, such reduction is hardly helpful.
Still, what we were left with was the sheer intensity of the individual performances. Whether the cut-down production worked or not, the soloists delivered stunning performances. Stanislav Shvets made a fine, meliflous Banquo; very much a cut above the barking, older bass that we can sometimes expect in this role. He seemed to have developed a real dialogue with Macbeth in the opening scenes. His appearance as a ghostly card-board box was one of the other less helpful bits of production business.
As the Lady, Sylvie Valayre had all the notes that the role required, including the ability to do the coloratura. Hers is not the most lovely voice and she seemed to have a tendency to push it at times, but I'm not sure how much of this was to do with trying to cope with the Royal Albert Hall. If I have time this week, I plan to listen to the opera on the BBC web site and will report back again.
Her coloratura was generally done in a lighter, more lyric voice which lent it subtletly and shading. Valayre is definitely not a Lady in the Ghena Dimitrova/Rita Hunter mould where one huge voice is called upon to negotiate itself round Verdi's fiddly bits. But those that heard Hunter in the role probably know that she did the negotiating with brilliant skill.
Valayre simply did not, in the end, endear her voice to me no matter how well she played the role. Which was a shame as she made a very fine Lady. Her presence was a bit more subtle than the usual blood and thunder we can get, for this we must credit both Valayre herself and Richard Jones.
She developed a fine rapport with her husband. And it was Andrzej Dobber as Macbeth which made the whole thing worthwhile. He gave a stunning account of the role, beautfully sung and fine stage-crafted, totally believable and lovely to listen to. He even managed to not look embarrassed at having to wear a kilt. I was glad that
Jones had opted for the 1845 ending. Not only do I prefer this, as it omits Verdi's rather trivial chorus of praise from the 1865 revision. But it also gave us the opportunity to hear Dobber singing Macbeth's final 1845 aria. I long to hear Dobber again, but next time in a decent size theatre please.
Peter Auty made a fine Macduff, giving us a fine Italianate account of the single tenor Aria in the piece.
I think the Albert Hall may have given Vladimir Jurowski one or two problems, at least the orchestral ensemble seemed to take a little time to settle. But when it did, it was fabulous. Dobber apart, the main reason for going to this performance was to hear the wonderfully subtle performance by Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This was worlds away from the rumty-tum image of early Verdi; it was beautifully paced and shaped.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of a new disc of Szymanowski songs is here on MusicWeb International.
Slightly short playing time but displays Szymanowski in the best possible light. Highly recommended for those interested in exploring some fascinating vocal music. ...
Slightly short playing time but displays Szymanowski in the best possible light. Highly recommended for those interested in exploring some fascinating vocal music. ...
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Handel's Operas, volume 2
Labels:
book review,
opera
We I have finally finished the 2nd volume in Winton Dean's amazing trawl through the complete Handel operas.
This 2nd volume is the one that people thought that Dean would never complete, after all he is over 90 and his collaborator in volume 1 has subsequently died.
This volume covers the 2nd half of the Academy operas (from the two divas rivalry) to the end. The format is essentially the same as volume 1 so the interested amateur has
a lot of information about libretti, editions, manuscripts to wade through. But even this esoterica is well worth the effort as, in the absence of definitive documentation about the performance of the works, it is the close reading of what information we have which gives us the context for the works.
Essentially we get a full summary of the plot, including all of the rubrics from the printed libretto, an aria by aria discussion grouped by character, something of the history of the work and its performances, details of manuscripts and printed libretti.
The inclusion of the comprehensive rubrics is useful as many later sources reduce these and the full scene descriptions give us a clearer idea of what was in the librettist and composer's head.
With the long gap (over 20 years) between the first and second book we have seen far more productions of Handel operas in main stream opera houses. Dean does not hesitate to comment on these, after all it is not that long ago that he was still writing opera reviews for Oper Magazine.
He is dubious about many of the productions, including ENO's seminal Xerxes.
In his review of the book in Opera magazine, Hugh Canning was not completely sympathetic with Dean's rather purist view of Handel opera production. But I find myself rather agreeing with Dean.
Whilst I can appreciate the clever mechanics of a production like Xerxes and can more than empathise with the way it has made Handel opera popular,
I think some how it does rather falsify the relationships of the characters.
Fundementally Dean regards Handel as a great dramatist; if the operas are treated sympathetically then the characters will be strongly and well drawn.
Productions which try to alter and improve things, the great majority I'm afraid, only suceed in bringing in an
element of falsity. I wish I was a little more sympathetic to contemporary Handel opera production, but again and again find myself agreeing with Dean.
When I do like aspects of a production, I find that often these are the aspects which are disliked by critics.
I remember when the Royal Opera's Orlando was first done, we both enjoyed the fluency with with Francisco Negrin staged it.
With the rotating set he managed to make the scenes flow into each other in a way that is not often done. Too often
we have big hold-ups between scenes which is not the way the productions were conceived in the first place. But this
aspect of Negrin's production was just the one which seemed to be overlooked or disliked by critics.
Dean's book give plenty of room for thought; especially in the areas where Handel's inspiration seemed to be inextricably linked
to the circumstances of an opera's first production. His sequence of operas for the twin divas have much admirable music, but the necessity of balancing the 2 soprano parts
seems to have robbed his creativity somewhat, perhaps the studied calculation necessary was alien to his compositional make up in some way.
Another fascinating thing is how he seems to have dissociated himself from an opera once written.
Operas that have faults almost never seem to have them corrected in revival, its as if he approaches the revival purely as an impresario and not as a composer revising his work.
There is much food for thought in the book and it seems to be essential on the Library shelves, along with volume 1 and Dean's volume on the oratorios.
This 2nd volume is the one that people thought that Dean would never complete, after all he is over 90 and his collaborator in volume 1 has subsequently died.
This volume covers the 2nd half of the Academy operas (from the two divas rivalry) to the end. The format is essentially the same as volume 1 so the interested amateur has
a lot of information about libretti, editions, manuscripts to wade through. But even this esoterica is well worth the effort as, in the absence of definitive documentation about the performance of the works, it is the close reading of what information we have which gives us the context for the works.
Essentially we get a full summary of the plot, including all of the rubrics from the printed libretto, an aria by aria discussion grouped by character, something of the history of the work and its performances, details of manuscripts and printed libretti.
The inclusion of the comprehensive rubrics is useful as many later sources reduce these and the full scene descriptions give us a clearer idea of what was in the librettist and composer's head.
With the long gap (over 20 years) between the first and second book we have seen far more productions of Handel operas in main stream opera houses. Dean does not hesitate to comment on these, after all it is not that long ago that he was still writing opera reviews for Oper Magazine.
He is dubious about many of the productions, including ENO's seminal Xerxes.
In his review of the book in Opera magazine, Hugh Canning was not completely sympathetic with Dean's rather purist view of Handel opera production. But I find myself rather agreeing with Dean.
Whilst I can appreciate the clever mechanics of a production like Xerxes and can more than empathise with the way it has made Handel opera popular,
I think some how it does rather falsify the relationships of the characters.
Fundementally Dean regards Handel as a great dramatist; if the operas are treated sympathetically then the characters will be strongly and well drawn.
Productions which try to alter and improve things, the great majority I'm afraid, only suceed in bringing in an
element of falsity. I wish I was a little more sympathetic to contemporary Handel opera production, but again and again find myself agreeing with Dean.
When I do like aspects of a production, I find that often these are the aspects which are disliked by critics.
I remember when the Royal Opera's Orlando was first done, we both enjoyed the fluency with with Francisco Negrin staged it.
With the rotating set he managed to make the scenes flow into each other in a way that is not often done. Too often
we have big hold-ups between scenes which is not the way the productions were conceived in the first place. But this
aspect of Negrin's production was just the one which seemed to be overlooked or disliked by critics.
Dean's book give plenty of room for thought; especially in the areas where Handel's inspiration seemed to be inextricably linked
to the circumstances of an opera's first production. His sequence of operas for the twin divas have much admirable music, but the necessity of balancing the 2 soprano parts
seems to have robbed his creativity somewhat, perhaps the studied calculation necessary was alien to his compositional make up in some way.
Another fascinating thing is how he seems to have dissociated himself from an opera once written.
Operas that have faults almost never seem to have them corrected in revival, its as if he approaches the revival purely as an impresario and not as a composer revising his work.
There is much food for thought in the book and it seems to be essential on the Library shelves, along with volume 1 and Dean's volume on the oratorios.
Thursday, 19 July 2007
More from this month's Opera
Labels:
opera magazine
Further gleanings from the July edition of opera.
Minnesota Opera have just produced a new operatic version of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath; not the most obvious subject for an opera but Ricky Ian Gordon's new piece seems to have gone down well. Let's add it to the list of new operas we won't see in the UK in a hurry - Dead Man Walking anyone? Meanwhile in San Francisco they've been reviving Lou Harrison's Young Caesar; billed in 1971 as the first gay puppet opera. Now there is a first!
Seattle Opera's Giulio Cesare seems to have suffered from the usual producer-itis; there was a ballet troupe to keep the proles happy and nearly a third of the opera was cut.
In London, Second Movement produced a programme of 1-act pieces including Shostakovich's completion of Benjamin Fleischmann's Rothschild's Violin. The young singers included Hanna Pedley who made a memorable Romeo at Nevill Holt recently.
We missed Handel's Imeneo when Cambridge Handel Opera Group did it in May, much to my profound annoyance. I've always had a curious fascination with this strange late Handel opera. Opera's reviewer seemed quite taken with the production, which makes missing it all the more annoying.
We missed Pelleas et Melisande at Covent Garden partly because I'd already read the Opera's reviews of the Salzburg original. Roger Parker's description of the costumes as 'prototypes for an ice-spectacular called Liberace Eats Pies in Space' seems to have been pretty near the mark as far as I can see.
There's been much discussion about the edition of Macbeth being used at Glyndebourne (basically 1865 with the addition of Macbeth's final aria). What no-one seems to really comment on is that this solution is essentially Fritz Busch's solution which was used, I think, in earlier Glyndebourne productions. Rodney Milnes does not think that the 1845 finale is as effective as the later one, but frankly I've always found the 1865 concluding chorus horribly trite and preferred the 1845 original's conclusion, ending just with Macbeth's death.
Michael Kennedy described Benjamin Paul Griffith's Tadzio, in ENO's Death in Venice as singularly unenticing; though he does have the grace to admit that he cannot speak with authority on the matter. I must confess that I thought he made rather an appealing, if mature, Tadzio.
We Hear that.. has the usual clutch of tantalising hints at the future. William Christie is conducting Herold's Zampa at the Opera Comique in March 2008 (I can remember playing the overture in the school orchestra, many, many years ago). David McVicar is continuing seeming like Scottish Opera's house producer, he's doing La Traviata there in 2008-09. Paul Rouders is doing an opera based on Lars von Trier's film Dancing in the Dark. Interesting indeed.
More bizarrely, Graham Vick's Verona production of La Traviata is being staged in Birmingham at the National Arena.
Oh, and the new slimline Deborah Voigt is doing Salome for Opera Pacific.
Minnesota Opera have just produced a new operatic version of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath; not the most obvious subject for an opera but Ricky Ian Gordon's new piece seems to have gone down well. Let's add it to the list of new operas we won't see in the UK in a hurry - Dead Man Walking anyone? Meanwhile in San Francisco they've been reviving Lou Harrison's Young Caesar; billed in 1971 as the first gay puppet opera. Now there is a first!
Seattle Opera's Giulio Cesare seems to have suffered from the usual producer-itis; there was a ballet troupe to keep the proles happy and nearly a third of the opera was cut.
In London, Second Movement produced a programme of 1-act pieces including Shostakovich's completion of Benjamin Fleischmann's Rothschild's Violin. The young singers included Hanna Pedley who made a memorable Romeo at Nevill Holt recently.
We missed Handel's Imeneo when Cambridge Handel Opera Group did it in May, much to my profound annoyance. I've always had a curious fascination with this strange late Handel opera. Opera's reviewer seemed quite taken with the production, which makes missing it all the more annoying.
We missed Pelleas et Melisande at Covent Garden partly because I'd already read the Opera's reviews of the Salzburg original. Roger Parker's description of the costumes as 'prototypes for an ice-spectacular called Liberace Eats Pies in Space' seems to have been pretty near the mark as far as I can see.
There's been much discussion about the edition of Macbeth being used at Glyndebourne (basically 1865 with the addition of Macbeth's final aria). What no-one seems to really comment on is that this solution is essentially Fritz Busch's solution which was used, I think, in earlier Glyndebourne productions. Rodney Milnes does not think that the 1845 finale is as effective as the later one, but frankly I've always found the 1865 concluding chorus horribly trite and preferred the 1845 original's conclusion, ending just with Macbeth's death.
Michael Kennedy described Benjamin Paul Griffith's Tadzio, in ENO's Death in Venice as singularly unenticing; though he does have the grace to admit that he cannot speak with authority on the matter. I must confess that I thought he made rather an appealing, if mature, Tadzio.
We Hear that.. has the usual clutch of tantalising hints at the future. William Christie is conducting Herold's Zampa at the Opera Comique in March 2008 (I can remember playing the overture in the school orchestra, many, many years ago). David McVicar is continuing seeming like Scottish Opera's house producer, he's doing La Traviata there in 2008-09. Paul Rouders is doing an opera based on Lars von Trier's film Dancing in the Dark. Interesting indeed.
More bizarrely, Graham Vick's Verona production of La Traviata is being staged in Birmingham at the National Arena.
Oh, and the new slimline Deborah Voigt is doing Salome for Opera Pacific.
Striggio Prom
Labels:
concert review
As predicted half the choristers in London were in the audience for Tuesday's Late Night Prom when the Tallis Scholars and the BBC Singers performed Striggio's 40-part motet, Tallis's 40-part motet and the newly discovered Striggio Mass.
The concert opened with the Striggio motet which sounded, frankly, rather soggy. I listened again on the BBC web-site and things sounded a lot better. Though the Albert Hall sounds a good idea for this type of music I'm sure that a smaller venue would be better. Still, it was good to hear the piece. Its less polyphonic than the Tallis, more polychoral in the Venetian manner.
The performers realised the cool-beauty of the Tallis though it was not as moving as some performances that I've heard. And rather oddly, occasional voices tended to stand out in a way that was not quite desirable. They sang the piece in the usual low pitch. Inevitable given the balance of forces for the other pieces, but frankly I prefer the Tallis sung high.
The best performance in the first half was Lassus's motet and magnificat, both for two 5-part choirs. The results show Lassus's mastery of the form and his confidently handling of many parts. This worked stunningly well in the Albert Hall with a clarity not possessed by the other pieces.
The Striggio mass is written for 4 basic choirs, with parts ranging from 18 to 40 part. Then for the final Agnus Dei the singers are joined by 20 more to create a 60 part texture. As with the motet the textures were mainly poly-choral chori spezzati type. The results seem to have more clarity than the Striggio motet and the mass is undoubtedly beautiful and impressive. The final Agnus Dei created a simple waterfall of sound. I'd love to hear it in a more sympathetic acoustic or perhaps somewhere were the singers could be placed in the round.
The concert opened with the Striggio motet which sounded, frankly, rather soggy. I listened again on the BBC web-site and things sounded a lot better. Though the Albert Hall sounds a good idea for this type of music I'm sure that a smaller venue would be better. Still, it was good to hear the piece. Its less polyphonic than the Tallis, more polychoral in the Venetian manner.
The performers realised the cool-beauty of the Tallis though it was not as moving as some performances that I've heard. And rather oddly, occasional voices tended to stand out in a way that was not quite desirable. They sang the piece in the usual low pitch. Inevitable given the balance of forces for the other pieces, but frankly I prefer the Tallis sung high.
The best performance in the first half was Lassus's motet and magnificat, both for two 5-part choirs. The results show Lassus's mastery of the form and his confidently handling of many parts. This worked stunningly well in the Albert Hall with a clarity not possessed by the other pieces.
The Striggio mass is written for 4 basic choirs, with parts ranging from 18 to 40 part. Then for the final Agnus Dei the singers are joined by 20 more to create a 60 part texture. As with the motet the textures were mainly poly-choral chori spezzati type. The results seem to have more clarity than the Striggio motet and the mass is undoubtedly beautiful and impressive. The final Agnus Dei created a simple waterfall of sound. I'd love to hear it in a more sympathetic acoustic or perhaps somewhere were the singers could be placed in the round.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the new disc of arrangements by Holst is here on MusicWeb International.
Monday, 16 July 2007
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the re-issue John Eliot Gardiner's account of Handel's Agrippina is here, on MusicWeb International.
Superbly sung and performed ... highly enjoyable although I would have liked a little more smile in the music. ...
Superbly sung and performed ... highly enjoyable although I would have liked a little more smile in the music. ...
Labels:
concert review,
diary
Thursday's London Concord Singers concert went well. All we have to do now is perform the programme again in Basel in 2 weeks time.
We were away in East Anglia this weekend gone, but I did manage to catch the end of the broadcast of Beethoven's 9th Symphony from the Proms. My main impression was how uncomfortable the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Philharmonia Chorus looked. They were singing without scores and had obviously been instructed to stand with their hands at their sides. This the singers did, rigidly. They sounded engaged. They sounded magnificent, in fact. But they hardly looked like a chorus. Singing is a physical act and I always feel that a chorus should be allowed to express this, within reason of course.
On Saturday night we went to Blackthorpe Barn, at Rougham near Bury St. Edmunds. There, once a year, they have a chamber music festival, with some very high profile names. This year Freddy Kempf played 2 concerts. Next year the line up will include the Belcea Quartet.
We went to see members of the Razumovsky Academy. These are young professionals who have been coached by members of the Razumovsky Ensemble. The 4 string players (Anna Lisa Bezrodny, Florence Cooke, Maya Rasooly and Silver Ainomae) were joined by cellist Oleg Kogan from the Razumovsky Ensemble. The programme was beautifully structured. Kogan and Ainomae started with one of Jean Barriere's Sonatas for 2 Cellos. These were new to me. Barriere wrote a set of sonatas for 2 cellos in the 1730's and 1740's in Paris. The style is very galant and uses a logs of passages in thirds, double stopping etc. Kogan and Ainomae swapped parts between movements so that both had chance to display their virtuosity in the 1st cello part.
This was followed by the delightful Dvorak Terzetto for 2 violins and viola, thus giving the rest of the ensemble chance to shine. Bezrodny, Cooke and Rasooly gave a charming account of the piece.
Then all 5 players came together to play the Schubert Quintet in C (the 2 Cello quintet). The players gave a poised, rather classical account of the piece. Their virtues were ensemble and balance; the performance did have some passion but it was not over done. The barn's acoustics are pretty good but are not very forgiving, you can't hide behind reverb. This meant that one or two slips in ensemble were audible. But given that they do not play regularly together, the results were superb. The first 2 movements, were expansive, long breathed affairs; all the players played in paragraphs, this was real, joined up music making.
The heavenly length of Schubert's late works can prove challenging in the concert hall, even more so when sitting on plastic chairs in a draughty barn. But the members of the Razumovsky Academy gave a performance so enthralling, so beautifully judged, that it had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
We were away in East Anglia this weekend gone, but I did manage to catch the end of the broadcast of Beethoven's 9th Symphony from the Proms. My main impression was how uncomfortable the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Philharmonia Chorus looked. They were singing without scores and had obviously been instructed to stand with their hands at their sides. This the singers did, rigidly. They sounded engaged. They sounded magnificent, in fact. But they hardly looked like a chorus. Singing is a physical act and I always feel that a chorus should be allowed to express this, within reason of course.
On Saturday night we went to Blackthorpe Barn, at Rougham near Bury St. Edmunds. There, once a year, they have a chamber music festival, with some very high profile names. This year Freddy Kempf played 2 concerts. Next year the line up will include the Belcea Quartet.
We went to see members of the Razumovsky Academy. These are young professionals who have been coached by members of the Razumovsky Ensemble. The 4 string players (Anna Lisa Bezrodny, Florence Cooke, Maya Rasooly and Silver Ainomae) were joined by cellist Oleg Kogan from the Razumovsky Ensemble. The programme was beautifully structured. Kogan and Ainomae started with one of Jean Barriere's Sonatas for 2 Cellos. These were new to me. Barriere wrote a set of sonatas for 2 cellos in the 1730's and 1740's in Paris. The style is very galant and uses a logs of passages in thirds, double stopping etc. Kogan and Ainomae swapped parts between movements so that both had chance to display their virtuosity in the 1st cello part.
This was followed by the delightful Dvorak Terzetto for 2 violins and viola, thus giving the rest of the ensemble chance to shine. Bezrodny, Cooke and Rasooly gave a charming account of the piece.
Then all 5 players came together to play the Schubert Quintet in C (the 2 Cello quintet). The players gave a poised, rather classical account of the piece. Their virtues were ensemble and balance; the performance did have some passion but it was not over done. The barn's acoustics are pretty good but are not very forgiving, you can't hide behind reverb. This meant that one or two slips in ensemble were audible. But given that they do not play regularly together, the results were superb. The first 2 movements, were expansive, long breathed affairs; all the players played in paragraphs, this was real, joined up music making.
The heavenly length of Schubert's late works can prove challenging in the concert hall, even more so when sitting on plastic chairs in a draughty barn. But the members of the Razumovsky Academy gave a performance so enthralling, so beautifully judged, that it had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Music reviewer's log
My latest music reviewer's log has just appeared on Music Web International here; just in case you are curious about what goes through my head whilst reviewing CD's.
Review of Capuletti e Montecchi
Labels:
opera review
My review of Grange Park Opera's production of Capuletti e Montecchi at Nevill Holt is here, on Music and Vision.
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Proms ahoy
Labels:
diary
Today's Evening Standard has an article with different critics selecting their stand-out Proms from this year's season. And whilst there are some interesting things out there, I must confess that not many of this seasons concerts make me burn with a desire to be in the Albert Hall. Particularly when I've done a full day's work and could be sitting comfortably at home. Or am I just getting old?
Anyway, we are doing the Proms, well 3 of them! But July and August are generally so crammed with holidays, weekends away etc. that we usually miss the best Proms. On Tuesday 17th we're doing the late night prom with the newly discovered Striggio Mass amongst other things. Friends who have sung in the Striggio 40-part motet have commented that it is rather boring, so I will be very interested.
The following Tuesday we are seeing the Glyndebourne Prom, Verdi's Macbeth without the controversial production. Then later in the season we'll be hearing Elgar's The Apostles. One of those works that it's necessary to hear every 10 years or so. (Which means I've got a Bruckner symphony coming up soon!)
Last night we managed to listen again on the BBC website to Saturday's Early Music Show. I had caught the programme live, but not listened properly as I was busy finishing a piece of Music. (For those who wonder, I have the rather annoying habit of having the radio on in each room and playing the piano or playing back music from my PC.).
Rather fascinatingly the piece O Crux Fructus
taken from a disc by Ensemble Lucidarium, sounded a lot like one of the track's from Luc Arbogast's disc.
Anyway, we are doing the Proms, well 3 of them! But July and August are generally so crammed with holidays, weekends away etc. that we usually miss the best Proms. On Tuesday 17th we're doing the late night prom with the newly discovered Striggio Mass amongst other things. Friends who have sung in the Striggio 40-part motet have commented that it is rather boring, so I will be very interested.
The following Tuesday we are seeing the Glyndebourne Prom, Verdi's Macbeth without the controversial production. Then later in the season we'll be hearing Elgar's The Apostles. One of those works that it's necessary to hear every 10 years or so. (Which means I've got a Bruckner symphony coming up soon!)
Last night we managed to listen again on the BBC website to Saturday's Early Music Show. I had caught the programme live, but not listened properly as I was busy finishing a piece of Music. (For those who wonder, I have the rather annoying habit of having the radio on in each room and playing the piano or playing back music from my PC.).
Rather fascinatingly the piece O Crux Fructus
taken from a disc by Ensemble Lucidarium, sounded a lot like one of the track's from Luc Arbogast's disc.
Almost worth the trip
The American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein are giving the American premiere of Ethel Smyth's opera The Wreckers at Avery Fisher Hall in New York on September 30th. There is no information yet about casting. If it wasn't for the complicated security arrangements required for transatlantic travel I'd almost be tempted to go!
Monday, 9 July 2007
More on Capuletti e Montecchi
Labels:
feature article
The role of Romeo in Bellini's Capuletti e Montecchi was originally written for the soprano, Giulietta Grisi. In 1832, when Maria Malibran essayed the role , Rossini suggested that she use a scene from Nicola Vaccai's opera Romeo e Giulietta as the penultimate scene of the score. Malibran had a voice of remarkable range, but this change made the role of Romeo more accessible to contraltos and it became a regular option for singers like Maria Alboni.
A high counter-tenor friend, who had sung scenes from Bellini's opera, once opined that if the Vaccai ending was used he would be able to sing the whole role. I am not aware that anyone has actually tried this out yet.
Vaccai had been an older contemporary of Bellini's who had had a degree of success, in fact Romeo e Giulietta was his most popular opera, one of the few to receive performances outside Italy. Unfortunately it was eclipsed by Bellini's opera; Bellini probably chose the subject because his librettist, Felice Romani was embroiled in a financial dispute with Vaccai.
A high counter-tenor friend, who had sung scenes from Bellini's opera, once opined that if the Vaccai ending was used he would be able to sing the whole role. I am not aware that anyone has actually tried this out yet.
Vaccai had been an older contemporary of Bellini's who had had a degree of success, in fact Romeo e Giulietta was his most popular opera, one of the few to receive performances outside Italy. Unfortunately it was eclipsed by Bellini's opera; Bellini probably chose the subject because his librettist, Felice Romani was embroiled in a financial dispute with Vaccai.
London Concord Singers Concert
Labels:
performance,
preview
This Thursday at St. Cyprian's Church, Glentworth Street, London NW1 I will be singing in the London Concord Singers summer concert. We're presenting a programme whose main works are Walton's Cantico del Sole, Rheinberger's Mass in E flat and Howells's Requiem. The programme will also form the basis for our concert tour to Basel, Switzerland, at the beginning of August when we will be performing 2 concerts in the Basler Münster and singing Mass at Mariastein Monastery.
Review of Semele
Labels:
concert review,
opera review
My review of Semele at Grange Park last weekend is here, on Music and Vision.
Saturday, 7 July 2007
Capuletti e Montecchi
Labels:
opera
Last night we went to hear Grange Park Opera at their outpost at Nevill Holt in Leicestershire. Nevill Holt is a rambling old (v. old) mansion owned by David Ross and he has built a very permanent temporary theatre in the courtyard of the stables.
Unlike Northington Grange, Grange Park Opera's main home, Nevill Holt is occupied so all of the audience facilities are in tents. As David Ross has guests for the opera you get a stream of people going into the house before the opera, some of them arriving in helicopters (not allowed at Northington Grange). Ross has had the house and the gardens restored and before the opera there is the chance to have a wander around the fabulous walled gardens.
My review of the opera itself will appear in due course, but the performance was entrancing.
Unlike Northington Grange, Grange Park Opera's main home, Nevill Holt is occupied so all of the audience facilities are in tents. As David Ross has guests for the opera you get a stream of people going into the house before the opera, some of them arriving in helicopters (not allowed at Northington Grange). Ross has had the house and the gardens restored and before the opera there is the chance to have a wander around the fabulous walled gardens.
My review of the opera itself will appear in due course, but the performance was entrancing.
Sills and Crespin
Labels:
music news
There have been obituaries in the recent days for Beverley Sills and for Regine Crespin. Sills was a singer who I never heard live. Though she was in my thoughts recently because last night we went to see Bellini's Capuletti e Montecchi at Nevill Holt and Sills recorded it with Janet Baker as Romeo. The recording never did really get fabulous reviews but it remains in my memory as one of Baker's rare excursions into Italian early 19th century opera. I'm not sure whether its still available, but it is certainly a recording I'd like to acquire.
Crespin I saw twice. The first time was in recital in Scotland at the Usher Hall (I think) with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She did a lighter recital, the most serious piece being an extract from Massenet's Manon. The encores included an item from the Chocolate Soldier, I seem to remember, and the drinking song from Offenbach's La Perichole. The most remarkable thing about the recital was her pink jersey dress trimmed at the bottom with ostrich feathers!
Later on, in the 1980's I think, I saw her performance as the Old Prioress in the Covent Garden revival of Poulenc's Carmelites (with amongst others Pauline Tinsely, Marie McLaughlin, Eiddwen Harrhy and Valerie Masterson). Crespin's was a fabulous performance that stood out amongst many other fine performances.
But I really came to love Crespin's voice from disc. Her recording of extracts from Les Troyens; her early recital of French romantic opera including the excerpt from Reyer's Sigurd (now that's an opera I'd like to hear)and her live Gluck from South America (not brilliant recordings, but what a performance).
Crespin I saw twice. The first time was in recital in Scotland at the Usher Hall (I think) with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She did a lighter recital, the most serious piece being an extract from Massenet's Manon. The encores included an item from the Chocolate Soldier, I seem to remember, and the drinking song from Offenbach's La Perichole. The most remarkable thing about the recital was her pink jersey dress trimmed at the bottom with ostrich feathers!
Later on, in the 1980's I think, I saw her performance as the Old Prioress in the Covent Garden revival of Poulenc's Carmelites (with amongst others Pauline Tinsely, Marie McLaughlin, Eiddwen Harrhy and Valerie Masterson). Crespin's was a fabulous performance that stood out amongst many other fine performances.
But I really came to love Crespin's voice from disc. Her recording of extracts from Les Troyens; her early recital of French romantic opera including the excerpt from Reyer's Sigurd (now that's an opera I'd like to hear)and her live Gluck from South America (not brilliant recordings, but what a performance).
Monday, 2 July 2007
Gleanings from this Month's opera magazine (I)
Labels:
opera magazine
Some jottings from the July edition of Opera Magazine
The opening editorial is about age-ism and the editor quotes Yvonne Kenny who said in an interview with the magazine in 1992 that Fiordiligi is so gruelling a sing that it takes a 40-ish soprano to illuminate it. The editor then speculates about a director bringing us a mid-life crisis version of Cosi !
The interview this month is with the young Scottish director, Paul Curran. Young being a relative term, he's 42. It is curious how some people seem to have lives that are intertwined even though they don't meet, and the intertwinings are ultimately rather meaningless.. As a young man Curran had a number of key experiences of theatre at the Citizens in the late 70's when I was in Scotland and went there as well. He saw the 1980 Wozzeck at Scottish Opera, as did I. Later in London he saw Christa Ludwig as Klytemnestra, as did I. He studied at the London Studio Centre, where a friend of mine works. And he went on to dance with Scottish Ballet, I troupe that I enjoyed immensely.
More importantly, the interview sheds light on Curran's formative experiences. At the age of 16 he fell in love with a (male) dancer and was thrown out by his parents. This is the sort of important detail which is glossed over in such interviews and it is all to Curran, and Opera Magazine's credit that they include such important details.
Curran was in London in the 1980's when ENO was run by Lord Harewood. He makes the important point that Harewood had a mix of styles. David Alden and David Pountney, as well as John Cox, Joh Dexter, John Copley and some 1960's productions. It was this balance that was lost when the PowerHouse took over. 'I don't want every show I do to have the same look, because not every story can be told the same way. Harewood's ENO nurtured that philosophy'. Later on he quotes David Pountney's interesting dictum about 'the danger, when you take something out of its era, of creating more of a monster than a meaningful interpretation'. Hmm, how many recent productions could I apply that to!!
There is a feature article on Montemezzi's opera, L'amore dei tre re, described in a 1947 history of opera as 'the greatest tragic opera since Verdi's Otello'. Oh yes? The leading lady was a favourite role of Mary Garden's, in fact it was one of the few roles she did in Italian (she even did Tosca in French).
Another interview, this time with Francis Egerton who has been on my operatic radar since I started seeing operas at Covent Garden. He has been singing there since 1972. We saw one of his last appearances, in La Fanciulla del West.
Hugh Canning's review of Winton Dean's 2nd volume on Handel's Opera is really hardly a review at all. After all, the book is so masterly that much is beyond criticism. Still, Dean does manage to include quite a lot of comment about contemporary opera production and Canning manages to have an interesting dialogue with that.
Laurent Pelly's production of La Fille du Regiment has landed in Vienna. Still with Florez and Dessay but with Monsterrat Caballe as the Duchess; now that I would like to have seen. Over in Buenos Aires, the Colon mounted a production of Wozzeck entirely with a Latin cast, no small feat; it is amazing how many performances of German operas you read about in Latin or Latin American countries only to find the cast has been body shopped from Germany. More power to the Colon's elbow, so to speak.
A new opera in Brussels, Benoit Mernier's opera based on Spring Awakening. It sounds a remarkable show but I don't suppose we'll get to see it any time soon. Also in Brussels, but soon to come to Covent Garden (and Madrid and San Francisco and Lyons) is Robert LePage's 1950's Hollywood setting for Rakes Progress. It sounds fascinating and beautifully done, but you wonder why. And of course, Pountney's dictum starts to spring to mind.
I had not realised that the 1881 revised version of Simon Boccanegra started Tamagno (the first Otello) as Gabriele Adorno. Given Tamagno's huge voice, this puts a remarkably slant on the balance of the revised piece. The comment about it in opera was made in the context of a lyric tenor singing the role.
In Berlin Iphigenie en Tauride cropped up. The producer Barrie Kosky evidently said in interview that the opera's real love interest was between Oreste and Pylade, which seems to me to be a very interesting point. The reviewer, Carlos Maria Solare, simply comments 'Mercifully the ... point wasn't unduly harped on'. Well? And why not please?
Another travelling show is the Villazon/Netrebko Manon, it sounds interesting enough but I gather that much material not involving the leading couple has been cut. Surely not a good basis for a musical edition for a production.
In Trieste they did a production of La Sonnambula borrowed from Verona. How on earth do you fit a production designed for the arena into an ordinary theatre?
John Allison reviews the première of Jonathan Harvey's new opera, Wagner Dream, premièred in Luxembourg. The libretto, in English, is by Jean-Claude Carriere and though the philosophy sounds distinguished, his English writing does not. Great shame. Seems like there are just too many 'Pass the Mustard' type moments. Always a difficult one in librettos. Also, some of the big parts are spoken. So I'll have to reserve judgement until I hear it, if I ever do.
Over in New York, the Met. has revived Giulio Cesare with David Daniels and Ruth Ann Swenson in John Copley's production which was new, for ENO, in 1979; it first appeared in New York in 1988. Now that is longevity. Their latest production, Puccini's Il Trittico is billed as 'the largest production in the company's history' - now is that a good thing or a bad thing?
The opening editorial is about age-ism and the editor quotes Yvonne Kenny who said in an interview with the magazine in 1992 that Fiordiligi is so gruelling a sing that it takes a 40-ish soprano to illuminate it. The editor then speculates about a director bringing us a mid-life crisis version of Cosi !
The interview this month is with the young Scottish director, Paul Curran. Young being a relative term, he's 42. It is curious how some people seem to have lives that are intertwined even though they don't meet, and the intertwinings are ultimately rather meaningless.. As a young man Curran had a number of key experiences of theatre at the Citizens in the late 70's when I was in Scotland and went there as well. He saw the 1980 Wozzeck at Scottish Opera, as did I. Later in London he saw Christa Ludwig as Klytemnestra, as did I. He studied at the London Studio Centre, where a friend of mine works. And he went on to dance with Scottish Ballet, I troupe that I enjoyed immensely.
More importantly, the interview sheds light on Curran's formative experiences. At the age of 16 he fell in love with a (male) dancer and was thrown out by his parents. This is the sort of important detail which is glossed over in such interviews and it is all to Curran, and Opera Magazine's credit that they include such important details.
Curran was in London in the 1980's when ENO was run by Lord Harewood. He makes the important point that Harewood had a mix of styles. David Alden and David Pountney, as well as John Cox, Joh Dexter, John Copley and some 1960's productions. It was this balance that was lost when the PowerHouse took over. 'I don't want every show I do to have the same look, because not every story can be told the same way. Harewood's ENO nurtured that philosophy'. Later on he quotes David Pountney's interesting dictum about 'the danger, when you take something out of its era, of creating more of a monster than a meaningful interpretation'. Hmm, how many recent productions could I apply that to!!
There is a feature article on Montemezzi's opera, L'amore dei tre re, described in a 1947 history of opera as 'the greatest tragic opera since Verdi's Otello'. Oh yes? The leading lady was a favourite role of Mary Garden's, in fact it was one of the few roles she did in Italian (she even did Tosca in French).
Another interview, this time with Francis Egerton who has been on my operatic radar since I started seeing operas at Covent Garden. He has been singing there since 1972. We saw one of his last appearances, in La Fanciulla del West.
Hugh Canning's review of Winton Dean's 2nd volume on Handel's Opera is really hardly a review at all. After all, the book is so masterly that much is beyond criticism. Still, Dean does manage to include quite a lot of comment about contemporary opera production and Canning manages to have an interesting dialogue with that.
Laurent Pelly's production of La Fille du Regiment has landed in Vienna. Still with Florez and Dessay but with Monsterrat Caballe as the Duchess; now that I would like to have seen. Over in Buenos Aires, the Colon mounted a production of Wozzeck entirely with a Latin cast, no small feat; it is amazing how many performances of German operas you read about in Latin or Latin American countries only to find the cast has been body shopped from Germany. More power to the Colon's elbow, so to speak.
A new opera in Brussels, Benoit Mernier's opera based on Spring Awakening. It sounds a remarkable show but I don't suppose we'll get to see it any time soon. Also in Brussels, but soon to come to Covent Garden (and Madrid and San Francisco and Lyons) is Robert LePage's 1950's Hollywood setting for Rakes Progress. It sounds fascinating and beautifully done, but you wonder why. And of course, Pountney's dictum starts to spring to mind.
I had not realised that the 1881 revised version of Simon Boccanegra started Tamagno (the first Otello) as Gabriele Adorno. Given Tamagno's huge voice, this puts a remarkably slant on the balance of the revised piece. The comment about it in opera was made in the context of a lyric tenor singing the role.
In Berlin Iphigenie en Tauride cropped up. The producer Barrie Kosky evidently said in interview that the opera's real love interest was between Oreste and Pylade, which seems to me to be a very interesting point. The reviewer, Carlos Maria Solare, simply comments 'Mercifully the ... point wasn't unduly harped on'. Well? And why not please?
Another travelling show is the Villazon/Netrebko Manon, it sounds interesting enough but I gather that much material not involving the leading couple has been cut. Surely not a good basis for a musical edition for a production.
In Trieste they did a production of La Sonnambula borrowed from Verona. How on earth do you fit a production designed for the arena into an ordinary theatre?
John Allison reviews the première of Jonathan Harvey's new opera, Wagner Dream, premièred in Luxembourg. The libretto, in English, is by Jean-Claude Carriere and though the philosophy sounds distinguished, his English writing does not. Great shame. Seems like there are just too many 'Pass the Mustard' type moments. Always a difficult one in librettos. Also, some of the big parts are spoken. So I'll have to reserve judgement until I hear it, if I ever do.
Over in New York, the Met. has revived Giulio Cesare with David Daniels and Ruth Ann Swenson in John Copley's production which was new, for ENO, in 1979; it first appeared in New York in 1988. Now that is longevity. Their latest production, Puccini's Il Trittico is billed as 'the largest production in the company's history' - now is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Review of Benvenuto Cellini
On Friday we went to see the 2nd of the LSO's performances of Benvenuto Cellini at the Barbican. It was billed as being part of their Choral Blockbusters series. Really, I can't see Benvenuto Cellini as a choral blockbuster, but it does have some fabulous choral set pieces and the entire London Symphony Chorus was present in force. As was the LSO, to such an extent that there was barely any room on the platform for the soloists. Colin Davis was in charge and the tenor soloist was supposed to be Giuseppi Sabbatiini, who had sung the role with the LSO in 1999. This was the period when the LSO were just setting up LSO live and Benvenuto Cellini was one of the items they missed, so this pair of performances could be seen as filling a gap allowing them to have the complete Berlioz dramatic works on their label with Colin Davis.
Unfortunately both Sabbattini and Michele Pertusi pulled out, so that we had Gregory Kunde instead. Kunde has a rather open sounding voice, quite surprising in this repertoire, but he does specialise in French 19th century operas. He sang Aeneas in the staging of Les Troyens at the Chatelet which was conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. The nearest voice that I can come to is the sound of John Vickers, singing something like Samson (I never heard Vickers in any Berlioz). Kunde usually takes his chest voice quite high and there are moments where you think the voice will strain but it does not. He also mixes in some lovely head voice, which balances well with the rest of his vocal production. He is also technically adept, so that the verbal and vocal intricacies of the part were well covered.
Whilst Kunde is not, perhaps, my ideal in the role he delivered fabulously. He seemed tireless, but also responded well to the mercurial nature of the part. By Act 3 he still had plenty of reserves to deliver a well shaded account of Cellini's impassioned invocation.
As his love, Teresa, Laura Claycomb encompassed everything that the role required. Here coloratura was dazzling and she sang charmingly and winningly. She also displayed a sense of humour, which is important in this part. My only real complaint was that her tone seemed at times a little too firm, not quite hard but not really flexible enough for this role. She never ever seemed 17 and her delivery was very mature (think Bellini heroine) rather than girlish. But when sung as well as this, I am probably being picky.
Darren Jeffery seemed a little young to be singing Balducci and, in fact, the part might be a little low for him. But he worked hard at the gravitas and succeeded by and large. Peter Coleman-Wright was superb as Fieramosca, imbuing the part with the necessary mix of comedy and bumptiousness. A very dramatic performer, you never ever felt that he was merely giving concert performance.
In fact, none of the artists gave the impression of just singing their roles. No producer was credited, but some thought had been given to entrances and exits and the way the singers interacted. All of them sang to each other and responded. The result was to create a good dramatic performance even though the staging area was tiny. This had the advantage that the whole drama was extremely involving.
Of course, it helps that everything was superbly controlled by Colin Davis. He is a conductor who has a secure grasp of the structure of Berlioz's work, whilst never losing control of the details. Every detail was beautifully in place, whilst the work flowed just as it should.
The smaller parts were very well cast with Andrew Foster Williams and Andrew Kennedy making quite a mark as Cellini's workmen, Francesco and Bernadino. Isabelle Cals, as Ascanio, seemed the only native French speaker in the cast and I would have liked to hear more of her.
The chorus part was not designed for a large amateur chorus and it says much for the LSC's discipline and professionalism that they fitted into the performance superbly and gave a well crafted performance.
The Paris version was used, but with some of the recitative replaced by spoken dialogue. A change which works remarkably well and facilitates the flow of the piece. I look forward to hearing the CD.
Unfortunately both Sabbattini and Michele Pertusi pulled out, so that we had Gregory Kunde instead. Kunde has a rather open sounding voice, quite surprising in this repertoire, but he does specialise in French 19th century operas. He sang Aeneas in the staging of Les Troyens at the Chatelet which was conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. The nearest voice that I can come to is the sound of John Vickers, singing something like Samson (I never heard Vickers in any Berlioz). Kunde usually takes his chest voice quite high and there are moments where you think the voice will strain but it does not. He also mixes in some lovely head voice, which balances well with the rest of his vocal production. He is also technically adept, so that the verbal and vocal intricacies of the part were well covered.
Whilst Kunde is not, perhaps, my ideal in the role he delivered fabulously. He seemed tireless, but also responded well to the mercurial nature of the part. By Act 3 he still had plenty of reserves to deliver a well shaded account of Cellini's impassioned invocation.
As his love, Teresa, Laura Claycomb encompassed everything that the role required. Here coloratura was dazzling and she sang charmingly and winningly. She also displayed a sense of humour, which is important in this part. My only real complaint was that her tone seemed at times a little too firm, not quite hard but not really flexible enough for this role. She never ever seemed 17 and her delivery was very mature (think Bellini heroine) rather than girlish. But when sung as well as this, I am probably being picky.
Darren Jeffery seemed a little young to be singing Balducci and, in fact, the part might be a little low for him. But he worked hard at the gravitas and succeeded by and large. Peter Coleman-Wright was superb as Fieramosca, imbuing the part with the necessary mix of comedy and bumptiousness. A very dramatic performer, you never ever felt that he was merely giving concert performance.
In fact, none of the artists gave the impression of just singing their roles. No producer was credited, but some thought had been given to entrances and exits and the way the singers interacted. All of them sang to each other and responded. The result was to create a good dramatic performance even though the staging area was tiny. This had the advantage that the whole drama was extremely involving.
Of course, it helps that everything was superbly controlled by Colin Davis. He is a conductor who has a secure grasp of the structure of Berlioz's work, whilst never losing control of the details. Every detail was beautifully in place, whilst the work flowed just as it should.
The smaller parts were very well cast with Andrew Foster Williams and Andrew Kennedy making quite a mark as Cellini's workmen, Francesco and Bernadino. Isabelle Cals, as Ascanio, seemed the only native French speaker in the cast and I would have liked to hear more of her.
The chorus part was not designed for a large amateur chorus and it says much for the LSC's discipline and professionalism that they fitted into the performance superbly and gave a well crafted performance.
The Paris version was used, but with some of the recitative replaced by spoken dialogue. A change which works remarkably well and facilitates the flow of the piece. I look forward to hearing the CD.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the re-issue of the Sutherland/Pavarotti/Bonynge Il Trovatore is here, on MusicWeb International.
Many incidental beauties, but your attitude will depend on how much you like Sutherland’s technique and Bonynge’s rather limp conducting. ...
Many incidental beauties, but your attitude will depend on how much you like Sutherland’s technique and Bonynge’s rather limp conducting. ...
Friday, 29 June 2007
Recent CD Reviews
Labels:
cd review
My review of new disc of Bach cantatas is here .
Much choral and instrumental interest, beautifully taken. Bach's name-day cantata displays the master in delightfully unbuttoned mood ...
And my review of Puccini duets (taken from classic 1950's recordings) is here . Both reviews are on MusicWeb International.
An attractive and well-filled disc which makes for good listening ... would be ideal for someone just beginning to explore Puccini's music ...
Much choral and instrumental interest, beautifully taken. Bach's name-day cantata displays the master in delightfully unbuttoned mood ...
And my review of Puccini duets (taken from classic 1950's recordings) is here . Both reviews are on MusicWeb International.
An attractive and well-filled disc which makes for good listening ... would be ideal for someone just beginning to explore Puccini's music ...
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Hugues Cuenod's birthday
Labels:
music news
Tenor Hugues Cuenod is celebrating his 105th birthday. His remarkably longevity included his voice, he kept on singing well into old age. I remember seeing him as M. Taupe in Strauss's Capriccio at Glyndebourne in the old house. He has just got married, regularising his 20-year old relationship with Alfred Augustin, something possible now that Swiss law has changed.
Labels:
writing music
I've stopped being a great one for competitions, partly because I dislike working on something simply because its for a competition. But if I have something around, an idea or a finished work, which seems to fit then I can often think why not.
The other issue is about the way my music looks on the page compared to how it sounds. Last year a conductor commented that my music sounded different to how you'd expect it to on the page, was more complex. I don't know if this is a general perception but it makes me mistrust sending scores off into the blue.
But that's what I'm planning at the moment. There are 2 or 3 projects which fit in with competition entries, so I think, why not?
Also I've been busy exchanging emails with the librettist of the new opera. I send her PDF's and midi-files and we discuss how things are developing. Its early days yet, but it is proving to be enormously useful having someone to bounce ideas off and to keep their eye on me. Consistency is important when mapping out different characters in a dramatic context and consistency is not always my strong point!
The other issue is about the way my music looks on the page compared to how it sounds. Last year a conductor commented that my music sounded different to how you'd expect it to on the page, was more complex. I don't know if this is a general perception but it makes me mistrust sending scores off into the blue.
But that's what I'm planning at the moment. There are 2 or 3 projects which fit in with competition entries, so I think, why not?
Also I've been busy exchanging emails with the librettist of the new opera. I send her PDF's and midi-files and we discuss how things are developing. Its early days yet, but it is proving to be enormously useful having someone to bounce ideas off and to keep their eye on me. Consistency is important when mapping out different characters in a dramatic context and consistency is not always my strong point!
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Review of Into the Woods
Labels:
opera review
The cast for the Royal opera's new production (in the Linbury Studio) of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" was a cunning mix of young opera singers and singing actors;a cast whose musical experience spanned the gamut of the musical stage. Directed by choreographer Will Tuckett, the results were surprisingly coherent and uniform. There was little of the feeling of disparated elements coupled unsatisfactorily.
Tuckett's direction was fluent and fluid. He shed no new light on the work, but simply and imaginatively told the story. Vastly helped by Lez Brotherston's flexible and beautiful set. The wood, as created by Tuckett and Brotherston was a thing of both terror and beauty. But of course, being a Sondheim show, the terror was laced with humour.
Clive Rowe and Anna Francolini were superb as the Baker and his wife, chasing after their dream of conceiving a child. At times Francolini reminded me of Imelda Staunton in the same role in Richard Jones's West End production of the musical. And Francolini's performance was nearly as impressive. Rowe brought a charming wide-eyed naivety to the role of the Baker. Plus, of course, his fine singing voice.
Suzanne Toase's Little Red Riding Hood was deliciously awful. Strong minded and knowing, her dialogue with Nicholas Garrett's Wolf redolent of sexual exploration and discovery. As Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Peter Caulfield did not have the strongest singing voice, but he put his songs over well and engaged our sympathy for Jack's hapless character - after all he spends most of Act 1 regarding his cow, Milky White, as his best friend. Jack's mother was played by Anne Reid, an actress not usually known for her singing roles, but she too put her songs over well.
As Cinderella, Gillian Kirkpatrick showed remarkable resource underneath the pretty exterior, as the character must. Kirkpatrick has an attractive voice which helped reveal Cinderella's depths. Christina Raphaelle Haldane's Rapunzel (in this version she is the Baker's long lost sister), gets to sing one thing only, but she did so beautifully. the 2 princes, Nicholas Garrett and Nic Greenshields looked and sounded the part. Their duet, "Agony" was one of the highlights, as it should be.
In every production of "Into the Woods" that I have seen, the witch has to struggle in my mind with the memory of Julia Mackenzie, who the part fitted like a glove. Beverly Klein very nearly succeeded. In her opening 'song' (actually a pitcheless number, spoken rhythmically) she established herself brilliantly. Though in her other Act 1 numbers she seemed not entirely at ease. But once transformed into a her glamorous self in Act 2, her musical performance strengthened and she gave a strong account of "The Last Midnight".
One interesting fact. Cinderella's step mother, Elizabeth Brice, played one of Cinderella's step-sisters in the original West End run.
The whole was well controlled by conductor James Holmes, who seemed to be able to operate well even though hidden behind the scenes.
Being directed by a choreographer, the stage pictures were fluid and fluent. Characters broke out into little moments of choreography, but there was not sense that this was a dance piece manqué. It was a fine piece of musico-dramatic theatre. Tuckett seems to be developing into a fine director with a nice eye/ear for character.
By the end of act 2, when the Giantess has killed many of the cast and the rest have fled, we are reduced to the Baker, his infant son, Cinderella, Jack and Red Riding Hood. They discover that they must work together to succeed against the Giantess and ultimately, make their own non-traditional family group. This is movingly conveyed in the haunting ballad "No-one is alone", which was beautifully sung and staged. Though Sondheim and Lapine do not preach, this 2nd Act is very strongly redolent of the gay community's early struggles against AIDS, which was happening around the time the work was being written.
But Sondheim and Lapine do not allow the work to end on a dying fall, but bring the mmostly dead cast back for a glorious finale.
This was a hugely enjoyable production. the cast was well balanced and all put words over very well, a strong requirement in Sondheim. I hope this is not the last time Tuckett investigates musical theatre.
Tuckett's direction was fluent and fluid. He shed no new light on the work, but simply and imaginatively told the story. Vastly helped by Lez Brotherston's flexible and beautiful set. The wood, as created by Tuckett and Brotherston was a thing of both terror and beauty. But of course, being a Sondheim show, the terror was laced with humour.
Clive Rowe and Anna Francolini were superb as the Baker and his wife, chasing after their dream of conceiving a child. At times Francolini reminded me of Imelda Staunton in the same role in Richard Jones's West End production of the musical. And Francolini's performance was nearly as impressive. Rowe brought a charming wide-eyed naivety to the role of the Baker. Plus, of course, his fine singing voice.
Suzanne Toase's Little Red Riding Hood was deliciously awful. Strong minded and knowing, her dialogue with Nicholas Garrett's Wolf redolent of sexual exploration and discovery. As Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Peter Caulfield did not have the strongest singing voice, but he put his songs over well and engaged our sympathy for Jack's hapless character - after all he spends most of Act 1 regarding his cow, Milky White, as his best friend. Jack's mother was played by Anne Reid, an actress not usually known for her singing roles, but she too put her songs over well.
As Cinderella, Gillian Kirkpatrick showed remarkable resource underneath the pretty exterior, as the character must. Kirkpatrick has an attractive voice which helped reveal Cinderella's depths. Christina Raphaelle Haldane's Rapunzel (in this version she is the Baker's long lost sister), gets to sing one thing only, but she did so beautifully. the 2 princes, Nicholas Garrett and Nic Greenshields looked and sounded the part. Their duet, "Agony" was one of the highlights, as it should be.
In every production of "Into the Woods" that I have seen, the witch has to struggle in my mind with the memory of Julia Mackenzie, who the part fitted like a glove. Beverly Klein very nearly succeeded. In her opening 'song' (actually a pitcheless number, spoken rhythmically) she established herself brilliantly. Though in her other Act 1 numbers she seemed not entirely at ease. But once transformed into a her glamorous self in Act 2, her musical performance strengthened and she gave a strong account of "The Last Midnight".
One interesting fact. Cinderella's step mother, Elizabeth Brice, played one of Cinderella's step-sisters in the original West End run.
The whole was well controlled by conductor James Holmes, who seemed to be able to operate well even though hidden behind the scenes.
Being directed by a choreographer, the stage pictures were fluid and fluent. Characters broke out into little moments of choreography, but there was not sense that this was a dance piece manqué. It was a fine piece of musico-dramatic theatre. Tuckett seems to be developing into a fine director with a nice eye/ear for character.
By the end of act 2, when the Giantess has killed many of the cast and the rest have fled, we are reduced to the Baker, his infant son, Cinderella, Jack and Red Riding Hood. They discover that they must work together to succeed against the Giantess and ultimately, make their own non-traditional family group. This is movingly conveyed in the haunting ballad "No-one is alone", which was beautifully sung and staged. Though Sondheim and Lapine do not preach, this 2nd Act is very strongly redolent of the gay community's early struggles against AIDS, which was happening around the time the work was being written.
But Sondheim and Lapine do not allow the work to end on a dying fall, but bring the mmostly dead cast back for a glorious finale.
This was a hugely enjoyable production. the cast was well balanced and all put words over very well, a strong requirement in Sondheim. I hope this is not the last time Tuckett investigates musical theatre.
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Review of La Clemenza di Tito
Labels:
opera review
On Saturday we went to see the revival of La Clemenza di Tito at ENO. Emma Bell (Vitellia) and Paul Nilon (Tito) reappeared from the original cast and were joined by Alice Coote as Sesto.
If anything Bell's Vitellia seemed to be more neurotic and on edge than last time, it was difficult at times to see how Sesto could have loved her. Initially Bell tended to rather gabble her recitative but she settled down and her final great aria was wonderful as ever. Paul Nilon seemed to be in his element as Tito, I have rarely heard him sing as well and he brought a strong streak of sympathetic humanity to the role.
But of course, we had really gone to hear Alice Coote as Sesto. Coote is a very vivid actor but by the side of Bell's Vitellia, Coote's Sesto seemed understated and dignified. Her arias were beautifully sung, but she and conductor Edward Gardner did seem rather inclined to pull them about too much so that the 2nd halves of her arias had a little too much rubato for my inclination. She was well supported by the notable Annio of Anne Marie Gibbons. With Sarah Jane Davies as an attractive Servilia and Andrew Foster Williams as a strong Publio.
On revisting the production I still feel that it is a weakness to take the chorus off stage and put them in the pit. At the end of Act one they were back-stage which meant that the balance was not ideal in the closing ensemble. But more than this, it just feels wrong not having courtiers around Tito. Instead of taking place at a Western Roman court, McVicar seems to have in mind a more oriental court, where the Emperor is just surrounded by intimates and his guards. It works, more or less, but does not feel like the opera that Mozart wrote.
The guards, with their endless routines with long poles, were not as slick in their choreography as last time, which did not help. The recent McVicar productions that I have seen (2 Handel operas) have had a corps of dancers to take your mind of things at the boring moments. I realised that in this production the tai-chi style guards form this role.
If anything Bell's Vitellia seemed to be more neurotic and on edge than last time, it was difficult at times to see how Sesto could have loved her. Initially Bell tended to rather gabble her recitative but she settled down and her final great aria was wonderful as ever. Paul Nilon seemed to be in his element as Tito, I have rarely heard him sing as well and he brought a strong streak of sympathetic humanity to the role.
But of course, we had really gone to hear Alice Coote as Sesto. Coote is a very vivid actor but by the side of Bell's Vitellia, Coote's Sesto seemed understated and dignified. Her arias were beautifully sung, but she and conductor Edward Gardner did seem rather inclined to pull them about too much so that the 2nd halves of her arias had a little too much rubato for my inclination. She was well supported by the notable Annio of Anne Marie Gibbons. With Sarah Jane Davies as an attractive Servilia and Andrew Foster Williams as a strong Publio.
On revisting the production I still feel that it is a weakness to take the chorus off stage and put them in the pit. At the end of Act one they were back-stage which meant that the balance was not ideal in the closing ensemble. But more than this, it just feels wrong not having courtiers around Tito. Instead of taking place at a Western Roman court, McVicar seems to have in mind a more oriental court, where the Emperor is just surrounded by intimates and his guards. It works, more or less, but does not feel like the opera that Mozart wrote.
The guards, with their endless routines with long poles, were not as slick in their choreography as last time, which did not help. The recent McVicar productions that I have seen (2 Handel operas) have had a corps of dancers to take your mind of things at the boring moments. I realised that in this production the tai-chi style guards form this role.
BMS News
Labels:
music news
The British Music Society's quarterly newsletter popped through my letter box the other week and has a number of rather interesting events in it. Top of the list is the performance on Rememberance Sunday, at the Albert Hall, of John Foulds's mammoth A World Requiem, a work which was performed at the Rememberance day commemorations in the 1920's, but has not been heard since 1926.
Also on a large scale, Granville Bantock's Omar Khayam has finally been recorded by Chandos. The ever growing Bantock edition on Chandos has been circling round this mammoth work for some years and finally it has been recorded, with Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Toby Spence and Roderick Williams, BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra under Vernon Handley. I can't wait.
Colin Scott Sutherland's review of the new Francis George Scott disc caught my eye. Partly through his use of the word kenspeckle and partly because he gives the song recital, by Lisa Milne and Roderick Williams on Signum, such a thumbs up. Another disc for the wish list I think.
Finally, an interesting foot-note to the 1st World War. In 1914 a group of English musicians set out for the Bayreuth Festival. When war was declared they were interned as enemy aliens. Among them were Benjamin Dale and Edgar Bainton, director of the conservatoire in Newcastle. Bainton organised the camp into a hive a musical activity. And back in England, his wife was just as active in keeping the conservatoire going so that on his return Bainton could resume his activities as if nothing had happened.
Also on a large scale, Granville Bantock's Omar Khayam has finally been recorded by Chandos. The ever growing Bantock edition on Chandos has been circling round this mammoth work for some years and finally it has been recorded, with Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Toby Spence and Roderick Williams, BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra under Vernon Handley. I can't wait.
Colin Scott Sutherland's review of the new Francis George Scott disc caught my eye. Partly through his use of the word kenspeckle and partly because he gives the song recital, by Lisa Milne and Roderick Williams on Signum, such a thumbs up. Another disc for the wish list I think.
Finally, an interesting foot-note to the 1st World War. In 1914 a group of English musicians set out for the Bayreuth Festival. When war was declared they were interned as enemy aliens. Among them were Benjamin Dale and Edgar Bainton, director of the conservatoire in Newcastle. Bainton organised the camp into a hive a musical activity. And back in England, his wife was just as active in keeping the conservatoire going so that on his return Bainton could resume his activities as if nothing had happened.
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of Rossini's early opera Ciro in Babilonia is here, on MusicWeb International.
Neither vintage Rossini nor a vintage performance. But strong, bravura performances make this well worth investigating ...
Neither vintage Rossini nor a vintage performance. But strong, bravura performances make this well worth investigating ...
Friday, 15 June 2007
Gurney Poetry again
Labels:
writing music
I've finally gotten around to digging out the text of the Ivor Gurney poem that I'm setting. It is one of four in fact, but this one seems to have the most profound homo-erotic context.
TO HIS LOVE
He's gone, and all our plans
Are useless indeed.
We'll walk no more on Cotswolds
Where the sheep feed
Quietly and take no heed.
His body that was so quick
Is not as you
Knew it, on Severn River
Under the blue
Driving our small boat through.
You would not know him now…
But still he died
Nobly, so cover him over
With violets of pride
Purple from Severn side.
Cover him, cover him soon!
And with thick-set
Masses of memoried flowers-
Hide that red wet
Thing I must somehow forget.
The poem was evidently written in 1917 but it deals with the death of a comrade in a remarkably lover like way
TO HIS LOVE
He's gone, and all our plans
Are useless indeed.
We'll walk no more on Cotswolds
Where the sheep feed
Quietly and take no heed.
His body that was so quick
Is not as you
Knew it, on Severn River
Under the blue
Driving our small boat through.
You would not know him now…
But still he died
Nobly, so cover him over
With violets of pride
Purple from Severn side.
Cover him, cover him soon!
And with thick-set
Masses of memoried flowers-
Hide that red wet
Thing I must somehow forget.
The poem was evidently written in 1917 but it deals with the death of a comrade in a remarkably lover like way
Thursday, 14 June 2007
The Boatswains Mate
Labels:
music news,
preview
An enterprising theatre company called Primavera are doing a production of Ethel Smyth's opera The Boatswains Mate on a number of dates in June and July at the Finborough Theatre. It is part of a rediscoveries season at the Finborough Theatre. Smyth's entertaining comedy will be played without decor and the cast will include Sian Jones as Mrs. Waters. It will be directed by Tom Littler (recently assistant to James Conway on Eugene Onegin for English Touring Opera). Tom is directing three rediscoveries at the Finborough Theatre, including the first London production for over fifty years of Edwardian comedy The Mollusc and T.S. Eliot's The Confidential Clerk.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the new disc of Bryan Ferneyhough's choral music is here,
on MusicWeb International.
In a world where contemporary classical music seems to be increasingly minimal or post-Modern, Ferneyhough’s brand of maximal modernism acts as a beacon to us all. ...
on MusicWeb International.
In a world where contemporary classical music seems to be increasingly minimal or post-Modern, Ferneyhough’s brand of maximal modernism acts as a beacon to us all. ...
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Recording news
Labels:
recording
We'll things are proceeding apace with the recording. We spent the day in the studio yesterday doing what I hope is something close to the final edit. D. and I had listened to the first edit obsessively and played it to a couple of friends. The results of our listening went into the mix when we created this new edit.
Work has also started on the CD cover, booklet design and text. We're using a picture by a painter friend as the CD cover, this has musical links as well as she has sung in quite a number of performances of my works. The first drafts are finished and the results look very promising.
Work has also started on the CD cover, booklet design and text. We're using a picture by a painter friend as the CD cover, this has musical links as well as she has sung in quite a number of performances of my works. The first drafts are finished and the results look very promising.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Review of Death in Venice
Labels:
opera review
Over 30 years since its premiere, Britten’s Death in Venice is still inextricably linked to the voice and personality of Sir Peter Pears. Pears's voice and performance style are embedded within the vocal part of Aschenbach. even more than such roles as Peter Grimes, with Aschenbach each performer needs to get over this hurdle and re-shape the part in his own mould.
One of the fascinations for Saturday's performance (9th June 2007) of Death in Venice at the London Coliseum was being able to see how Ian Bostridge approached the part. Bostridge is signficantly younger than many interpreters of the role. But, like Pears, Bostridge is an experienced lieder singer and fine singer of baroque and early music.
I heard Pears in the role at Covent Garden in the late 1970's (I think). Allowing for the gap of some 30 years, the biggest difference between Bostridge and Pears seemed to be Bostridge's emphasis on the music and his reliance on the beauty of his voice. Not that Pears's voice was not beautiful, even in the 1970's. But he tended to start from the words and his impeccable diction, with the music and beauty of voice coming second. Pears's Aschenbach engaged you partly because he was talking directly to you.
Bostridge's Aschenbach was more artful. The text seemed to come second and, sitting in the upper circle, at times his diction was a little occluded. Bostridge's Aschenbach was a stage cretion and did not, as yet, confide directly in us.
But that said, Bostridge's Aschenbach was a superbly impressive creation. Not a copy of Pears but his own inimitable version. One that was younger, more volatile but just as troubled by the pull between Apollo and Dionysius. Ultimately, though I found Bostridge estimable and impressive but not quite touching and moving. Perhaps I should say not quite yet, for I am sure that he will grow far further into the role and his first foray was indeed a tour de force.
It was helped by Deborah Warner's understated and stunningly beautiful production. Using just a series of sliding screens, floating curtains, a floor which could reflect light like water and a stunning lighting plot, Warner along with designer Tom Pye and lighting designer Jean Kalman created a production notable for its light, sheer beauty and simplicity.
Venice was evoked by the occasional pole, distant views of the city and above all, by the constant presence of water and its reflections of light. Aschenbach's confidences to the audience generally took place on a darkened stage wth a plethora of text projected onto it.
As Aschenbach's baritone antagonist, Peter Coleman-Wright displayed wonderful versatility. Each different role was beautifully delineated from the elderly fop to the obsequious hotel manager. Coleman-Wright's diction was excellent and each role came over with complete clarity, at times it was difficult to believe it was to same singer.
The problem was that Rose never seemed to be the least bit sinister. In fact good natured bonhomie seemed a prevalent characteristic. For me, the dynamics of the opera do not work if the baritone cannot be seen as sinisterly manipulative. But this smoothing of the baritone's discreetly underlying malevolence seems to have been on a par with Warner's production, which rather under played the Apollo/Dionysius dichotomy.
Aschenbach's dilemma came over as personal, never a pull between the influence of two deities. In their dialogue Coleman-Wright and Iestyn Davies could have been simply the embodiment of voices in Aschenbach's head. I want much more the feeling that Iestyn Davies was Apollo and not just some bloke in a white shirt and cream trousers.
This was particularly true of the games which conclude Act 1, where Kim Brandstrup's choreography kept the action well within the confines of teenage high spirits rather than games.
Ultimately the production worked as a whole because of the skill and beauty with which Warner and Pye conjured up their images.
The myriad smaller roles were taken by a mixture of ENO chorus members, members of their Young Singers programme and other young Singers. This generally worked well, though one or two of the chorus solo roles seemed to be slightly under cast. Anna Dennis as the Strawberry Seller and Jonathan Gunthorpe as the English Clerk stand out in the memory; Gunthorpe in particular made me with that his role had been longer.
All in all this was a memorable and enchanting production. I would hope that ENO will revive it soon so that we can see it when it has become further bedded in.
One of the fascinations for Saturday's performance (9th June 2007) of Death in Venice at the London Coliseum was being able to see how Ian Bostridge approached the part. Bostridge is signficantly younger than many interpreters of the role. But, like Pears, Bostridge is an experienced lieder singer and fine singer of baroque and early music.
I heard Pears in the role at Covent Garden in the late 1970's (I think). Allowing for the gap of some 30 years, the biggest difference between Bostridge and Pears seemed to be Bostridge's emphasis on the music and his reliance on the beauty of his voice. Not that Pears's voice was not beautiful, even in the 1970's. But he tended to start from the words and his impeccable diction, with the music and beauty of voice coming second. Pears's Aschenbach engaged you partly because he was talking directly to you.
Bostridge's Aschenbach was more artful. The text seemed to come second and, sitting in the upper circle, at times his diction was a little occluded. Bostridge's Aschenbach was a stage cretion and did not, as yet, confide directly in us.
But that said, Bostridge's Aschenbach was a superbly impressive creation. Not a copy of Pears but his own inimitable version. One that was younger, more volatile but just as troubled by the pull between Apollo and Dionysius. Ultimately, though I found Bostridge estimable and impressive but not quite touching and moving. Perhaps I should say not quite yet, for I am sure that he will grow far further into the role and his first foray was indeed a tour de force.
It was helped by Deborah Warner's understated and stunningly beautiful production. Using just a series of sliding screens, floating curtains, a floor which could reflect light like water and a stunning lighting plot, Warner along with designer Tom Pye and lighting designer Jean Kalman created a production notable for its light, sheer beauty and simplicity.
Venice was evoked by the occasional pole, distant views of the city and above all, by the constant presence of water and its reflections of light. Aschenbach's confidences to the audience generally took place on a darkened stage wth a plethora of text projected onto it.
As Aschenbach's baritone antagonist, Peter Coleman-Wright displayed wonderful versatility. Each different role was beautifully delineated from the elderly fop to the obsequious hotel manager. Coleman-Wright's diction was excellent and each role came over with complete clarity, at times it was difficult to believe it was to same singer.
The problem was that Rose never seemed to be the least bit sinister. In fact good natured bonhomie seemed a prevalent characteristic. For me, the dynamics of the opera do not work if the baritone cannot be seen as sinisterly manipulative. But this smoothing of the baritone's discreetly underlying malevolence seems to have been on a par with Warner's production, which rather under played the Apollo/Dionysius dichotomy.
Aschenbach's dilemma came over as personal, never a pull between the influence of two deities. In their dialogue Coleman-Wright and Iestyn Davies could have been simply the embodiment of voices in Aschenbach's head. I want much more the feeling that Iestyn Davies was Apollo and not just some bloke in a white shirt and cream trousers.
This was particularly true of the games which conclude Act 1, where Kim Brandstrup's choreography kept the action well within the confines of teenage high spirits rather than games.
Ultimately the production worked as a whole because of the skill and beauty with which Warner and Pye conjured up their images.
The myriad smaller roles were taken by a mixture of ENO chorus members, members of their Young Singers programme and other young Singers. This generally worked well, though one or two of the chorus solo roles seemed to be slightly under cast. Anna Dennis as the Strawberry Seller and Jonathan Gunthorpe as the English Clerk stand out in the memory; Gunthorpe in particular made me with that his role had been longer.
All in all this was a memorable and enchanting production. I would hope that ENO will revive it soon so that we can see it when it has become further bedded in.
Royal Ballet Triple bill
Labels:
ballet review
Friday's triple bill at the Royal Ballet included 3 works that I am particularly fond of. First off was Dame Ninette de Valois's Checkmate. The only one of her ballets to be regularly in the Royal Ballet repertory. It is a strong dramatic work and one that works well if there are strong performances from the Black Queen and the Red Knight. The Black Queen was danced by Zenaida Yanowsky and she gave a wonderfully icy, sexy performance. Benet Gartside was a last minute replacement as the Red Knight. He did not seem quite as bravura as some dancers in the role but conveyed well the characters conflicted nature when he fails to kill the Black Queen.
The performance of Ashton's Symphonic Variations was simply the best that I have seen at Covent Garden in a long time. Despite a number of replacements in the cast all 6 dancers succeeded in creating a classical unity with all of them managing to be uniform in their style of dancing. Something that you can't take for granted nowadays at the Royal Ballet when their dancers come from such wide backgrounds.
Then finally, Song of the Earth with Catherine Wyn Rogers and David Rendall singing the vocal solos. The singers were placed on the stage, at the very edge at the front. This was, I think, an innovation and a welcome one; it was good to see the singers properly. The performance was simply magical; Darcy Bussell, Gary Avis and Carlos Acosta danced the 3 lead roles. The evening might have been memorable for the reception Bussell received at the end, but it will also stay in the memory for the quality of the dancing and the performance.
The performance of Ashton's Symphonic Variations was simply the best that I have seen at Covent Garden in a long time. Despite a number of replacements in the cast all 6 dancers succeeded in creating a classical unity with all of them managing to be uniform in their style of dancing. Something that you can't take for granted nowadays at the Royal Ballet when their dancers come from such wide backgrounds.
Then finally, Song of the Earth with Catherine Wyn Rogers and David Rendall singing the vocal solos. The singers were placed on the stage, at the very edge at the front. This was, I think, an innovation and a welcome one; it was good to see the singers properly. The performance was simply magical; Darcy Bussell, Gary Avis and Carlos Acosta danced the 3 lead roles. The evening might have been memorable for the reception Bussell received at the end, but it will also stay in the memory for the quality of the dancing and the performance.
Opera review - The Gambler
Labels:
opera review
My review of Grange Park Opera's production of Prokofiev's The Gambler is here, on Music and Vision.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the 2nd volume of Naxos's Jewish Operas series is here, on MusicWeb International.
A fascinating disc. One well worth exploring if you are interested in 20th century opera. My only real complaint was that it was too short and could have been twice as long. ...
A fascinating disc. One well worth exploring if you are interested in 20th century opera. My only real complaint was that it was too short and could have been twice as long. ...
Saturday, 9 June 2007
More Gurney
Labels:
writing music
I thought I'd print the Ivor Gurney poem that I'm currently setting. I've no idea what it's background, but it strikes me as being homo-erotic at least.
To His Love
He's gone, and all our plans
are useless indeed.
We'll walk no more on Cotswold
where the sheep feed
quietlsy and take no heed.
His body that was so quick
is not as you
knew it, on Severn river
under the blue
driving our small boat through.
You would not know him now...
but still he died
nobly, so cover him over
with violets of pride
purple from Severn side.
Cover him, cover him soon!
and with thick-set
masses of memoried flowers -
hide that red wet
thing I must forget.
To His Love
He's gone, and all our plans
are useless indeed.
We'll walk no more on Cotswold
where the sheep feed
quietlsy and take no heed.
His body that was so quick
is not as you
knew it, on Severn river
under the blue
driving our small boat through.
You would not know him now...
but still he died
nobly, so cover him over
with violets of pride
purple from Severn side.
Cover him, cover him soon!
and with thick-set
masses of memoried flowers -
hide that red wet
thing I must forget.
Music at the Ballet
Labels:
feature article
If I said that last night we'd been to a performance in London of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Catherine Wyn Rogers and David Rendall, coupled with Franck's Symphonic Variations and Bliss's Checkmate you might exclaim and then ask where the concert had taken place and why had you missed it? But, of course, the last item in my list, the Bliss, gives the game away. In fact, if you read yesterday's post you'll know, we were at the Royal Ballet last night.
But it is an interesting fact of life that sometimes the requirements of choreographers can give us performances of works which we'd not otherwise hear (the Bliss) or which would be satisfying in the concert hall (the Mahler). Bliss is not common in the concert hall so it was lovely to hear such a major score, especially when so well played and when coupled with Ninette de Valois's choreography.
I can remember some years ago (15?) the Anthony Tudor ballet Les Bandar-Log was being performed by the Royal Ballet (with Wayne Eagling as the boy with matted hair). The score uses the Koechlin tone poem and other works. It was probably virtually the only performance of a major Koechlin score in London by a major orchestra for a generation! (The ballet was good as well).
Of course, it does not always work. Tudor's ballet Voluntaries uses the Poulenc organ concerto and I was uncomfortable with the speeds slow used, coupled with the distressing sound of the electronic organ. But a companion who also loved the concert work enjoyed the ballet as well, so perhaps it was me. After all, I found that Macmillan's Gloria which uses the same composer's Gloria works very well for me. More distressing in the past have been performances of MacMillan's Requiem where the extreme vibrato used by the Royal Opera House chorus was not suitable for the Faure; but this has been addressed now and the last performance we heard of the ballet used another, more suitable choir.
More interestingly, when the BBC did a recording of the Royal Ballet's production of Les Noces they did so in the studio with Bernstein conducting. The dancers said afterwards that they had found it a challenge as Bernstein's speeds were far different (faster?) than what they were used to.
This use of concert works in ballet goes back a long way. When the Royal Birmingham Ballet revived Vaughan Williams/Ninette de Valois Job they coupled it with a Massine ballet to one of Brahms symphonies. A complex work, it had been amongst the works Massine had had notate quite late in his life. I remember it as being rather wonderful and would love to see it again.
But it is an interesting fact of life that sometimes the requirements of choreographers can give us performances of works which we'd not otherwise hear (the Bliss) or which would be satisfying in the concert hall (the Mahler). Bliss is not common in the concert hall so it was lovely to hear such a major score, especially when so well played and when coupled with Ninette de Valois's choreography.
I can remember some years ago (15?) the Anthony Tudor ballet Les Bandar-Log was being performed by the Royal Ballet (with Wayne Eagling as the boy with matted hair). The score uses the Koechlin tone poem and other works. It was probably virtually the only performance of a major Koechlin score in London by a major orchestra for a generation! (The ballet was good as well).
Of course, it does not always work. Tudor's ballet Voluntaries uses the Poulenc organ concerto and I was uncomfortable with the speeds slow used, coupled with the distressing sound of the electronic organ. But a companion who also loved the concert work enjoyed the ballet as well, so perhaps it was me. After all, I found that Macmillan's Gloria which uses the same composer's Gloria works very well for me. More distressing in the past have been performances of MacMillan's Requiem where the extreme vibrato used by the Royal Opera House chorus was not suitable for the Faure; but this has been addressed now and the last performance we heard of the ballet used another, more suitable choir.
More interestingly, when the BBC did a recording of the Royal Ballet's production of Les Noces they did so in the studio with Bernstein conducting. The dancers said afterwards that they had found it a challenge as Bernstein's speeds were far different (faster?) than what they were used to.
This use of concert works in ballet goes back a long way. When the Royal Birmingham Ballet revived Vaughan Williams/Ninette de Valois Job they coupled it with a Massine ballet to one of Brahms symphonies. A complex work, it had been amongst the works Massine had had notate quite late in his life. I remember it as being rather wonderful and would love to see it again.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Gurney songs
Labels:
diary,
writing music
I have now finished the first of the Ivor Gurney songs which I am planning. The first one sets a poem called Requiem and I am rather pleased with it. Though, as usual, I'm worried about the music as I feel it all sounds like sub-Vaughan Williams. (We were listening to Pilgrims Progress in the car the other day - D. had never heard it before - and some of it has rather stuck). I've now started on the next song, which seems to have a remarkably homo-erotic text. More on this as the song progresses.
The entire group of songs is going to be gloomy I'm afraid as they are all about loss. But Gurney's poetry is never too navel gazingly angst ridden, so I find it rather comforting and very moving.
The entire group of songs is going to be gloomy I'm afraid as they are all about loss. But Gurney's poetry is never too navel gazingly angst ridden, so I find it rather comforting and very moving.
Theatre Plans
Tomorrow we're off to see the Royal Ballet doing the last performance of their current triple bill. I'm not quite sure why we chose this particular date, but it does mean that we are going to see Darcy Bussell's final ballet performance. She's dancing in Song of the Earth, Kenneth MacMillan's ballet to the Mahler song cycle. It is a wonderful piece and I look forward to seeing it. Rather bizarrely, though the ROH web-site gives details of the ballet casting, there is no information about the singers! I'll report back.
Then on Saturday its Death in Venice at ENO, with Ian Bostridge. Having seen Peter Pears in this role in some of his last appearances at Covent Garden, I've found that no other performance seems to live up to the memory. Lets hope this time. Some friends went to see the first performance, neither having seen it before. One loved it, the other couldn't see what all the fuss was about and thought that Aschenbach should get his act together and have a quick shag with Tadzio.
Then on Saturday its Death in Venice at ENO, with Ian Bostridge. Having seen Peter Pears in this role in some of his last appearances at Covent Garden, I've found that no other performance seems to live up to the memory. Lets hope this time. Some friends went to see the first performance, neither having seen it before. One loved it, the other couldn't see what all the fuss was about and thought that Aschenbach should get his act together and have a quick shag with Tadzio.
Review of Magic Flute at Grange Park
Labels:
opera review
My review of Grange Park Opera's Magic Flute is here, complete with a couple of pictures, on Music and Vision.
Recent CD Review
Labels:
cd review
My review of the oratorio attributed to Buxtehude, Wacht! Euch zum Streit gefasset macht , is here on MusicWeb International.
Can be highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the music of this period. ...
Can be highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the music of this period. ...
Monday, 4 June 2007
Grange Park Opera
Labels:
opera
We've just come back from a trip out to Hampshire where we saw 2 productions at Grange Park Opera. This is their 10th season, so everyone is celebrating. We saw The Magic Flute and Prokofiev's The Gambler. Reviews will appear in due course.
On Saturday, though, it began to look as if we might never get there. D's sports car started playing up so we had to turn round and go back home and swap cars back to my ordinary one. Then we got stuck in traffic going through Wandsworth. Finally, when we got to the hotel, I discovered I'd left my dress trousers behind, so had to attend performances wearing a pair of terracotta pink chinos! Still the music was fabulous as was the weather
On Saturday, though, it began to look as if we might never get there. D's sports car started playing up so we had to turn round and go back home and swap cars back to my ordinary one. Then we got stuck in traffic going through Wandsworth. Finally, when we got to the hotel, I discovered I'd left my dress trousers behind, so had to attend performances wearing a pair of terracotta pink chinos! Still the music was fabulous as was the weather
Friday, 1 June 2007
From this Month's Opera
Labels:
opera magazine
Some gleanings from this month's Opera magazine.
In his editorial John Allison comments on the amount of contemporary work planned for performance in the UK next year (including WNO's The Sacrifice, from James MacMillan, that we plan to see). But of course its not all good news, Jonathan Harvey's new opera, Wagner Dream looks unlikely to come to the UK soon and George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill (premièred in Paris) is planned for Liverpool only!
The interview with Anna Netrebko makes one, again, question the effect that the press can have in creating a media character. The Netrebko of in this interview seems to be worlds away from the figure created by the media; she also seems to be firmly in control of her career, with admirably strong views on what does and does not suit her voice.
In another interview, Will Crutchfield talks about the Caramoor Festival. It is interesting, and fascinating to hear of Trovatore being sung as bel canto and I'd love to hear Crutchfield's promised (but not yet planned) ur-Barbiere with correct final cadences and no unwritten high notes.
Glyndebourne seems to have unearthed the original 1938 Caspar Neher backcloth for Macbeth. Now that we don't have a theatre museum, such finds in archives like Glyndebourne's become even more important.
Two major obituaries, that of Edmund Tracey and Colin Graham. Neither mentions much about their private life and both left one trying, vainly, to read between the lines and guess the nature of the personal relationships. How hum, I thought we got beyond the era when obit. writers had a series of stock, coy, phrases to indicate to those in the know that the articles subject was gay. I liked David Cairns's story of how Edmund Tracey faced down Lord Goodman and the Arts Council to get the ENO Ring going.
The Opera National du Rhin have just done Das Rheingold in their projected David McVicar Ring. Rodney Milnes gives it a very good write up and I think we might have to try catching the next instalment. Also in France, they did the complete Le Roi d'Ys in Saint Etienne. Having heard just the overture in concert (given by the Salomon Orchestra) I'd love to hear the complete work.
Over in Germany, the Komsiche Oper's new Le Contes d'Hoffman sounds fascinating, but they use the Oeser edition which includes everything including the kitchen sink.
A lovely article by Max Loppert on Research Opera. In fact it was a review of Meyerbeer's Crociato in Egitto from Venice, but Loppert coined the very apt term Research Opera to cover "The sort of work the public may never have heard of but a small section of the critics and a large section of the opera-loonies ... have been waiting to hear all their lives". I know just what he means, being a fully paid up opera looney myself.
Moniusko's Halka being performed in Sarasota might have seemed to come into this category, but in fact Sarasota has a large Polish population.
I'll pass over the reviews of the UK operas which I attended. Its always fascinating to read other people's opinions, but equally puzzling at how widely differing opinions can come about when everyone was watching the same work. David Cairns contributes a fascinating review of the Roger Norrington recording of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, one that uses the Weimar version. I must confess that I was rather puzzled as to why that version had been chosen when I heard Norrington and his Stuttgart forces perform it a the proms the other year.
There is also a review of The Opera of Meyerbeer by Robert Ignatius Letellier, notable because Father Letellier was once a curate at a church where I used to sing.
The We Hear that column has its usual selection of tantalising glimpses of the future. John Mark Ainsley as Captain Vere at Glyndebourne in 2010; Sarah Connolly and Sarah Tynan as Romeo and Juliet (Bellini) for Opera North in 2008; Natalie Dessay doing her first Melisande in Vienna in 2009; Richard Jones directing Falstaff at Glyndebourne in 2009. Also at Glyndebourne, a new Meistersinger (!!!), their first I think, to be directed by Christoph Loy. Also on the subject of Meistersinger, Richard Jones is doing the work for WNO in 2009-10 with Bryn Terfel singing his first Hans Sachs. Rossini's Matilde de Shabran is coming to Covent Garden in 2008, with Vesselina Ksarove and Juan Diego Florez - I can't wait! (See I really am an opera looney).
Can someone tell my why Julian Joseph's new opera for the City of London Festival is a jazz based one, even though its subject is a black guy who played the violin with Beethoven!
In his editorial John Allison comments on the amount of contemporary work planned for performance in the UK next year (including WNO's The Sacrifice, from James MacMillan, that we plan to see). But of course its not all good news, Jonathan Harvey's new opera, Wagner Dream looks unlikely to come to the UK soon and George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill (premièred in Paris) is planned for Liverpool only!
The interview with Anna Netrebko makes one, again, question the effect that the press can have in creating a media character. The Netrebko of in this interview seems to be worlds away from the figure created by the media; she also seems to be firmly in control of her career, with admirably strong views on what does and does not suit her voice.
In another interview, Will Crutchfield talks about the Caramoor Festival. It is interesting, and fascinating to hear of Trovatore being sung as bel canto and I'd love to hear Crutchfield's promised (but not yet planned) ur-Barbiere with correct final cadences and no unwritten high notes.
Glyndebourne seems to have unearthed the original 1938 Caspar Neher backcloth for Macbeth. Now that we don't have a theatre museum, such finds in archives like Glyndebourne's become even more important.
Two major obituaries, that of Edmund Tracey and Colin Graham. Neither mentions much about their private life and both left one trying, vainly, to read between the lines and guess the nature of the personal relationships. How hum, I thought we got beyond the era when obit. writers had a series of stock, coy, phrases to indicate to those in the know that the articles subject was gay. I liked David Cairns's story of how Edmund Tracey faced down Lord Goodman and the Arts Council to get the ENO Ring going.
The Opera National du Rhin have just done Das Rheingold in their projected David McVicar Ring. Rodney Milnes gives it a very good write up and I think we might have to try catching the next instalment. Also in France, they did the complete Le Roi d'Ys in Saint Etienne. Having heard just the overture in concert (given by the Salomon Orchestra) I'd love to hear the complete work.
Over in Germany, the Komsiche Oper's new Le Contes d'Hoffman sounds fascinating, but they use the Oeser edition which includes everything including the kitchen sink.
A lovely article by Max Loppert on Research Opera. In fact it was a review of Meyerbeer's Crociato in Egitto from Venice, but Loppert coined the very apt term Research Opera to cover "The sort of work the public may never have heard of but a small section of the critics and a large section of the opera-loonies ... have been waiting to hear all their lives". I know just what he means, being a fully paid up opera looney myself.
Moniusko's Halka being performed in Sarasota might have seemed to come into this category, but in fact Sarasota has a large Polish population.
I'll pass over the reviews of the UK operas which I attended. Its always fascinating to read other people's opinions, but equally puzzling at how widely differing opinions can come about when everyone was watching the same work. David Cairns contributes a fascinating review of the Roger Norrington recording of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, one that uses the Weimar version. I must confess that I was rather puzzled as to why that version had been chosen when I heard Norrington and his Stuttgart forces perform it a the proms the other year.
There is also a review of The Opera of Meyerbeer by Robert Ignatius Letellier, notable because Father Letellier was once a curate at a church where I used to sing.
The We Hear that column has its usual selection of tantalising glimpses of the future. John Mark Ainsley as Captain Vere at Glyndebourne in 2010; Sarah Connolly and Sarah Tynan as Romeo and Juliet (Bellini) for Opera North in 2008; Natalie Dessay doing her first Melisande in Vienna in 2009; Richard Jones directing Falstaff at Glyndebourne in 2009. Also at Glyndebourne, a new Meistersinger (!!!), their first I think, to be directed by Christoph Loy. Also on the subject of Meistersinger, Richard Jones is doing the work for WNO in 2009-10 with Bryn Terfel singing his first Hans Sachs. Rossini's Matilde de Shabran is coming to Covent Garden in 2008, with Vesselina Ksarove and Juan Diego Florez - I can't wait! (See I really am an opera looney).
Can someone tell my why Julian Joseph's new opera for the City of London Festival is a jazz based one, even though its subject is a black guy who played the violin with Beethoven!
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