Intermezzo

9 hours of Bach for £10

Thanks to a Time Out offer, Proms-style Arena standing tickets for the nine-hour Bach Marathon at the Royal Albert Hall this Easter Monday are reduced from £29 to £10.

The mammoth programme of music and talks, devised by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, runs from 1pm to 10pm.  Here's what's scheduled:

• Motet: Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (BWV 225) - Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
• Cello Suite No 6 (BWV 1012)  - Alban Gerhardt, cello
• The Goldberg Variations (BWV 988)  - Joanna MacGregor, piano
• Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4), Cantata for Easter Day - Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor, joined by the audience in the final Chorale (there will be a half hour training session beforehand)
• Partita No 2 in D minor (BWV 1004) - Viktoria Mullova, violin
• Organ Recital - John Butt, organ
• Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) - Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
• Talks throughout the day will include the participating musicians and guest speakers.

I make that the equivalent of four normal concerts - effectively at £2.50 each with the discount. Bargain or what?

Worried about standing for nine hours? Unless there's a last-minute rush for tickets, there should be room to sit on the floor - small cushion/blanket advised. You will also be able to skip sections or leave between pieces - just as well, as there are only two half-hour breaks.

Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House

Rigoletto - Royal Opera House, 30 March 2012

Numerous revivals down the line, David McVicar's Rigoletto (original director nowhere to be seen) is looking as flaccid as the solitary blink-and-you'll-miss-it todger that crowns its opening orgy scene. (An orgy which, incidentally, strikes me as considerably more heterosexual than on previous outings - anyone watching closely enough to confirm?).