What's on this autumn at the Royal Opera House

Booking for Covent Garden's autumn season opens for members next week (details here), and for the public on 1 July.

The season opener is Don Giovanni. Francesca Zambello's flashy, hollow production is nothing special, but two great casts compensate. The first, conducted by Charles Mackerras, includes Simon Keenlyside, Marina Poplavskaya, Ramón Vargas, Joyce DiDonato, Kyle Ketelsen and Miah Persson. Antonio Pappano conducts the second, which includes Mariusz Kwiecen, Patrizia Ciofi, Ian Bostridge, Emma Bell, Lorenzo Regazzo and Rebecca Evans - some 'B' list!

I'm finding it hard to get excited about yet another revival of the tediously cinematic (and over 30 year old) La Fanciulla del West  - complete with real snow. But Pappano's conducting, and the cast includes Eva-Maria Westbroek and José Cura, so who knows.

David Alden's production of Cavalli's La Calisto arrives from Munich with Ivor Bolton conducting and many of the Munich cast, including Sally Matthews, Veronique Gens, Umberto Chiummo and Markus Werba. It was a huge hit with the picky Müncheners, always a good sign.

Here's the Bayerische Staatsoper video (and why can't the ROH put together vids like this?)

October sees an inexplicable 4 night revival of La Bohème mere weeks after its July outing. The cast full of wtf's and tbc's suggests a last minute stopgap - testy tenors? impregulated sopranos? who knows...

The big story for autumn is the return of Juan Diego Flórez to Covent Garden, this time for 6 performances of Matilde de Shabran. It's the role that gave him his first big break, and Aleksandra Kursak joins him in this Pesaro production. Who cares if it's not Rossini's greatest? JDF is back in London!

The holiday treat is Hänsel und Gretel, a new Leiser and Caurier production, with two exceptional casts. One is led by Angelika Kirchschlager and Diana Damrau and conducted by the awesome Sir Colin Davis, and the second features Alice Coote (a definitive Hänsel at the Met) and Camilla Tilling conducted by Robin Ticciati.

Outside the main house, Philip Glass's The Sound of a Voice comes to the Linbury Studio from Opera Theater Pittsburgh for 3 nights in July, and later in the season there's a new opera from Michael Berkeley.

Of the various talks and other bitty things going on, the most interesting look to be a masterclass led by Jane Henschel on 7 November, and Joyce DiDonato 'in conversation' on 17 September - questions at the ready.

Comments

[NHB]

I am really looking forward to the next season at ROH, especially after what I consider to be two rather lame seasons (2006-2007 was all about La Fille and nothing much else. Then we had a decent Ring Cycle, but the rest of the season has been a little limp)

I am excited about most of the revivals as they have excellent casts (I completely agree about the Giovanni) and in any case I missed the Fanciulla last time round.

The Autumn selection is great, but there are fantastic things coming up too, including a Barber of Seville with the perfect cast: Joyce DiDonato AND JDF!

N.

[JSU]

I'm still wondering how they can announce a Lulu (summer) with no Lulu.

Also, why bother with Lohengrin if you can't get Vogt? Yeah, he's in the Lulu, but what a waste.

[inter mezzo]

Aleksandra Kurzak was originally scheduled as Lulu, but she pulled out not long before the press announcement, so I don't think the ROH have had much choice.

Shame we're getting Botha for Lohengrin - the rest of the cast is almost beyond perfect

[JSU]

"the rest of the cast is almost beyond perfect"

That's funny, I don't see Mattila and Meier listed anywhere... ;)

Actually, Botha is pretty good. It's not his fault that he's contemporary to Heppner and Vogt.

[Howard]

'Sound of a voice' has been cancelled--not that there was any mention of this to be seen on the website!

12. Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh Update

The ROH has been informed that Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh have unfortunately had to cancel their visit to London, and will therefore not be able to present the performances of Sound of a Voice by Philip Glass in the Linbury Studio Theatre in July that were advertised in About the House.

[intermezzo]

Thanks for that Howard - I was wondering why it hadn't turned up for booking on the website.