Operalia offspring

Plácido Domingo's Operalia Winners - Royal Opera House, 25 July 2012

Plácido Domingo's Operalia competition is the Olympic Games of opera, pitting young singers against each other in a battle for generous cash prizes and, more importantly, international recognition. Over its 20 years it has been the launchpad for many successful careers.

A handful of the contest's most notable winners joined the crinkly baritenor at Covent Garden last night for a gala-style roll-on/roll-off showcase, with the ROH orchestra on stage in their shiny new concert shell. It is in the nature of these things for some bits to be better than others, and perhaps it wasn't surprising that the most experienced names turned in the better performances.

Plácido himself, in baritone mode, showed the rest how it's done with an impassioned Nemico della patria from Andrea Chénier. His Wintersturme from Die Walküre was less successful; even so, it's staggering how much of that luxuriantly bronzed tone remains.

Nina Stemme partnered him as a radiant Sieglinde. Even more impressive was her Dich, teure Halle from Tannhäuser. She won Operalia as a mezzo back in the nineties, and was as ever really working for some of those high notes - but she always gets there in the end.

Joyce DiDonato, on stunning form, gave us a preview of next year's La donna del lago with an exquisitely-controlled Tanti affetti. Top marks for the chic multicoloured jersey gown too.

Rolando Villazón appeared three times, faring best with his opening Kleinzach from Les Contes d’Hoffmann, a number that allows him to compensate for his reduced tonal plushness with expressive enunciation and eyebrow gymnastics.

Joseph Calleja didn't quite steal Pavarotti's crown with his Nessun dorma, but his Caro elisir from L’elisir d’amore was perfectly charming, and he even outshone Plácido (struggling with the unfamiliarity of the baritone part) in Au fond du temple saint.

Recent contest winners Sonya Yoncheva, Stefan Pop and Julia Novikova showed promise but were ultimately outclassed by the oldies, inadvertently demonstrating Operalia's aim to pick raw talent that can be nurtured and developed.

The performance was filmed and will be shown on ZDF (Germany) at 22:00 on Sunday 29 July and on the BBC some time in the Xmas season.

Still struggling with the basic task of keeping customers informed, the Royal Opera House earned itself another couple of black marks last night.

Firstly, Erwin Schrott's late cancellation was disclosed via Twitter only. However charmingly Kasper Holten delivers his pre-show bad news speech, it's always going to be too late for anyone who was looking forward to the absent artist. Whatever happened to emails?

Secondly, there were no free cast sheets (a bit mean when tickets cost up to £250), which contributed to the third and final problem - programmes ran out some time before the show, leaving a large number of customers with no clue exactly who was on stage or what they were singing. It is perhaps not as obvious as it should be to ROH administration that if you don't give out free information, more people will opt for the paid version rather than sit there in ignorance. Especially if it's something they've never seen before.

The programme is now available online, as is the revised running order, but of course it's too late. So the ROH have once again irritated their customers, and lost out on valuable income (£7 a copy) too. In these times, that something they can't afford to repeat.

My photos are all on the fuzzy side, but you can see all the singers much better in Kyoko's curtain call video:

Comments

[Miriam]

I was one of those who arrived in time to buy a programme although I am someone who often just picks up a free cast list, but many people might have liked to have the programme as a souvenir of this special occasion, and being able to download it is not really the same as having the book with the nice shiny red covers.

[sub opera]

I thought it was a dull night - although I should've known because these galas often are.

DiDonato and Stemme were sensational. DiDonato's gown didn't look so good from the amphitheatre and Stemme, for some reason, was wearing an old curtain-type dress. But I think she is the best Wagnerian soprano at the moment, and therefore all is forgiven...

PS: I am not a fashion expert.

[Justin Chapman]

I didn't know the guy from the Go Compare ads was an Operalia winner. Funny old world.

[verulamsteven]

By the interval the (original) running order & cast details had been copied in quantity and was available in the Amphi Bar at least (and stack of them at foot of escalator at the end).
If the revised order is available after (and the changes really were too late to produce amendment slips) then RoH has at least ameliorated the situation, but no doubt they have been at the receiving end of the ire of many who, as you say, had no idea what they were to hear when they took their seat.
Enjoyed the whole evening very much. As to recent winners - Sonya Yoncheva, Stefan Pop and Julia Novikova - all were good to hear. Have to say I fopund Novikova particularly interesting, from where I was sitting (upper amphi slips)a very strong and solid voice indeed with a surprusing amount of flexibility.

[Siggy]

The lack of programme was an issue although ROH did finally provide a hastily photocopied free sheet at the interval which helped.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening although I have to say that I found Villazon's Kleinzach the worst piece of the evening, where he overcompensated for lack of voice with over the top hammyness. It was unfortunate that he was followed onto the stage by Calleja who was in stunning voice - the first time I have heard him live.

Also, I'm not a fan of Placido's baritone excursions but I now finally understood why he does them - it would be a shame for him not to perform when his voice is in such good order. All in all a wonderful end to the season.

What a pity ZDF get to broadcast before the BBC though.

[Samuel]

I absolutely agree with your review, Intermezzo, and also concur with Miriam's comment above. The post below, which I sent to be added to the comments section of the Royal Opera House website, has been censored and not added to the site and I have not been offered a reply beyond a terse 'sorry' from Kasper Holten via Twitter.

Wednesday’s performance was absolutely wonderful but was seriously marred by the fact that the House ran out of programmes before the evening had even started. This was hugely disappointing (especially when with proper planning and preparation it was an entirely avoidable situation) and, when the interval arrived, the excellent Front of House team were deluged with hundreds of complaints, none of which were their fault. This must surely have also made for a difficult and frustrating close of the season for them.

Plácido Domingo introduced the evening by jovially stating that his welcome was merely a gesture because ‘of course, you can read the programme’ but a great, great many of us could not do that at all. I appreciated the hastily-produced photocopy of the order of the evening, which was offered in the interval, but this does not, in any way whatsoever, replace a full programme with detailed biographies and insight into the performances one is about to hear.

My collection of hundreds of Royal Opera and Royal Ballet programmes is now missing an important addition from last night’s gala (which no photocopy or PDF version can replicate) and my pre-paid programme voucher, valid only for Wednesday’s performance, was refused and is now redundant. I had hoped (in vain, it seems) that the member of staff responsible for programmes will write to or email yesterday’s audience with a swift and fulsome apology, and will offer to made amends by ordering an immediate reprint of the programme which could then be offered to everyone to purchase, postage free, online and from the Box Office. Perhaps those, like me, who pre-pay to reserve programmes and who were doubly disappointed, could be contacted separately, as surely such records are held on the Royal Opera House's Box Office system? However it seems the Royal Opera House is really not keen to keep in touch with customers be it to inform them of cast changes or otherwise.

The Royal Opera is experienced at presenting one-off performances so surely it is possible to calculate how many programmes might be required to fulfil the requirements of each audience member? I trust the next one-off event, the Royal Opera House’s upcoming ‘Our Extraordinary World’ gala, will not be so shambolic and that we will not see a reprise of yesterday’s disaster. Loyal Royal Opera House customers really do deserve better.

(As a side-note, the programmes really were 'hot-property' on Wednesday night. As I waited in the Piazza Link for my guest, I witnessed a man snatching one of the last remaining programmes from the Press Desk and running off with it, pursued by two Royal Opera House security guards. Interestingly, the Press Desk had a plentiful stock of programmes, ensuring that invited journalists did not miss out. It seems Royal Opera House policy only disadvantages the hoi polloi like me who paid a galling £507 for two tickets and a useless programme voucher.)

[Nir]

For those who don't get ZDF, they are generously offering a livestream of the telecast on their website: zdf.de
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Intermezzo replies - Before anyone gets too excited, ZDF streaming is usually only available in their broadcast region

[Steve W.]

I thought Yoncheva's 'Depuis le jour' a real highlight and closed my eyes to almost imagine Renee Fleming with added edge... Joyce DD was also stunning, though I'm rather ambivalent about that dress (that first appeared at Wigmore Hall a few weeks back).

I was dissapointed though by the lazy lack of any surtitles, mortified by the summer closure of the shop in deference to LOCOG marketing 'crap' (is nothing sacred in a city this size with the number of decent serious music shops ever dwindling) and continue to be infuriated and bewildered by the idiotic decision to remove the wall latches that used to hold the doors open to the amphitheatre toilets in favour of movable bollards that only succeed in creating trip hazards and patron bottlenecks... Good to get that off my chest (the heat is making me grumpy), though better if someone at ROH were actually listening rather than being too busy olympic bandwagoning!

And what the hell is with that new carpet colour? Temporary I hope!... civilisation (and the destruction of Valhalla) to resume in September.

[Kit]

I'm with Siggy - Villazon almost tragic standing amidst the ruins of his once great voice. Though to be fair he is now husbanding what little remains in a careful enough way. Domingo's Walkure excerpt brought floods of tears to my eyes, and moved me in a way that his baritonal adventures don't - as good as they undoubtedly are. I would rather hear that astounding "bronzed tone" with its flaws than any other tenor around. Yankee Diva was just the best, whatever she was wearing. The newbies showed promise, but (obviously) vocal immaturity. Was anyone else annoyed by the long film projections????

[Sarah R]

Yes, Intermezzo, you summed up the evening so well, although I thought the three young singers of whom and whom I had not heard before were pretty impressive. I didn't go for Villazon nor Domingo singing with his head in a score. It was quite a glitzy evening, but my ticket cost 'only' £71 (Balcony) and I got chatting to a couple of other women who were on their own and were keen opera goers and were not 'dressed up'. Somehow the guy, I saw, in shorts and sports sandals looked a little out of place, even on a warm evening.
I too loved Joyce Didonato's dress and she was as incredible as ever.
Even from my side Balcony seat I struggled to hear what Kasper Holten was saying - I don't think that the problem was his slight accent, but just that he talked far too fast and not loudly enough. He intimated that there might be a surprise later in the evening, but those in the Royal Box must have missed that, because they streamed out as soon as they could, thus missing the final offering from Lucia di Lammermour.

PS :@ Intermezzo - Totally unrelated to this topic; ETO have emailed to say that more tickets are just available for their shows including for Albert Herring, which was sold out

[Ziang]

I saw DiDonato in that dress in Munich (Prince-regent theatre, so very close to stage), and it looked stunning! She was ill and was apologising all the time...

[Kate]

Surely it was not beyond the ingenuity of the House to display the names of the singers and the arias on surtitles,or failing that simply to announce them? As seems so often these days,once they have your money they lose interest in you!

[Kate]

Surely it was not beyond the ingenuity of the House to display the names of the singers and arias on the surtitle board, or at least to announce them ,since they must have been aware of the problem.

[Liane Bierau]

I also saw Joyce DiDonato with the same stunning dress in the Wigmore Hall and Prinzregententheater in Munich
and I think this speaks for her. Not only is she a fabulous singer but also seems to have such a great personality that you can't help liking her immensely and though I missed the Gala I will always go as much as possible to see and hear her. Even in Germany where they did not know her as well as here, she had instant success as a singer and person.

[OperaBeginner]

What a shambolic night. Why no free cast sheets (even though I always buy a programme)? I managed to buy one but my friend who arrived later was not able. Why was the 'unexpected demand' for programmes unexpected? Surely, by now, the ROH can predict fairly accurately how many programmes are going to be sold given the number of tickets which have been sold? And why was no cast amendment sheet available advising us that Schrott had cancelled and that the advertised programme had had to be changed? What was given out at the interval was a photocopy of pages from the sold out programme which was incorrect given Schrott's cancellation. I would have also liked to have had surtitles - why were they not used?

As for the singing, I would agree with Intermezzo and others that the more experienced singers did much better, though I was sad to see that Rolando Villazon was no way near the form that had me rushing to buy tickets for more performances of Hoffmann which was when I first heard him at ROH.

[Faye]

Am I the only person that thought Joyce's frock was a hideous monstrosity of clashing colours that was very sore on the eye? And Nina Stemme's outfit did her no favours either, looking like something you'd see hanging on the wall in a Richard Jones production.

Vocally, I thought Joyce stole the show with the "Donna del lago" aria. Much as I love Rolando, I was very concerned at how thin and underpowered his voice sounded, even though I couldn't fail to smile at his spirited acting in the "Kleinzach", eyebrows and all

[Neil]

Thank you to Intermezzo for posting the link to the revised ROH programme.

I saw the ZDF telecast last night and it looked and sounded wonderful in HD but ZDF had edited it down to a 90 minute running time and drastically altered the running order. The overture was dropped, as were the duets of Stemme/Domingo (Walküre), DiDonato/Villazon (Capuleti e Montecchi) and Villazon/Domingo (Boheme) but it did include the unlisted encore from Lucia. Hopefully the BBC will restore the full performance when they get round to broadcasting it.

[Frances]

I have always resisted the purchase of programme vouchers. It is not as though they offer a discounted price (as some venues do) and you still collect your programme from the usual selling points. Perhaps I am too stingy but I see no point in lending the Opera House any more money than I need to.
Actually I am rapidly running out of space for physical progammes and I would happily purchase a digital copy of the programme instead. This would also be good when you purchase an Opus Arte DVD as there is very little background information with DVDs these days.
I notice that the National Theatre sells a digital programme for NTlive productions.

[Kasper Holten]

Sorry for the delayed response, but I thought I should just follow up:

We are very sorry about the situation with the programmes. I have been told it is standard procedure at these gala evenings not to have free cast sheets, and so this is not a new practice. If there is indeed a great demand for this, we should of course revisit this.

As for the programmes, we had printed significantly more copies than normally for such a gala - anticipating a high demand. However, demand much exceeded what we have ever experienced for similar events before. As to why, we do not exactly know, but can only assume that this particular programme has become a particular collector's item. We are really sorry that we ran out of programmes, and we have at least tried to make running orders available for the intermission and the whole programme - and revised running order - available for download the next day. I am of course aware this is not the same as being able to purchase the printed programme.

I can assure you that we do not just take your money and then not care, as someone suggested. We care very much about this, and we were very sorry about this issue.

As for surtitles, we decided that surtitles would not feel right for a concert of this kind, where the numbers are anyway taken out of their context. This is always a choice with pros and cons for concerts like this, but on the balance we felt it was better for the evening not to have titles. It was of course well considered.

Finally, thank you for the comment that I myself should speak louder and slower, I will certainly remember and work on this, and I am aware that this is generally a weakness of mine - speaking too fast. As for sending out late cast changes by email, this is something we will definitely revisit after the summer. We should do whatever is best for the audience. In general I believe more in not sending out too many emails, but to make the information available to those who want to look for it, but I do appreciate in this case it might be valuable to email cast changes. As I said, this is something we will discuss for next season, taking your feedback into account.

[cunningfox]

As does the Proms.

[Faye]

Wow. Great to know that Mr Holten does indeed listen to our comments and has made the effort to give such a detailed reply.....thankyou!

[Siggy]

I have to disagree with Kaspar on the use (or non-use) of surtitles here. I for one could have done with a bit of enlightenment for a couple of the numbers, even more so given that I didn't have a program to refer to. And I think that given that the numbers are 'out of context' is even more reason to have surtitles I would have thought.

Good to know that our comments are being considered though and I for one thoroughly enjoyed the evening even given the minor glitches.

[Nik]

Didn't know where else to post this:

Just flicked through Facebook and couldn't help noticing how proud the ROH is to report that "... stars ... including ... Katherine Jenkins" have visited the "Olympic Journey".

I'm not joking, that post really is from the ROH. Not Raymond Gubbay or Simon Cowell.

[John]

I saw that and was horrified. I know she's an easy target (and fair play to her for carving out a successful career with such little voice) but it's disgraceful that the ROH of all institutions should be describing her in those terms. What an insult to their performers.

[Siggy]

'Star' is a pretty meaningless term these days - every X-Factor winner or talent show cutie is called that, so I'm pretty immune. If ROH had said 'opera star' now that is another matter...

As it is, that's the closest she'll probably ever get to the ROH stage

[Frances]

I think most of the "Olympic Journey" publicity is being generated by people outside the Opera House who are just desperate to drum up some interest. Like it or not (I don't) KJ is very much a well known figure and a "star" for many people. The information about visiting the show, if you follow the links to the BP London2012 page, http://www.bplondon2012.com/london_2012_festival/the_olympic_journey/visit/ make fascinating (if ungrammatical reading).. no hazardous and tonic (sic) materials permitted! Richard Brooks in yesterday's Sunday Times Culture was not impressed that the shop was stocked only wih LOCOG stuff.

[Miriam]

You write "I believe more in not sending out too many emails, but to make the information available to those who want to look for it" but the whole point is, we should not *have* to look for it. We want you to tell us without us needing to keep wasting our time checking the website to make sure the people we booked to see are still scheduled to perform. I will not complain that there are "too many emails" but I will complain if I do not get emails when I think you should be sending them.

BTW I am responding having just returned from my Olympic avoidance trip!

[Miriam]

No Faye, much as I admire Joyce I was not very keen on that frock either (and I also saw it at her Wigmore Hall recital)

[Andres]

"I believe more in not sending out too many emails, but to make the information available to those who want to look for it, but I do appreciate in this case it might be valuable to email cast changes."

I agree with Miriam in that these emails are more than “valuable”. Purchasing a ticket is a particular contract, but still a contract. I pay a price for a service performed by particular singers/musicians/directors. It is very likely that I had agreed to it because one or two of these people are taking part. Otherwise perhaps I wouldn’t. Therefore, I am agreeing to the contract and I am instantly required to deliver my obligations arising thereof, which is a payment in advance. If the other party knows that the contract will not be able to be fulfilled (those cancellations), and knows this at least 24 hours before delivery, notifying the other party of this partial unfulfillment of its obligations is, frankly, the least that can be done. I know that the ROH website has a few paragraphs of small print with disclaimers because the nature of an opera performance makes it a special kind of contract (so many people involved), but letting us know about cast changes is only fair, considerate, and closer to the relationship of trust that initially led to the agreement.

Other than that, Joyce stole the show and Yoncheva should be a smashing Musetta next year.

[John]

Totally agree with you about Yoncheva - a superstar in the making. And I can't help wishing we'd had Novikova in Sonnambula this year instead of Gutierrez!