Royal Opera House Spring Season 2013 revs up

So that's how you play Consequences on Photoshop. This random jumble of ill-assorted imagery is the ROH's regrettably accurate depiction of their ragbag spring season, which opens for booking on 5 December (Friends) and 15 January (public).

First up is a double-cast rerun of David McVicar’s Die Zauberflöte, in which the main novelty will be a Woman in the pit, Julia Jones. Ekaterina Siurina and Charles Castronovo are the young couple in the April cast, and Christopher Maltman returns as Papageno. In the May cast, Sophie Bevan and Andrew Staples are joined by Simon Keenlyside. They may all fade beside the thrilling Albina Shagimuratova (listen below), making her ROH debut as Queen of the Night.

Hottest show of the season is Nicholas Hytner's returning Don Carlo, with Pappano conducting. Put the two ticket max down to the Jonas Kaufmann effect. Fabulous Ferruccio Furlanetto is back as King Philip, and Mariusz Kwiecien makes a surprising role debut as Posa (we shall see). Anja Harteros may or may not turn up. 

We are warned that John Fulljames' hastily put together new production of La donna del lago (replacing the previously-contracted and legendarily dreadful Paris version) is low on budget. But it scores high on stars. Joyce DiDonato is the donna, and it might be the first time Colin Lee has appeared on the same stage as some guy the ROH call 'Juan Flórez'.

Finally, in June there's a new Richard Jones production of Britten’s Gloriana, which is performed only rarely for a reason. Anyone who didn't get their fill of Susan Bullock in the Ring cycle will be thrilled, but I'm finding it hard to work up much enthusiasm myself.

As usual, there are several educational evenings as well. The highlights are inevitably shown on the website eventually, so it's hard to recommend forking out for the live events. However one that stands out is the 1 May presentation on the forthcoming King Roger. The show itself isn't for a couple of years, and it's unusual (possibly unprecedented) for the secretive ROH to allow the public a glimpse of the creative process so early on.  'Kasper' (surname apparently dropped Rihanna-style) presents. A good opportunity perhaps to ask exactly what the ROH is doing about establishing the artistic identity it so desperately lacks at present.

By the way, a boring warning. Some changes the ROH made last week have caused a few users (including me) to receive DNS error messages when trying to access the website. I have no idea why it's taking them so long to resolve what is a relatively simple problem, but until they do, you should be able to get in on http://54.247.171.89 instead. This will raise a 'security certificate error' message, which you can ignore. If you're not comfortable doing this, then try a different internet connection (via a different ISP), as the problem is ISP-specific. 

 

Albina Shagimuratova sings Der Hölle Rache:

Comments

[sjt]

I saw the Colin Graham staging of Gloriana at the Coliseum with Sylvia Fisher as our Virgin Queen some time during the Lower Triassic, and both she, and more importantly it, were mesmerising. The opera's always had a bad rap, which is scarcely surprising given the strange idea underpinning its commissioning in the first place (hey, guys, let's make an opera about a capricious and autocratic ageing queen, her lover, and end out of time and place with her going gaga and dying largely in speech, and put it on to celebrate the coronation of her shiny new namesake. Great, huh?)

But in fact it's a strangely moving work, with some gorgeous Elizabethan pastiche in the numerous dance episodes, and the death scene is actually hair-raising if given to the kind of charismatic monstre sacrée Fisher was (of course, the problem with the new show is that it isn't: but if anybody can galvanise La Bullock into "achieving" rather than "attempting" a role, it's surely Richard Jones. And at least Britten's writing doesn't place anywhere near as much emphasis on hochdramatisch declamation as the - in my view - unsuitable roles which La Bullock has undertaken in the house without the vocal wherewithal for them so far.

I have great hopes, in fact, of a major musical reassessment come next June. Vedremo....

[sjt]

And as for the God-awful, half-witted cover photo, just be grateful that it's not actually from a current production. Yet.

[PaulineSonm]

I saw and, more importantly, heard Albina Shagimuratova at La Scala in Die Zauberflöte (great staging by William Kentridge) in 2011. Her Queen of the night was very good, but did not leave me breathless.
I am definitely buying tickets for ROH's spring Zauberflöte, so as to be able to compare (+ I want to hear Simon Keenlyside).

[Vanette]

Colin Lee was in that "dreadful Paris production" with JDF & JDD & Daniela Barcelona. The staging was ridiculous but the singing fantastic.

[Tomcnelson]

I run ROH Insights - the education events you mention in your post.

Recently, we've been focussing extending the reach of the live events with some highlights appearing on our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/royaloperahouse) and Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/royaloperahouse).

These can never match the live experience of being there watching Antonio Pappano introducing an opera score or a choreographer working in rehearsal with a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet. With up to 70 events a season, we're never going to be able to share everything. Having said that, there's clearly an appetite for this content; the Antonio Pappano presents films are very popular and the live streamed rehearsal day from the Royal Ballet LIVE (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0A01774B446FB18E&feature=view_all) has been viewed over a million times to date.

We're very fortunate to operate at near full capacity across the season and your personal engagement at the live events is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes
Tom Nelson

Insight Programme Manager
Royal Opera House

[Malcolm Fawcett]

The problem with ANY Staging of " Gloriana" now is how can it even BEGIN To stand comparison with the Opera North Phllida LLoyd staging with the definitive Dame Josephine Barstow as Gloriana! Theatrical PERFECTION indeed on the many occasions I saw it!!
Loving the piece dearly DARE I go???????

[Miriam]

I often attend the Insight Events, in fact I think I talked to you once at one of them. One of the reasons that I upgraded my Friends membership was that I was so often unable to obtain the tickets I wanted for these as a basic level Friend.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE could more of them be in the Linbury instead of the Clore which is often not big enough for the numbers wanting to attend, has such dreadfully uncomfortable seats and is always far too hot, even in the winter when there is snow outside (I felt as if I would melt once when I made the mistake of wearing a jumper there in snowy weather).

[Carole]

I second the praise for Opera North's production of Gloriana with Josephine Barstow - quite unforgettable.

[Justin Chapman]

As Wagner might say: "kinder schafft neues..."

[marco]

Anja Harteros has every intention of fulfilling her contract and is delighted to be able to sing Elisabetta at the Garden. That was a nasty rumor in the Spring or Summer that she had cancelled those performances. On a very positive note her husbands health seems to be improving and he is looking much, much better now than he did last summer. Now if the Garden is not interested in her future services that is another matter but it would be the loss of the London public if the management wishes to refrain from hiring her in the future. I am sure Herr Bachler would be delighted to give her a few more performances as he did in May already when she on short notice sang Figaro at BSO. I was not at the recent Otellos at the Garden and hope that there was no ill will from the public on her behalf due the cancellation of the Boheme. The upcoming Manons in London and NY were cancelled by her since she has decided against adding that role to her repetoire but will be busy adding other exciting new roles in the future. Unforunately she has also decided against die Kaiserin which I find would have suited her perfectly.
***************************************
Intermezzo replies - A very gallant defence, but her London cancellations have mostly been last-minute. So however noble her intentions six months before her contracted appearance, past form suggests no-one should hold their breath waiting for her to turn up.

[Tomcnelson]

Hi Miriam,

I'm working with colleagues in other departments to find a way of making full use of the Linbury Studio whenever it's available. It has a full season of opera and dance programming, so any Insights have to fit in the gaps.

The Clore Studio is primarily a ballet rehearsal space and I think it's fair to say it is used for events far more than the original redevelopment 12 years ago could have envisaged. We're looking into how we can improve the experience in future.

Thanks for your support of the programme.

[Kit]

"Put the two ticket max down to the Jonas Kaufmann effect"
Could anyone tell me where on the site it tells us in advance how many we (ordinary Friends that is) can book for each show? I have searched all over and failed. I know its going to be obvious when someone tells me ...
******************************************
Intermezzo replies - you can book two tickets for the run as a whole (not per show). It was in the Friends magazine, and also I think in an email.

[Miriam]

It wasn't actually in the magazine itself, it was in the letter on the back of the address sheet which people might well have thrown away as it no longer comes with the chart of booking dates attached.

It was also in the reminder email that I received as a Supporting Friend the day before our booking date last Friday, so basic Friends might receive a similar one before their date if they have not done so already.

I do however think they ought really to put this information on the website in the same place where one can check the booking dates.

[verulamsteven]

It would help if RoH gave a better (or some?) idea of the content of the events. For the insights associated with The Ring, we had the headline of the evening - but no further information, on the website of who was presenting,or elaborating how the headling subject would be explored. I had tickets for 2 of them, but great pressures on my time as the date approached. In the absence of any further information, I decided not to sacrifice 6 hours travel and attendance. consequently I will be more circumspect about buting tickets for these events. (and I do understand that sometimes contributors need to change before the night, but I still think that does not justify giving no information).

[Tomcnelson]

Many of the artists and contributors are indeed only confirmed at short notice, but I agree - there's more we could do on the website to give a clearer picture of upcoming events. Let me look into this.

[Miriam]

I do not find the classifications of the events into "introductory" "Intermediate" and "advanced" particularly informative or helpful. It seems to me that insights about operas that are new (e.g. Miss Fortune) or unknown (Robert le Diable) are automatically described as "advanced" although the content requires no prior knowledge of the work and the event is in fact an introduction to it. Anybody who had booked the opera and did not know it would get something out of them, but if they already knew the work they might think it was a waste of time.

Also there was one last season about Da Ponte which was described as advanced, a friend of mine who went to this was VERY disappointed because due to this classification (which was the only reason he went) he had been hoping for something that would explore the topic in much greater depth as he already know quite a lot about it.

The only ones I have been to since you introduced these classifications that could IMO really be said to merit the advanced desciption would be the all-day event about "Les Troyens" in the summer and the evening about French opera a year or two ago.

I and some other people I know would welcome the opportunity to attend study events that would go into the topics in much greater depth, that would be at the upper limits of what we could understand so that we would feel our minds had been "stretched". I very rarely get this from the insights, although in general I find them interesting.

[Ron]

PLEASE NOTE: the final two performances of DON CARLO (May 21/25) will NOT feature Herr Kaufmann...but Roberto Aronica.

[Rosie M]

I noted this too and will enter the scramble for two tickets wherever in the house I can get them! Kaufmann was ill the night I went the first time around, but wonderful production whoever is in it. As an ordinary Friend do you think if one was to try and book a single rehearsal ticket one would then be over your limit, or are rehearsals treated differently? Does anyone know?
*************************************************
Intermezzo replies - Rehearsals are different and separate

[Alexander]

I'd like to hear Shagimuratova as Semiramide.
We cannot compare singers due to uniqueness ( in soprano's case it must be uniQUEENess I guess ;))) of every single star voice - this is in regard to Lovely Granny Joan's Semiramide who is for ever.
Nevertheless I think she ( Albina Shagimuratova) is to be a great Semiramide of nowadays.
Do you have any connections at ROH to hint them about dear IM ? ;) Of course only connections not a " dangerous liasons " (I'm kidding).

[verulamsteven]

Tom
Thanks for indicating that the Education dept is aware of the comments.
I haven't attended enough to form an opinion, but picking up on Miriam's comment - I foudn the 1st Ring run Saturday event rewarding - Professor Blanning and Joachim Köhler - with both of them willing to provide notes and texts by email afterwards
I'm sure that access is one of the aims, but for other sessions it should be "stretching".
I'm aftaid your reply rather indicates that the presenters of these sessions are put in place somewhat nearer than you sell the tickets for them?
I think you should organise these. certainly those not "introductory" from the start, but recognising that presenters may have to be substituted nearer the time. Then we would know what we can expect - the likes of Herr Köhler, etc.
Constructive comment - its good work, and I am appreciative!

[Nikolaus Vogel]

A little bird from Floral Street tells me that the mysterious Miss Jennifer Rowley may not be appearing as Isabelle in Thursday night's premiere of Robert Le Diable. Apparently a call has gone out to the delightful Miss Patrizia Ciofi. You have to wonder why they didn't ask HER in the first place as she seems to be the only soprano of international repute with the role in her repertoire. Doubtless IM will be the first to hear this officially (if it's true)

[laddie]

Just a couple of things: 1) they adore their little Shagimuratova down there in big ol' Houston.
2) It's too bad that Paul Curran, who is a fine director, and the director of the upcoming La Donna del Lago production in Santa Fe this summer, couldn't have been engaged to direct the ROH production since I am sure he must have already had lots of ideas.

[Siggy]

Given that it's the public dress rehearsal today I guess we'll soon find out. My guess is that (barring illness) Miss Rowley will be taking to the stage.

[John]

I'll be there on Thursday if so!!

[Su Traditor]

Ciofi is not singing tonight but has been booked for the first 4 shows. Sofia Fomina will sing tonight and the final 2 shows.

[Miriam]

The news is on the ROH website now.

[John]

I've just read and commented upon the announcement. If it is truly the case that they have mutually agreed that it's not the right part for Rowley, then I admire the Royal Opera House's frankness in saying this, but what on earth do they mean by her "now more dramatic voice"? She was cast barely six months ago! Has she turned into a dramatic soprano overnight? If this truly is the case (and not just a polite way to say she was dismissed for being inadequate) there needs to be a serious discussion about the competence of the casting directors who could not foresee her unsuitability for the role.

[Miriam]

Ms Rowley participated in the Insight Evening on the 15/11 and at that stage appeared to be looking forward to performing the role although she said it was very challenging. Presumably the challenge has proved too much for her, and in that case I am glad she has withdrawn rather than struggling on to give unsatisfactory performances. Ciofi will be performing on both of the dates I have booked so I am very happy about that.

[sjt]

"there needs to be a serious discussion about the competence of the casting directors"

Only one. Katona.

[sjt]

Somewhere on this blog in the back of beyond when Damrau decamped I said it would be Ciofi. I couldn't be happier, both for her, and for us. She'll put some much-needed class into procedings on Thursday, for sure.

[Emil Archambault]

How much say does Kasper Holten have in casting the major roles?
*******************************************
Intermezzo replies - this production was cast 3 years ago, before they even asked him to join the ROH

[John]

Call me cynical, but I find it rather hard to believe that any young soprano is going to pull out of a highly publicised new production at a top opera house three days before opening night, unless she is ill. The Royal Opera House have clearly decided they don't want her in it, and she has done the sensible thing and not damaged her relationship with the house. I'm terribly sorry for her. As I said in my previous post, the person who needs to blamed for this is the casting director, who should have known exactly what he was getting when he offered her the contract six months ago. The argument that "voices develop" is truly risible, given the time frame involved. Whether she is too inexperienced or her voice is unsuited to the part, we now won't know - but Peter Katona should have done.

[M Dodsworth]

I have been waiting for for Katona to go; he is behind almost every disaster at the ROH, is selection of those past there sell by date and never were any good in the first place could fill a book. Just look at the singers who have never sung at the garden in the last 20 years. His selections seem to be based on a tiny circle of faces who fit not voices who can.

[Siggy]

Good grief, what bizarre happenings at ROH! So did she jump or was she pushed? Either way this last minute announcement reeks of panic and a just a smidgeon of incompetence - a pity that this production has been the butt of so many cancellations and weird announcements. I'm only surprised that Popsy didn't leap into the role of Isabella - at this stage I wouldn't be surprised at anything.

[Another opera lover]

I've booked for the 18th unfortunately - I have every confidence in Ciofi. Does any one know anything about Sonia Fomina?

[Siegfried]

What a shambles when everyone must be hoping that CG can pull this off. It will hardly encourage Laurent Pelly to come back. It was bad enough when their star, Diana Damrau, pulled out twenty four hours after the production was officially announced in March at the annual press conference. A full six months later the public brochure for the season appeared, as public booking opened, and Diana Damrau was still being promoted. This means the brochures were either printed and stored for six months (!!!) or someone in marketing was incompetent enough not to make the amendment. Then Poplavskaya is too unwell to sing, only to have her mind changed. So to twenty four hours from the dress rehearsal and it is decided one singer is unsuitable for a role - what has been going on for six weeks of rehearsal? This is a casting catastrophe on a colossal scale. One dreads to think what will happen if a singer is ill during the run as there are so few singers who will know the roles and one can have little confidence that there will be covers at short notice. It is fingers crossed time now. Such a shame for what should be a highlight of the season.

[Justin Chapman]

Hear, hear! Katona should have gone ages ago. Anynone who casts Stig Andersen as Loge deserves shooting, and the list of world class singers who have never been invited to sing there is endless. Luca Pisaroni? Evelyn Herlitzius? I could go on but it's too depressing. Kasper should give him the bird ASAP and get some fresh blood in, as it's Katona who is damaging the House. Grrr.

[Pushed Up Mezzo]

Well,all things considered, this is turning into a bit of a Feydeau farce, and luckily Monsieur Pelly is a master of the genre. They have had ample warning and hopefully will have been preparing a complete cover cast for the last few months. Perhaps the new intake of Young Artists will race to the rescue. Why don't I believe any of this? At least KH has made the generous offer of a ticket exchange. Ciofi is great, but how much rehearsal will she have had? Where's a BBC documentary team when you really need one?

[John]

Yes, I agree that these casting problems are a massive shame - above all because I HUGELY applaud the Royal Opera House for deciding to take on this project. It was never going to be easy to sell this to the public and cast it at the highest level so it is to their credit that they have tried and decided to take on this challenge. I only hope these problems don't put them off from doing something similar in the future, although that's probably wishful thinking.
That said...I am still at a a loss over this latest announcement. There's not much they can do about stars choosing to drop out (except be realistic about who will keep to their contracts) but this latest development is really quite dreadful. It stinks of desperation and incompetence in the casting department. Poor, poor Jennifer Rowley.

[Miriam]

The offer of ticket exchange does not seem particularly "generous" to me, the email says "all our usual terms and conditions of sale apply" You can always exchange your tickets on those terms.

[sjt]

The house actually has form in this kind of carry-on in Meyerbeer. Believe it or not, the last time they mounted one of these bloated, interminable behemoths - Les Huguenots, in 1991, in a heroically dreadful staging bought in from Berlin - exactly the same thing happened.

The star soprano scheduled to sing Marguerite de Valois was the eminent French falcon Francoise Pollet (interest declaration: I knew her, and have this tale first-hand). She rehearsed the whole official period, but the conductor, David Atherton, took against her big-time, the odious thug, and after behind-back conversations with the resident Kasting Kween, insisted on having her replaced by no less than the world-beating, Meyerbeerian eminence de luxe Judith Howarth. Pollet was paid off in full for all six performances and told she could go home (though the Wardrobe Dept. who adored her, insisted on her keeping her very chi-chi modern-dress costumes, which her being a large gal would hardly have done for La Howarth anyway) and some la-la-la announcement was made to paper over the cracks.

In the event, it was disaster of Meyerbeerian proportions, day-glo plastic paddling pool and all, booed to the rafters and never revived, naturally. I'm trusting, nay praying, that at least for once history doesn't repeat itself....

[sjt]

I've only just read the apologia on the ROH's website. It makes no sense. We learn that right up to today's general Jennifer Rowley was thought right for what is a fairly canary-ish sort of role: but that her voice has changed and is "now more dramatic". Ergo, exit.

However, she's rated highly by the house who still want her for the future, but in something more vocally suitable. Fair enough.

And what would this be? Aida? Tosca? Leonora? Minnie?

Nope. Musetta. In three years' time. So a "now more dramatic" voice needing a better vehicle for her house debut is bumped until we have a new government, and then given a spit-and-a-drag hiding-to-nothing role that some of the shrillest soubrettes have been singing in the house since time immemorial. Someone is telling porkies, and thoroughly implausible ones at that...

[Emil Archambault]

I don't mean to blame anyone in particular; I was just wondering, more generally, if the Director of casting was responsible for casting all roles, or if the Director of Opera keeps some major parts for himself to cast? Casting 20+ productions a year, often 3 years in advance, plus finding replacements seems a lot to do for one person.
************************************
Intermezzo replies - There is a whole casting department to support the Director.

[Tinkerbelle]

Yes, how dreadful was Susan Bullock as Brunhilde and never do we get Klaus Florian Vogt.

[Rosa]

I thought I was the only one who could not stand Susan Bullock as Brunhilde despite Die Walkure being my favourite Ring!!

[Patricia Baker]

It's looking tough for bog standard Friends of Covent Garden to get decent amphitheatre seats. All I wanted today were a couple of seats in the central block for Gloriana - say row D or E - but at 10am they had all gone for all performances. It would appear that those lucky people who can fork out £800+ a year for priority booking are making it difficult for the less well heeled as there were plenty of top price tickets available.
*********************************************
Intermezzo replies - Don't forget that there are only 150 or so seats in the front centre block, and a lot of Friends (at all levels) book them via subscription packages before online booking opens. There are plenty of decent and even cheaper seats left for Gloriana outside that one small area.

[Miriam]

Being a Friend at the next level up doesn't actually cost anything like £800 and not all of us who subscribe at that level (including myself) would regard ourselves as particularly well-heeled. We are just very dedicated opera-lovers who go to so many performances that we think it is worth it, and spend more on opera than anything else much in our lives. Averaged over the year my subscription costs considerably less per day than some people much worse off than me would waste on cigarettes or other things I never buy.

I am sorry you could not get the seats you wanted but don't blame me as I didn't buy any in that area. I go for the cheaper ones ;-)

[Gilberto]

Given the online scramble yesterday where the Kaufmann tickets sold in seconds; Is it faster to ask the system to select the best available seats or to select them oneself?

[TheManOnTheBus (and in the Amphiteather!)]

I selected a couple and when I went to pay they were "no longer available", but at 10.05 am there will still plenty of seats (rear/side amphi) that I normally buy and I got others - for the first night.

I liked the experience booking yesterday!

[Frances]

Like Patricia I was surprised to see how quickly those seats went as I was only looking for tickets for Gloriana and Donna. I looked for Donna first (got what I wanted) as I thought that would be more difficult than the Britten. The Insight evening for Gloriana is in the Linbury and I got seats for that so I hope I can pick up the performance seats I want when Public Booking opens. I wonder if with the current financial situation some people are looking for the Amphi rather than the pricier ones downstairs.