Roméo et Juliette - LSO/Gergiev - Barbican, 6 November 2013
Another night, another lacklustre crack at Berlioz from Valery Gergiev. The conductor's challenge in this episodic work is to respect the very different character of each individual section while knitting them together into a coherent whole. The unremitting loudness of Gergiev's account couldn't disguise its overall flabbiness, distinguished only by exceptional solo contributions from vocalists and winds.
La Damnation de Faust (concert version) - LSO - Barbican, 3 November 2013
Has Valery Gergiev has really sold his soul to Satan? The devil should demand a refund if he wants to hold on to his reputation for having all the best tunes. This was a tired and erratic display in which the properly-rehearsed passages were few and far between, style was absent, and the only compensations were vocal.
Olga Borodina / Dmitri Yefimov - Barbican, 7 October 2011
Which Russian diva is sticking to her red bikini briefs - even if they do only make them in extra-small these days?
Aida - Royal Opera House, 19 March 2011
I feel sorry for anyone who hoped to hear Luisi conduct Aida and now won't, because on Saturday night he did a superb job. He never achieved the blood-and-guts, life-and-death heights that Pappano can - but then how many conductors do? We're extravagantly spoilt in that respect.
On every other count it was hard to fault him. The orchestra played with spirit and refinement, the singers were wonderfully supported, and Luisi held enough back to make the big moments tell - the third act climax was a heart-racing eruption. He took the music at face value and invested it with a colour and delicacy that belied the work's reputation. It sounded fresh and new.
And all that despite the godawful fugliness of David McVicar's production assailing his delicate aesthetic sensibilities at every turn (incidentally, he was correctly dressed from spiffy shirtstud to polished pump, and emerged without a single crease). What a champ.
Continue reading "Fabio's fabulous Aida at the Royal Opera House" »
Her Majesty Queen Olga straight-talks the Telegraph.
Verdi's Requiem - Royal Opera House, 13 March 2009
Antonio Pappano followed Verdi's opening instruction for his Requiem - il più piano possible - to the letter. The hushed voices of the chorus hovered barely audible above the muted strings. I held my breath. It was the only time in 90 straight minutes I needed to. From where I sat near the front of the stalls, the ear-bludgeoning loudness of what followed masked everything, including what appeared to be a full-blown conversation between the elderly couple in front of me.
I suppose too much noise is better than not enough, but the range of dynamic nuance between f and fff permitted little subtlety. Marked only by a slight shift in volume, the Dies Irae lost its terror. Each time Sir Colin Davis launched into it with the LSO a few weeks ago, I nearly leapt out of my seat. Here I simply shrunk back a little further. The acoustic reflecting panels boxed around the orchestra on stage may have been rather more effective than the ROH realised.
For a reading leaning firmly to the secular, theatrical side, there were surprisingly few dramatic moments, though the trumpets blaring from the side boxes on high in the Tuba Mirum certainly grabbed the attention.
But that said, it was accurately played, perfectly co-ordinated, and there were plenty of compensations in the singing.
Micaela Carosi, a late sub for Barbara Frittoli, looked understandably tentative. A few wobbles at the top aside, she sang confidently and firmly, though I couldn't find her any more engaging than I did in last year's Tosca.
It was almost enough that serial canceller Olga Borodina actually turned up for a change. Her voice was lush and firm, her manner coolly imposing. Worth the wait.
The otherwise reliable Piotr Beczala cracked on the opening note of the Hostias. (Quick, cue the career death announcement!) The most impressive solo singing came from the Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov in his ROH debut, solid and dignified, but the immaculately prepared Royal Opera House chorus took home the vocal honours.
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