The experts at The Arts Desk have been taking a look at the latest opera, from a group of Guidhall students to the ENO to a quirky festival on the Irish coast.
There were reservations about the English National Opera's production of Tchaikovsky's grand opera 'Eugene Onegin'. Despite boasting four strong singers, the traditional staging was rather inept at communicating the truth of Pushkin's great verse novel. The dramatic action was hampered by the long pauses between scenes which the video and image team could not amply distract from.
Provided some good roles for student singers was Otto Nicolai's 19th century comic opera, 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'. In their current production, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama demonstrated this. All the parts were well sung and there were plenty of positives here, as Tom Rogers's costumes were fun and Clive Timms's conducting was cheery.
The overture and the moonlight chorus were the highlights musically although there were some negatives. There was a distinct lack of laughter in the audience and director Harry Fehr's characterisation was baggy.
Alexandra Coghlan was full of praise for the Wexford Festival Opera's 60th anniversary season. This celebrated festival concentrates on neglected, often unheard-of operas, rather than dealing in classics you might expect to find at the royal opera. Housed in the unassuming but state-of-the-art Wexford Opera House, and delivering three full-scale operas a year, it's a jewel of a festival.
With Ambroise Thomas's 'bel canto' piece 'La cour de Climne' coming across as a well-balanced confection with a pleasing feminist plot, marital love was the theme this year. Providing the most interesting but also the most inconsistent show was Roman Statkowski's family tragedy Maria. Despite its fragile plot, one of Donizetti's lesser-known operas, Gianni di Parigi, was given as much comic energy as possible.
There were reservations about the English National Opera's production of Tchaikovsky's grand opera 'Eugene Onegin'. Despite boasting four strong singers, the traditional staging was rather inept at communicating the truth of Pushkin's great verse novel. The dramatic action was hampered by the long pauses between scenes which the video and image team could not amply distract from.
Provided some good roles for student singers was Otto Nicolai's 19th century comic opera, 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'. In their current production, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama demonstrated this. All the parts were well sung and there were plenty of positives here, as Tom Rogers's costumes were fun and Clive Timms's conducting was cheery.
The overture and the moonlight chorus were the highlights musically although there were some negatives. There was a distinct lack of laughter in the audience and director Harry Fehr's characterisation was baggy.
Alexandra Coghlan was full of praise for the Wexford Festival Opera's 60th anniversary season. This celebrated festival concentrates on neglected, often unheard-of operas, rather than dealing in classics you might expect to find at the royal opera. Housed in the unassuming but state-of-the-art Wexford Opera House, and delivering three full-scale operas a year, it's a jewel of a festival.
With Ambroise Thomas's 'bel canto' piece 'La cour de Climne' coming across as a well-balanced confection with a pleasing feminist plot, marital love was the theme this year. Providing the most interesting but also the most inconsistent show was Roman Statkowski's family tragedy Maria. Despite its fragile plot, one of Donizetti's lesser-known operas, Gianni di Parigi, was given as much comic energy as possible.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander is a writer with a good knowledge of grand opera. For the latest royal opera reviews and much more, visit theartsdesk.com.
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