This post is divided into Part I and Part II.

Part I – My thoughts on Keith Warner’s production of Otello at the Covent Garden, 2017.

Part 2 – My thoughts on seeing the opera at the Covent Garden, then seeing it again for the cinema Encore.

Part I : Othello versus Otello.

☆☆☆☆☆

Before I begin, I want to make something clear. Othello is the original theatrical marvel written by the Bard (Shakespeare) in 1601. Verdi’s own interpretation Otello came along after, which he composed with Arrigo Boito in 1887 after seeing a production of Shakespeare’s play in England, 1847. Despite the English playwright’s influence on Verdi’s masterwork sitting in the opera house being armed with information about Othello won’t heighten your opera experience much. For anyone who is a big Othello fan (me!), they will know that watching Otello should be treated as a different reading entirely. For example, compared to the original play, Desdemona and Emilia say a lot more and unfortunately their characters don’t get the chance to develop as much in the opera. For some reason, Verdi plays down Emilia’s realism. In act 3, scene 4 of the original text, Emilia says to Desdemona, ‘Tis not a year or two shows us a man: They are all stomachs, as we are all but food…’ Not a dime of this shiny humour or wittiness exists in Boito’s libretto. Secondly, the ending is very different. Justice is not served. Iago gets away with creating the chaotic bloodbath without getting his hands dirty. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why Verdi originally wanted to call the opera ‘Iago’.

Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh as Othello and Iago respectively, in a scene from the 1995 version of Shakespeare’s Othello.

For the first time, our ‘dreamy’ tenor Jonas Kaufmann performs the lead role of Otello. This was, and still is, ‘the highly anticipated event’ of the year in the opera world. Known as Verdi’s most mature and highly orchestrated piece of work, composed during the final chapters of the composer’s life, the Royal Opera House has returned to the opera after 30 years’ absence with a superb cast sheet of performers including In Sung Sim (Lodovico), Marco Vratogna (Iago) Maria Agresta (Desdemona), Frederic Antoun (Cassio) and Kai Rüütel (Emilia).

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☆☆☆☆☆

Finally! I got to see the much-talked about opera The Exterminating Angel at the Covent Garden, and I am glad I managed to see it, even if it was the last performance of the Royal Opera House‘s run. It premiered at the Salzburg Festival in July 2016, and, as of last Sunday, has been awarded the World Premiere Award at the Opera Awards 2017.

Composed and conducted by Thomas Adès, it is based on the 1962 surrealist film by Spanish director Luis Buñuel. I entered the auditorium not knowing what to expect, but it was highly recommended by many, including non-opera aficionados. My desire to see the opera grew and with the best seats already taken, I waited for the Friday Rush tickets to save me. I managed to get a high-up auditorium ticket for just £24.00, and I wasn’t complaining.

Going in with no background knowledge on Buñuel’s film or the composer’s intention, I hoped that the opera would tell me why a group of 12 gentlemen and glamourous socialists were stuck in a room they could not, for no ‘visible’ reason, leave. By the end of the opera, whatever meaning I was searching for didn’t seem to matter. Adès’s eclectically mesmerising music did most of the talking.

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Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (The Rosebearer or The Knight of the Rose) was performed at the Royal Opera House as a brand new production set in a Viennese dream by Robert Carsen and designer Paul Steinberg at the close of 2016. In the beginning performances, the Marschallin was performed by legendary soprano Renée Fleming that this may potentially be her last time at the Covent Garden. The Marschallin’s gentle lover Octavian was performed by trouser role star Alice Coote, both expected at the New York Met this Spring. Due to the popularity of these performances, I was able to ascertain a ticket but I managed to see Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Anna Stéphany united as the Marschallin and Octavian who gave touching and exquisite performances for the opening scene.

The Marschallin’s palace looks as grand as the Imperial Palace in Vienna; gold, decadent and ornate with excessively huge beds and countless large doors that never seem to end. The sight of both of these lovers singing in this extravagant, vast space hones in on their strong and tender feelings for one another combined with lush vocals. The audience gain insight into the characters mindsets’ through convincing performances by Willis-Sorensen and Stephany: Marschallin’s nostalgia over the past, Octavian’s devotion to her, and the magnitude of their attraction.

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Richard Eyre’s production of Verdi’s grand masterpiece La Traviata is made for everyone, yet for those who do not enjoy the sight of period costumes may stray far away. I support the 19th century traditional staging, here, which gives the audience a glimpse of the play La Dame aux camelias or Alexandre Dumas’s novel, which were the influences behind Verdi’s opera.

Eyre’s staging recounts the bourgeois lifestyle of Victorian Paris, revived by Bob Crowley and Andrew Sinclair. It’s enchanting traditionalism and classical vantage point of the Parisian aristocracy is brought to life by warm hues, symbolising the passion instilled in our heroine’s story.

Admittedly I’ve seen Richard Eyre’s production three times which tells you probably a lot about my interest in the production, let alone the opera. In 2014, Violetta was sung by Ailyn Pérez which I saw at a BP live broadcast at Trafalgar square, then in 2016 I watched as Sonya Yoncheva broke everyone’s heart at the Covent Garden.

Last night, as part of ROH’s 2017 programme, Joyce El-Khoury sang as Violetta, adorned with elegant Victorian couture as the Parisian demi-monde. Continue reading

There are two realities: a scene from the Medieval era of a Protector, a rich landowner, enlisting an illuminator of manuscripts to capture his life into a book while another scene follows angels milling around a sterile studio or laboratory, watching over them. Little does the landowner know that this ‘Boy’ is an angel in disguise who falls in love with his wife Agnès who is deeply enamored by his art. They pursue a clandestine affair that ends with bloody consequences – nothing can take away the delicious taste of the Boy’s heart from Agnès’s mouth.

Composer George Benjamin and librettist Martin Crimp received praise and success at their 2012 opening at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Written in Skin is so good that it has been performed internationally, including New York, Amsterdam, Toulouse, Munich, and Vienna. Last Friday they returned back to the Royal Opera House with the same directors and designers, Katie Mitchell and Vicky Mortimer, after their 2013 outing to remind audiences at the Covent Garden of what crisp and original opera writings feels, sounds and looks like.

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Sonya Yoncheva in Àlex Ollé’s Norma, The Royal Opera © 2016 ROH. Photograph by Bill Cooper

It’s been a while since I was at the Royal Opera House (that’s two months actually,) and this time round I was coming back to see Bellini’s bel canto fantasy world where religion, chastity, and loyalty just isn’t enough. After Alex Ollé’s (of La Fura dels Baus) production was first announced to the public, its signed-off soprano, Anna Netrebko bailed out where Sonya Yoncheva came in. And may I add, this isn’t the first time this has happened. It was this Spring at the Covent Garden that she was her replacement in La bohème, where she provided a worthy Mimì- encouraging tears and tissue hugging from most members of the audience.

Sonya Yoncheva is gaining a strong fan base, and her presence on the stage is enough to warrant grabbing a ticket to any of her performances. For a soprano role as tough as Norma, let alone La bohème, or La Traviata, she has truly proven her mettle. The strongest highlight of the show and one that shall stick in my memory is her interpretation of Casta Diva. Yes, once used in a Jean Paul Gautier TV commercial, this aria was popularly known in the 19th century as well. It is a spectacular one that relies on a simple melody with the symbolism of purity and holiness engraved into the character of Norma. Yoncheva achieves lightness and softness of tone, compared to other voices such as Maria Callas and this year’s lead, Marjorie Owens at the English National Opera, who sang with more fire and gusto, equally enjoyable nonetheless.

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The Covent Garden stage is dark, covered with barb wire and full of flames for director David Bösch’s new production of Verdi’s great epic Il trovatore. Back in the 19th century, when it was first staged, many critics respected the work for its composition and the musical mastery of Verdi, however, there were many reservations over the horrifying and perplexing nature of its storyline. This entails child death (similar to what’s showing down the road at the ENO’s production of Jenufa), vengeful gypsy mothers, family feuds and war. Of course, the tragic opera isn’t complete without lovers caught in the fire, set back by impossible circumstances. 

Revenge, anger, hatred and determination, to right the wrongs of the past, are the core pillars of this opera classic, which makes Il trovatore a passionate and engrossing work of art. The troubadour Manrico steals the heart of Leonora who is also loved by Manrico’s rival Count di Luna. Manrico’s mother Azucena seeks revenge on those who murdered her own mother, while Count di Luna vows to find his lost brother Garzia, believed to have been murdered by Azucena. 

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Il tabarro at the ROH – Photo by Bill Cooper

[5th March 2016] The longer awaited production of Richard Jone’s Il Trittico at the Royal Opera House was a relief for many who saw the premier back in 2011, which received positive reviews at the time, However Puccini’s triptych of love, jealousy, murder, loss and comic trickery wasn’t always performed together. For example, Suor Angelica would be dropped, while Gianni Schicchi would be paired with another opera, and so forth. For this production conductor, Nicola Luisotto is on top form, fashioning the diverse styles of Puccini – when the music was dramatic Luiosotto made sure you knew trouble was on its way. 

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi by the talented Fulham Opera (review here) as well as Opera Holland Park’s captivating production of all three (review here), and from this I’ve realised that putting these one-act operas together (originally Puccini’s intention) – with their various storylines, diverse subject matters and versatile music – makes it a far more enjoyable night at the opera compared to seeing them as separate entities. What’s more touching is that at the time of composing Il trittico (1918), Puccini was going through a difficult time in his life, making these operas more intimate and insightful of the composer’s life. 

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LEtoile at the Royal Opera House

Five operas in a space of seven days may seem like a tall order but somehow I managed to do all of them. The range included works by Fringe companies like Opera Vera (read review here) and Unexpected Opera as well as those at the Covent Garden and English National Opera (ENO). To my delight it was an even spread that pretty much captured the kind of operas happening in London – and my, (oh, my) there are plenty!

Royal Opera House: L’Étoile, Covent Garden ★★★★
However I must admit that the music glows and is highly addictive. The ROH Chorus sing wittingly to Couplets du Pal as they celebrate King Ouf’s execution by impalement (yeah, I know – it’s very weird!) By the end of it, I was humming a few catchy songs I hadn’t heard before including Le chartreuse verte.

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