Monthly Archives: February 2020

ENO: Carmen

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London Coliseum, 14 February 2020

Set in late-Franco, 1970s Spain this Carmen (revival of a 2012 production) simmers with timeless hot passion and a culture of bullying. All those minor keys, seductive rhythms and earworm melodies do their work along with Bizet’s colourful orchestration, as ever, but in this case the concept of the production really drives the piece. The male chorus are variously soldiers, amateur smugglers and a crowd while the well characterised women convincingly represent mainstream Spain in mini-skirts, shorts, flouncy dresses and the like. Then there are the children, all recruited via the ENO Baylis scheme, doing a fabulously vibrant job. The huge ensemble is diverse in every sense – race, age, size and so on – so it forms a pleasingly plausible picture of every day life in Seville. It all feels very fresh.

Justina Gringyte in the title role has a gravelly contralto voice and some very sexy bottom notes. She is also a fine actor able to command the stage with a twitch of her hips and toss of her head – yes, we can see exactly why Jose (Sean Panikkar) and Escamillio (Ashley Riches) are captivated by her capricious, sulky passion. She also finds the right vulnerability in the devastating final scene: a woman who makes the wrong decisions and whose tragedy is timeless.

Pannikar matches her beautifully and there is some nicely nuanced duet work especially in the last scene. Riches, who is strikingly tall, does well as the bombastic Escamillo too. His big number is so familiar that it’s as hard to bring off as “To be or not to be” in Hamlet but he, and his delicious bass voice, run with it and take us with them.

Alfons Flores’s set is a masterpiece. The stage is usually quite bare which gives the huge cast plenty of space to move in. Occasionally connotative items arrive such as a phone box or a huge, flat, metal, roundabout-style bull. The cars (five of them) at the beginning of Act 3 are a stroke of genius. Not only do they provide a realistic sense of ordinary people trying to get their contraband over the border but they also provide lots of dramatic hiding places and levels for agile performers to hop on and off. Skilfully lit shadow and stage smoke adds to the sultry ambience.

I have reservations, however about Christopher Cowell’s translation. For a start, what little of the spoken dialogue has been left in sounds gratingly out of place – it’s perfectly possible to do Carmen sung through and I wish this production had done that. Second, however hard you try, if you do Carmen in English it can start to sound inappropriately like WS Gilbert. “Roll up and get yourself a fan/Get some oranges while you can” and “But now I love you more than ever/Carmen we have to be together”, for example, make me giggle at inappropriate moments. Of course I understand and respect ENO’s commitment to accessibility and everything in English but banality is an ever present danger.

Susan Elkin

 

CDs/DVDs February 2020 (1)

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Handel: Almira
Boston Early Music Festival
CPO 555 205-2

Lovely as this is I was surprised by just how long it is. This is presumably complete and runs to just over four hours. It is Handel’s earliest opera, dating from 1703, and while it reflects the style of earlier composers in Halle there is plenty of evidence here of the masterpieces which were to follow. A useful, and musically very satisfying, addition to the many versions of Handel operas now available.

 

The Early Horn
Ursula Paludan Monberg, horn; Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen
HYPERION CDA 68289

It is difficult at times to realise that the ability to play the natural horn is comparatively recent, compared with the normal valve instrument. I recall the first performance of the Basil Lamb edition of Messiah at the BBC studios where the trumpeter using a natural trumpet had to take breaks between sections as he had never played the instrument before. Today, with so many original instrument ensembles, it is easy to forget how fortunate we are. This new recording focuses on eighteenth century works for horn moving through Mozart and Haydn to works by Graun, Telemann and two anonymous pieces. All highly entertaining and engaging.

 

Beethoven: complete works for Cello and Piano
Robin Michael, cello; Daniel Tong, piano
RESONUS RES 10254

Alongside the five sonatas are the three sets of variations, two drawn from Die Zauberflote and one from Judas Maccabeus. I found these more engaging though the range of the sonatas takes us from his very early years to the time his hearing was all but gone. The recording here is with original instruments making was both a warmer cello sound and more incisive early piano.

 

20th Century Foxtrots from Austria and Czechia
Gottlieb Wallisch, piano
GRAND PIANO GP 813

This is a delight throughout and I particularly enjoyed Krauss-Elka’s dance version of themes from Tannhauser and the final excerpt from Schulhoff’s Groteske. That said the whole disc is thoroughly entertaining and uplifting.

 

Beethoven: Septet & Clarinet Trio
Berkeley Ensemble
RESONUS RES 10255

The trio is the unusual piece here and the one which may attract particular attention. The unusual combination of clarinet, cello and piano dates from 1798 when the composer was well established in Vienna. The more familiar Septet is given a fine reading with great clarity throughout.

 

Bach: St Matthew Passion
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
BIS 2500

There is a great deal to enjoy here and the quality of musicianship is not in doubt but I feel that the whole does not hang together as well as the individual parts. Solo singing is excellent but the approach often seems over-precious, particularly where tempi are concerned. I wish there was a greater sense of emotional involvement with the score, one which would engage the listener rather than pointing up the magnificence of the writing at the expense of the narrative.

 

Malipiero: Symphony No6; Ritrovari; Serenata mattutina; Cinq studi
Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, Damian Iorio
NAXOS 8.574173

I have to admit that this is the first CD of Malipiero’s works I have come across and it is certainly engaging. The sixth symphony dates from 1947 and is easy to access on a first hearing even if unconventional in style. The Ritrovari are more complex as is the Seranata but the studies and short and engaging. Worth investigating.

 

Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Valerio Galli
DYNAMIC 37863

Oh dear. I hope this production worked better in the theatre than it does on DVD. The set is very messy and it is difficult to get any sense of place or atmosphere as a result of regular lighting changes and odd pieces of scaffolding which move around of their own volition. Some of the singing is good, with Angelo Villari’s Canio forceful and convincing, but the overlarge chorus, with an equally large number of children, often seem out of their depth and left to their own devices. As such there is no real sense of direction or purpose. A pity; it has the makings of a strong approach but needs somebody to knock it into shape.

 

Rossini: La Cenerentola
Teatro Opera of Rome, Alejo Perez
MAJOR 752408

This is fun. Don’t look too closely or ask why the chorus are all wind-up dolls, for the musical side is so strong and the characterisation so convincing that it carries you along with it. Alessandro Corbelli is superb as Don Magnifico and the young couple, Juan Francisco Gatell and Serena Malfi, make light weight of Rossini’s florid musical lines. Alejo Perez keeps his orchestra on their toes with a sparkling account of the score. What’s not to like?

Hastings Philharmonic / Ensemble OrQuesta

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Christ Church, St Leonards on Sea, Saturday 8 February 2020

Marcio da Silva loves pushing the boundaries and last weekend brought us not only very rare early opera but a genuine attempt to stage them by candlelight within the vastness of Christ Church. Candlelit Christmases are normally a discrete compromise to allow the audience to see their song sheets even if there are a number of decorative candles close to the choir. This was something different. We were in near total darkness – no hope of reading the programme notes – while the shadows across the performing area raised effectively ghostly images as the story lines unfolded. This was often remarkably effective, though the use of dark costumes in the second half made the characters more difficult to see.

All three of the works have specific spiritual underpinning. Caccini’s L’Euridice – normally accepted as the first full opera – mirrors the concept of the resurrection, when Alexander Gebhard’s movingly sung Orfeo persuades Pluto to return Euridice to life again. It is interesting that this version omits the normal ‘no turning back’ incidents which imply Orfeo’s weakness, rather than his ability to stand up to the gods.

Caccini’s version of the story follows the Greek model where most of the action happens off stage and we hear more from Orfeo’s friends than we do from the protagonists. This is even more obvious in Carisssimi’s two brief oratorios Jonas and Jephte. Both are sung in Latin and rely heavily on a triple narrator and a more prominent chorus. Samuel Kibble had proved himself a fine Arcetro in L’Euridice but was somewhat at a loss during the long sections of narrative during Jonas. Surprisingly Jephtha’s daughter – finely sung by Ciera Cope – is given far more to do by Carissimi with little real focus on the emotional effect upon Jephtha himself. One only has to compare Handel’s magnificent and heart-rending approach a century later to realise what is missing here.

However, Carissimi makes up for this in the quality and depth of his choral writing. The final chorus brought us the best music of the evening and a startling hint of what was to come over the next century.

The instrumental forces were as telling as ever, with the constant changes of texture and tone particularly impressive, bringing percussion for the peasants and the organ for the gods. Marcio da Silva was everywhere, singing, playing guitar, recorder and side drum. It was noteworthy that he trusts his fellow musicians enough to be able to leave the ensemble to themselves while he is singing or simply sorting out something off stage. This really is an ensemble working at its best.

London Mozart Players: Celebrating Strings

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St Mary in the Castle, Friday 7 February 2020

London Mozart Players certainly fulfilled their intention of working closely with young musicians last Friday when they drew on players of all levels – quite literally so, from tiny performers playing on single open strings, to teens who are looking towards a professional career – in the premiere of Jeff Moore’s Fiddler’s Hill.  This is a deceptively immediate work but digging only slightly below the surface reveals a piece which allows all potential performers, at whatever level, to feel fully involved and important to the final outcome. What better way to encourage young musicians than to make them feel that they matter and are as essential to the impact of the work as the long standing members of LMP?

The evening was carefully structured to cover a wide range of styles and techniques, enabling the audience to experience the demands on a professional player as well as the wide range of skills they need. The second movement of Britten’s Simple Symphony – Playful Pizzicato- is certainly familiar but also brings us the range of tone available to the composer just using plucked strings.

In the second half the orchestra played Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, itself written for young musicians and a fascinating segue, via Bach’s popular Air on a G string into Fiddler’s Hill.

LMP work without a conductor – except for the premiere which was conducted by the composer – but are led with tact and considerable skill by first violin Ruth Rogers, who also introduced the works as the evening progressed.

If I have left the finest moment of the evening till last it was because it was the most unexpected. The arrangement for string orchestra of Piazzolla’s Oblivion and the popular Libertango was superb, and raised what had been a pleasant evening’s music making to another level all together. We could do with a whole evening given over to the LMP and the tango, surely?

Madama Butterfly

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White Rock Theatre, Thursday 6 February 2020

Ellen Kent’s approach to Madama Butterfly is nothing if not traditional. The setting is beautifully crafted and lit, the costumes are comfortably Japanese and the production is undemanding, particularly if you know the work well in the first place.

If this can lead to some uncomfortable moments then they swiftly pass. Pinkerton’s glib assumption that he will marry a ‘real wife in America’ is cheerfully ignored by the Consul  whose problems only really start in the second half when Pinkerton brings his wife with him to Nagasaki.

Vitalii Liskovetskyi brings a naïve, boyish charm to Pinkerton but it is difficult to forgive him for his callousness. Iurie Gisca is splendid as Sharpless, the Consul, adding genuine authority and weight to a presentation which can often seem visually superficial. He is matched by Vadim Cernovettky’s passionate Bonze whose brief explosion clouds the rest of the act.

Alyona Kistenyova presents a strong, and strongly sung, Cio-Cio San, happier in the love duet and the final scenes than in the more delicate opening scenes with her family. Myroslava Shvakh-Pekar was an unusually young Suzuki, the voice fully up to part but her appearance disconcerting alongside Cio-Cio San.

The production provides a full orchestra, under the careful guidance of Nicolae Dohotaru and a small but effective chorus.

The company return to Bexhill next year with Tosca and Carmen.

ENO: Madam Butterfly

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Madam Butterfly
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
 
Director, Anthony Minghella
Revival Director, Glen Sheppard
Conductors, Martyn Brabbins and Martin Fitzpatrick

Anthony Minghella’s award-winning staging of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly returns to the London Coliseum

Opens Wednesday 26 February at the London Coliseum (12 performances)

Anthony Minghella’s ‘ravishingly beautiful’ (The Times) production of Madam Butterfly returns to the Coliseum. Premiered 15 years ago at English National Opera (ENO) and now onto its seventh revival, this popular production is back to entrance audiences with its mix of stunning cinematic imagery, traditional Japanese theatre and Puccini’s powerful music.

Puccini’s Madam Butterfly is one of opera’s most enduring tales of unrequited love; the story of Cio-Cio San, a young Japanese girl, who falls for U.S. naval officer Pinkerton stationed in Nagasaki. Pinkerton, interested in convenience and loose marital laws, pays for an arranged marriage to her. After marrying, Pinkerton leaves for America before the birth of their son, leaving Cio-Cio San for years to raise the child with just the promise of his return.

Created by ENO in 2005, a century after its original world premiere, Anthony Minghella’s production of Madam Butterfly was the first and only opera he directed. The production went on to win the Olivier Award for ‘Best New Opera Production’ and in addition to ENO revivals, has been performed around the world, including at the Metropolitan Opera, Lithuanian National Opera and Perth International Festival.

Leading the cast in the title role of Cio-Cio San is Natalya Romaniw, who returns to ENO after her ‘standout performance’ (the Guardian) as Mimi in La bohème (2018). Hailed as one of Europe’s most promising young stars and ‘one of the most outstanding sopranos of her generation’ (Daily Telegraph), Natalya has performed across the UK, winning multiple awards including the 2016 Critic’s Choice Award for Music. This is her role debut as Madam Butterfly.

Sharing the role of Pinkerton is American tenor Dimitri Pittas, ‘with a flexible voice that can express real love and shallow desire with equal conviction’ (Toronto Star) and British tenor Adam Smith, ‘a sensation’ (Opera Online). Both are making their ENO debuts.

Baritone Roderick Williams OBE sings the role of Sharpless, following his Olivier nominated performance in ENO’s 2018 War Requiem. Having ‘beautifully sung’ (Bachtrack) the role of Sharpless previously in 2016, former ENO Harewood George von Bergen returns to the Coliseum for one performance.

Mezzo soprano Stephanie Windsor-Lewis with her ‘excellently strong voice’ (Daily Express) returns to the role of Suzuki, while tenor Alasdair Elliott resurrects his ‘brilliantly enunciated Goro’ (The Stage), which he performed with the Royal Opera House more than a decade ago.

Bass baritone Keel Watson is The Bonze, following his recent performances in ENO’s Carmen (2020), Orpheus in the Underworld (2019) and Akhnaten (2019).

Prince Yamnadori is baritone Njabulo Madlala after making his debut at ENO in Porgy and Bess (2018).

Completing the cast is rising star and ENO Harewood Katie Stevenson who returns after performances last year with ENO in Akhnaten, The Magic Flute and The Mask of Orpheus. Katie has previously won all three prizes at the Wagner Society Singing Competition and the 2016 Marjorie Thomas Art of Song prize.

Conducting this revival with his ‘exemplary fervour’ (Bachtrack) is ENO Music Director Martyn Brabbins, with ENO Head of Music Martin Fitzpatrick taking over the baton for three performances.

Glen Sheppard directs this revival, with set design by Michael Levine, costumes by Chinese costume designer Han Feng and revival choreography by David John. Puppeteers at Blind Summit Theatre return to bring Butterfly’s child, Sorrow, to life. Lighting design is by Peter Mumford and translation by David Parry.

Madam Butterfly opens on Wednesday 26 February 19.30 at the London Coliseum for 12 performances: 26 February, 5, 11, 13, 20, 27, 30 March & 17 April at 19.30. 29 February, 7 March, 4 & 7 April at 18.30.

Tickets start from £10 (plus booking fee)*

Hastings Sinfonia

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St John the Evangelist, Brittany Road, St Leonards
Saturday 1 February 2020

Hastings Sinfonia’s Winter Concert was a challenging mix of music and musical styles. They also had the good fortune to attract three professional soloists across their eclectic programme. The first half was given over entirely to Beethoven’s Violin Concert with Daniel Rainey as soloist. He produced some lovely long musical lines, floating above the weight of the orchestra which at times came close to drowning him out – possibly a result of the acoustic in the church rather than the dynamics set by conductor Derek Carden. The slow movement faired best with some lovely bassoon solos playing around the violinist’s seemingly improvised lines.

The second half opened in similarly weighty vein with Franck’s Symphonic Variations. Howard Southern, a regular soloist with the Sinfonia, was the pianist here and managed to give some structure to a work which can seem all too disparate until the ‘tune’ breaks through towards the end.

After that we seemed to be in to a very different event, with a succession of shorter popular items, led by soprano Thomasin Trezise singing Musetta’s Waltz Song from La boheme and Juliet’s Waltz Song from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. Both items were, rightly, enthusiastically received as she not only sings them superbly but know how to play her audience to get the right response.

Two recent works brought us Polo Piatti’s romantically indulgent but finely scored Days gone by and a world premiere of Garry Judd’s Chuff. Happily linked to Hastings own local railways, it describes an imaginary journey as the steam train pulls away, encounters hills and gradually arrives at its destination. It is a lovely work and certainly deserves to be much more widely known.

Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance is obviously a favourite with the orchestra and brought out all their raucous strength before the final part of Elgar’s Enigma Variations which needs not only full orchestra but the organ as well.

A fine evening, packed to capacity in St John’s, and one to send us on our way feeling contended.

Maidstone Symphony Orchestra

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Mote Hall, Maidstone, 1 February 2020

There are few more atmospheric pieces than Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes. It only needs a bar or two of those ethereal pianissimo high strings and you’re standing on the remote Suffolk coast gazing out to sea. MSO had imported lots of extra players for this ambitious piece (and the Elgar with which the concert ended) so we had double brass, four percussionists and eight double basses – all contributing to the colourful descriptiveness which Brian Wright drew out of the orchestra.

Then we skipped 150 years back to the classical world of Weber and reduced forces to accompany Emma Johnson in the second Clarinet Concerto. Always a charismatic player, she twinkled with delight as she played, turning the concerto into an engaging musical conversation, especially in the first movement. She also gave us a nicely controlled andante and enjoyably sparky syncopation in the third movement.

Unusual programming meant she was again the soloist in another concerto after the interval. Malcolm Arnold’s second Clarinet Concerto is not very well known and, although she played it with panache, it’s obvious why we don’t hear it more often. It’s an incongruous mixture of disparate elements including a long improvised cadenza, a soulful central lento and then “The pre-Goodman Rag”. Even Johnson’s fine playing and Brian Wright’s skilful direction failed to endow it with any sense of cohesion.

And so, finally, to Enigma Variations in which all those mood changes and potential pitfalls were adeptly negotiated with the wit of Variation 3 and Variation 11 nicely brought out. It was also a treat to hear Elgar’s imaginative orchestration so clearly stressed: the tuba in Variation 7, the piccolo in Variation 8 and the viola and bassoon solos in Variation 10, for example. And I admired the tempi in Variation 9 (Nimrod). There often is a tendency to play it so slowly that it feels as if it’s dragging. Wright resisted that by keeping it moving which worked well.

In short, another good night for MSO.

Susan Elkin