What was that crap yesterday about not looking forward to it?
I think I have an attitude problem where the prospect of getting ready to go out, including eating, can sometimes overwhelm me. So I need motivation to get over that...
And what a reward for 'getting over it'!
A truly wonderful night at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. I said 'no reviews' until I go again next Friday, but I will say it was bloody good. I think my review might contain a lot of criticism of the lighting. Otherwise, it won't seem balanced and objective! Actually, I wasn't madly keen on the set, but it did nothing to interfere with the story; on the whole the production was fine, with just one or two instances where I felt the stage directions had been written with scant regard to what was being projected on the surtitles.
The music. Ah, the music...! It's bloody good. Lush majestic orchestration, with some fabulous tunes. I got a thrill from time-to-time when hearing various leitmotifs I was able to think "that's Valhalla" or "that's love" or "Siegfried" or "Magic Fire Music". And it was a very magic fire. I loved the bit where Wotan just put his hand in the fire and had a flame coming from his hand. When we watched on the TV, Jimmy told me how the effect is done. I forget now - good - but it looked really spectacular from Row R (Right at the back) of the amphitheatre. Yeah, I didn't have a great seat; the stage seemed along way away, but the amphitheatre is steeply raked, so there was no problem in seeing the big picture, and I think I was in an acoustic whitespot.
Then there was the singing...!
Oh my!
I think I had a slight attack of 'audience fright', when you suddenly think 'I have really high expectations? Suppose they are not lived up to?' Met, and exceeded...
Act I was just superbly wonderful, with fabulous singers as Siegmund and Sieglinde and an excellent Hunding. Then Act II started and I was "Oh my god! It's Bryn Terfel." That's right, he didn't cancel...! Joking aside, if it had been Bryn Terfel and a bunch of nobodies, I would have been highly satisfied. (Yes Jools, I know, he's wonderful! He is Wotan!)
but it wasn't a bunch of nobodies. Eric Halfvarson was a strong Hunding, vocally flawless and a wonderful baddy. Lisa Gasteen as Brunnhilde was vocally and dramatically ace, better than Kathleen Broderick who I felt to be the highlight of ENO's Ring. Sieglinde was Waltraute Meier who is an extremely good singer and a convincing actor.
And Siegmund was some Spanish tenor with a beautiful voice which left me breathless. Frankly, at 64 he has no business flinging himself round the stage with an agility of a man half his age. There were some exquisite moments. He died spectacularly, I do like a good spectacularly melodramatic death scene. Falling onto the ash tree and rolling onto the stage did it for me.
And the Valkyries? Wonderful! If two bloggers are watching another blogger on stage, does it constitute a blogmeet?
The audience went nuts at the end of Act I, and the applause at the end was long, sustained and raucous. I suspect an element of it was due to this being London on 8/7, but most of it was a visceral reaction to a fabulous evening of opera.
I did quite a lot of crying, especially in Act II.
So, no review for now, but I will after next Friday's performance...
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