It seems a lifetime ago since I went to see this at Opera Holland Park. The same night as England vs Trinidad and Tobago.
It is among my favourite Puccini operas, seeming to tick all the right boxes, with a lovely score, and some wonderful set-piece arias for soprano and tenor.
There are people who insist that before you attend an opera performance you should 'do your homework' ie by listening to a CD or reading the score (they often fall quiet at the thought of a DVD...hey, opera's a visual art form!). I can see their point, up to a point, inasmuch as that the more familiar one is a work, the more depth of understanding one can get.
But I don't like doing 'homework'. I believe that most operas were written with the intention of entertaining an audience, so, if I can't enjoy it by seeing it live, there's probably something wrong either with the opera, that performance, or with me on that evening.
But I did my homework. I watched a DVD of Manon Lescaut. And that was a mistake, because one then goes into a live performance with high expectations that it will be up to the very high standards set on the DVD.
So instead of thinking, "I'm really enjoying this" I end up thinking "It suffers by comparison".
I suppose it did not help that I would find it very difficult to rate the tenor highly. Despite Puccini naming almost all his operas for the Leading Lady it is my considered opinion that most of them are in fact tenor vehicles. And in this, the tenor gets to sing Donna non vidi mai, which is an audience-pleasing showstopper.
I thought the orchestra sounded splendid, even though, being in Row A I was little submerged by orchestra. The soprano Amanda Echalaz, despite an lacklustre start, warmed up to the extent that the Final Act completely belonged to her, an intense portrayal and vocally excellent.
The bass, Lynton Black, portrayed the buffo role of Geronte de Ravoir convincingly, and earned suitable 'in character' boos at the end. Simon Thorpe played Lescaut satisfactorily without ever making me sit up and take notice.
I found the tenor playing Renato des Grieux, Sean Ruane, frustrating. Competent and adequately musical, but he lacked anything memorable in his voice. And his acting was wooden in the extreme. I think the direction was partly to blame. It seemed that when he wasn't singing he was capable of acting, but when he was singing, the only acting he could muster was "Stand and Deliver".
In general, all the arias, duets etc from all the cast were delivered from a static position, mainly facing the audience, not making for a very interesting or engaging experience. I was sorely disappointed by the duet in Act II, which, according to the music is highly charged erotica - basically, they're shagging. That doesn't have to be portrayed graphically on stage (although we always live in hope...). But when they lay together on the floor, they looked like too rather inept children in a simulated non-violent wrestling match.
In general, the production was dismal if functional. Lots and lots of white furniture. The newspapers have awarded it between two and three stars, which to me seems fair.
I would heartily recommend Opera Holland Park. Although neither productions nor cast are of the standard we expect at the Royal Opera House or indeed English National Opera, it is a great opportunity. I have seen Manon Lescaut and Fedora, neither of which I have seen live before and am unlikely to in the near future at the main London venues. I am due to see Queen of Spades - which I will see again at ROH in the autumn - and Rigoletto, which I have seen recently at both ROH and ENO, and years ago.
The tickets are affordable - between £20 and £40 - and the venue is attractive. It's in Holland Park: an open air theatre with a tarpaulin canopy. It's not a big theatre, so binoculars are surplus to requirements, and pre and post-performance and interval milling is easy. On both occasions I have been I have found myself in pleasant friendly conversation with random strangers. It is possible to pre-book a picnic and dine in style at reserved tables; otherwise, the worlds of Kensington and Notting Hill are a few minutes walk away through pleasant parkland.
