It was patchy. Handel was excellent, the orchestra and the conductor (Paul McCreesh) were very good, the supporting cast were...really not more than adequate. And Plácido was fantastic. Really, when he wasn't on stage, it dragged - except for the non-Plácido highlight, when Asteria and Andronico had a third act love duet accompanied by wind quartet (two flutes and two recorders). But when Plácido was on stage he was utterly fantastic. One particular aria in Act II he sang directly to me!
The performance was being filmed for DVD release, so when we arrived we were told that we couldn't have the seats we had bought on the end of the first row - a camera was there instead. So we were given seats on the second row. They were more central so it was a bit of swings and roundabouts, but I was a bit annoyed that we weren't told until we arrived. It was a bit embarrassing, considering my (non-existent) Spanish so I couldn't really understand what was happening. Just an email to explain would have been nice.
Faye will be delighted that even in a production with no furniture, Plácido managed to abuse a microphone stand as he descended into the orchestra pit (a lot of the stage exits were via the orchestra pit). I lost count of the number of times he was on the floor: he started on the floor with the weight of the world on his back. He fell to the ground three times during his mad death scene. And at various times he was on one knee or the other, or both. If anyone asks me if there's anything Plácido Domingo can't do, I'll have to say 'be a human statue' because during an aria from Asteria, he was supposed to be sitting absolutely still (back to the audience, displaying his conductor's shoulders), but every now and then he moved.
It did sound strange hearing him sing Handel, and I am not sure that the obsessive purist Handelians would approve, but I definitely enjoyed him in this role. I have to say that it's the least favourite of the three roles I have heard him sing this season, but, nevertheless, I was delighted when he confirmed afterwards that he would be singing it in London "but not until 2010..." (he'll still be a young man then). Believe me, I will be there!
I fly home tomorrow and will be at work on Thursday, so I'm not sure when I will write more, and publish curtain-call/stage door photos, but here's one for now...
