What a fabulous night. I was on such a high even before I checked out the Porto 0 Manchester 1 result (that was me going "Yes, yes, yes....!" orgasmically in the Ladies at Covent Garden!).
I have decided that I don't especially like Dido & Aeneas (Purcell) as a piece of work, but it had sufficient highlights to make it enjoyable. The highlights were obviously that whole closing sequence with Dido's lament and that gorgeous chorus. Special highlights were Ji-Min Park singing his aria as the Sailor and Iestyn Davies singing from the Dome as The Spirit. I have to confess to having a massive crush on Iestyn Davies. It seems a little bit shameful to have a crush on a counter-tenor, but he has such an unbelievably gorgeous voice, and unlike most counter-tenors he has so much vocal drama and colour. Although not evident tonight, because he was singing in the roof he cuts a fine figure on stage, too. If he was as ugly as fuck, I would still adore him. But he isn't.
I have to acknowledge Sarah Connolly was good. Whenever I see her she is good. But I have to confess that I don't get the cult of Connolly. I know so many people go crazy about her. I don't, even though I know she's good.
I didn't like the ballet in Dido and Aeneas.
After the interval was Acis and Galatea (Handel). Now, this is weird. It seems to me that I know this opera, but I don't know that I know it. I don't believe I have ever seen it live. I don't thnk you would forget having seen something live at the point where you are seeing it again. I don't have it on CD. I don't think I have it on DVD. It is bizarrely lodged in my semi-conscious. I can only assume that I must have heard it as a child, at that age where one only has to hear a tune once to be able to recall it when heard many years later. Only, how can I possibly have heard it as child? Obscure Handel operas weren't done when I was a child.
Everyone in the blogosphere and the MSM seemed to hate A&G, or at best, find it disappointing. Particularly open to criticism was the ballet and the staging. I must admit, when the curtain opened I was disappointed by the painted backdrop. Oh god, how ballet, I thought. And I wasn't much impressed when that went up to reveal another painted backdrop. But Act II, which is much longer than Act I had some real scenery.
The highlight of this was Matthew Rose as the Giant, Polyphemus. Never in the history of opera has a singer been so suited to the role. He has a wonderful voice, is so obviously musical, and has come on leaps and bounds as a stage animal. I think he is an exemplary Handel singer.
Ji-Min Park was fine in a small part. Danielle de Neise was okay, but nothing special. No reason I could put my finger on, she was just disappointing. Paul Agnew wasn't very good at all, but seemed good in comparison to the other tenor.
Charles Workman, let's be honest, had no business whatsoever being on that stage. I don't know whether he was actually out of tune or whether his voice is just so unbelievably horrible that the grating tone just sounds like he is. Didn't seem to have a clue about how to sing Handel. It wasn't just the tone, it was the lack of legato, the broken runs, the poor breath support, the cracks (not mega cracks but lots of nano-cracks). He moved well on stage and from a distant looked fairly easy on the eye, although the photos show that he's nothing special. I don't understand why the Royal Opera House has to employ a fourth-rate American tenor to sing this role when there are plenty of second-rate English tenors who could have done it justice. With the exception of Marco Berti, he is the worst tenor I have ever heard. This was the most welcome death of an operatic character since Katie van Kooten breathed her last as Mimi, and it was the first time since Sondra Radvanovsky in Stiffelio that I have had to cover my ears to take away the pain of ugly loud singing.
And I loved the ballet, even though there is nothing intelligent I can say about it - except it wasn't modern. I've seen moderner ballets in the provinces in the 1970s. But I loved the choreography and I loved the execution.
If I get a chance I might write a more reflective piece later in the week. And again, maybe not!
And I've discovered an interesting interview with Iestyn from a few months ago
