Poppea from Leeds and Les Boréades, from the Aix-en-Provence Festival

[doversoul1]

The Coronation of Poppea
Opera on 3 Monday 27
Set in the 1960s and Sung in English. Conducted by Laurence Cummings. Excellently presented by Mary King.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mb5cd

Rameau - Les Boreades
Opera Matinee 30 October:
Les Boréades: Rameau's lyric tragedy in five acts ,
Aedes Ensemble
Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble
Marc Minkowski

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mbjjw

[ed] Thank you, jean.

[jean]

The Rameau is on Thursday 30th - for a horrible moment I thought I'd missed it!

[Study Session]

Any thoughts on Poppea? I felt the singing in the early stages was a little shaky, but stuck with it and they seemed to hit their stride later on. Remember seeing a very strong production of Poppea at Buxton c. 2006. The Leeds one, it seems, is a little darker.

[jean]

I enjoyed the singing - but not quite as much as I expected to from the reviews I've read. And I'm not now quite so annoyed that I can't see it at its only outing in Salford.

Hated the translation. 'Nobody wants to die...' Ugh!

(I remember the Buxton production, too.)

[kuligin]

I am looking forward to hearing this in Newcastle when it tours. The singing in the Bartered Bride was pretty goods too last week, not suprising as James Creswell an excellent Kecal is singing Seneca.

I remember the Buxton performances with affection too. While Buxton was an ideal space I feel this is a hard opera to put on effectively in a large theatre, a few chittarones are not enough for a big space, but a large string band also seems wrong to me. so it will be interesting to see how it sounds

I see its yet another production updated, the Bartered Bride was transferred from 1850 to 1970s communism to no benefit at all, a plot about rich peasants and impoverished peasants. nostalgic for the past did not sit well with the match maker as an apparchik and the circus manager being arrested for making jokes about the party.

[grandchant]

The band are on stage rather than 'down't' pit' which helps the sound and is probably nice for the singers too. The production works IMO.

[jean]

Laurence Cummings in the interval assured us he did not actually conduct.

That seemed to work quite well, too.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I was at the performance last night - marvellous experience. Cynically comic and sensuously erotic by turns, the naff-sounding English translation was much more effective when the production is seen than merely heard over the airwaves: wonderful singing from everyone. Eight payers in the band - separated into two quartets on each side of the stage - if I had a criticism it would be the over-frequent rolling arpeggiations from the Harpsichords which rather drowned out much of the other continuo instruments (but how it told when they were given materal without keyboard). An utterly enjoyable evening's theatre (what a great introduction to Monteverdi's - "et al", as the excellent Programme Book had it - stage world) - I almost envy anyone going to see this on Tour.

[jean]

Damn. Now I'm annoyed again.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh - sorry Jean.

One thing that did niggle was the late 1950s/early '60s setting - there seemed no reason why it was so costumed; it would have been equally valid set in the 1980s or the 1460s or in the future - or, for that matter, in togas! It was attractive, and didn't jar against the text as some productions can, but I could neither see onstage, nor find in the Programme Book any reason made clear why this setting was chosen.

[grandchant]

As you say, it could work in many contexts. My only irritation with it was the depressingly mundane set. I can see it suits the nature of the plot, but I long for a staging that makes me want to look at it, a bit of style rather like Xerxes not long ago. They could get dramatic contrast out of that.

[kuligin]

I saw this production in Newcastle last week. Many arias have passed by since I saw the Trojans on tour there (?1972). The Theatre Royal has been much improved and has a very good accoustic as good or better than Leeds my usual venue for ON

The production was pretty poor in my opinion, the updating adds nothing or if anything to this opera, the set looks like a morgue at the end, why murder off Nerone Drusilla and Ottavia, and why cut out the Coronation scene? Presumably in the later case to avoid the need for a chorus.

The singing was good and in parts very good particularly James Creswell as Seneca. Singing in English without surtitles and with clear diction was a like going back to ENO in 1970. Very welcome too.The idea of placing the continuo on the stage also really helped but I was not very keen on the percussion parts. Was percussion ever used in these operas in the 17th c I wonder ?

A very good evening overall though despite yet another updating by ON. I do hope the Marriage of Figaro next Spring is not updated as well. I will not be attending the other offerings Carousel and La Traviata (2nd run this year alone)