An unusual double bill which proved to be unusually successful. This isn't the first time Opera North has become Ballet North (they did a production of The Nutcracker a couple of Christmases ago) but this was their first collaboration with Phoenix Dance Theatre (the country's oldest contemporary dance company outside London - it, too, is based in Leeds). I don't fully "get" ballet/dance (I'm often not quite sure whether what I'm seeing is supposed to be representative or abstract) but the movements of the eight dancers, choreographed by Jeanguy Saintus, were powerful and often beautiful, with clever use, too, of lighting - not sure about the "Marigold Gloves" effect of the pink-dyed hands, though. Impeccable performance of Stravinsky's score from the ON Orchestra, too, of course, conducted by Garry Walker - and a full house, consisting of a wide age-range, and a greater ethnic diversity than I have ever seen at an ON production.
The Dance fans stayed on for a superb performance of Puccini's one-act-er, too, and, judging from the applause at the end, loved every minute of it. It was hilarious - director Christopher Alden created a brilliantly imaginative production, combining the character of Dante himself with much visual humopur based on phone selfies - but which fitted perfectly with the story. Aerialist Tim Claydon doubled as Dante and the ill-fated (especially with this family) Buoso Donati - a very active corpse! Diego Silva and Tereza Gevorgyan were the young lovers, Rinuccio and Lauretta - the former with a curiously tight vibrato, and quite a small voice that was often covered by the orchestra, the latter a gorgeous voice, also a little overwhelmed by the band; the freezing of the comedy for her aria was really breath-taking, and heightening this beautiful piece. All the venal relatives were brilliantly played and sung, as were the self-congratulatory doctor, and the lawyer and witnesses - and Richard Burkhard, channeling his inner Montalbano, was simply superb - a rich, resonant baritone for Schicchi, creeping effortlessly into falsetto as Donati.
The audience made very clear its appreciation at the end (as if the howls of laughter throughout hadn't already done so) - with still the loudest cheer for the Orchestra. A brilliant evening for everyone - those experiencing their first Live opera/ballet and the long-ago converted alike. It goes on tour from Friday to Salford, Nottingham, and newcastle, and shouldn't be missed.
And ... your evening will probably not be marred, as mine was, by the dulcet tones of Tárrega's Grand Valse chirripping from a Mobile Phone that hadn't been switched off from the seats just behind me! And when did this occur ... well, you know that silent bar just before the last phrase of O mio babbino caro? Well, it wasn't bloody silent that night!!!
The Dance fans stayed on for a superb performance of Puccini's one-act-er, too, and, judging from the applause at the end, loved every minute of it. It was hilarious - director Christopher Alden created a brilliantly imaginative production, combining the character of Dante himself with much visual humopur based on phone selfies - but which fitted perfectly with the story. Aerialist Tim Claydon doubled as Dante and the ill-fated (especially with this family) Buoso Donati - a very active corpse! Diego Silva and Tereza Gevorgyan were the young lovers, Rinuccio and Lauretta - the former with a curiously tight vibrato, and quite a small voice that was often covered by the orchestra, the latter a gorgeous voice, also a little overwhelmed by the band; the freezing of the comedy for her aria was really breath-taking, and heightening this beautiful piece. All the venal relatives were brilliantly played and sung, as were the self-congratulatory doctor, and the lawyer and witnesses - and Richard Burkhard, channeling his inner Montalbano, was simply superb - a rich, resonant baritone for Schicchi, creeping effortlessly into falsetto as Donati.
The audience made very clear its appreciation at the end (as if the howls of laughter throughout hadn't already done so) - with still the loudest cheer for the Orchestra. A brilliant evening for everyone - those experiencing their first Live opera/ballet and the long-ago converted alike. It goes on tour from Friday to Salford, Nottingham, and newcastle, and shouldn't be missed.
And ... your evening will probably not be marred, as mine was, by the dulcet tones of Tárrega's Grand Valse chirripping from a Mobile Phone that hadn't been switched off from the seats just behind me! And when did this occur ... well, you know that silent bar just before the last phrase of O mio babbino caro? Well, it wasn't bloody silent that night!!!
All the instruments were the same, but Stravinsky (?) arranged it so that with doublings, their important moments could be played by the smaller number of players (a percussionist reaching over to play the Piccolo Timpani notes, another example). No lack of heft in the tuttis (allowing for the dry acoustic of Leeds Grand Theatre) - and this was a much, much more visceral performance of the score than the last time I heard it Live: the full scoring, LSO/Boulez in the Barbican in the early '90s.
- nothing mentioned in the Programme Book, which was a bit naughty.
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