Theodora - ROH

[hmvman]

Clearly Theodora is 'in' at the moment: https://slippedisc.com/2022/02/an-en...-handel-opera/ (I think this must be a cut-and-past press release)

I imagine that the ticket prices will be a little less than for Covent Garden...

[Belgrove]

The purpose of any review is to provide a recommendation, which is now entirely superfluous since I attended the last performance in the run on Wednesday evening, but, after a gap of 270 years, the ROH have made a production for the ages. It was a magnificent rethinking of the piece and contained some of the most ravishing singing I have heard. Reading the programme afterwards, it’s clear that according to the director Katie Mitchell, I completely got the wrong end of her stick. She sees the piece through a resolutely feminist lens. The essays speak of ‘ownership’ and ‘agency’ of events experienced by the female characters, and although this was clear, it was rather the portrayal of the Christians as militant fundamentalist ‘terrorists’ that struck me as being the more radical, resonant and relevant reappraisal of the oratorio’s original scenario. Indeed, were the Christians portrayed as being of another religion, one can only imagine the furore that could have ensued?

The Da capo form requires the director to find ways of intervening if the drama is not to come to a halt, and Mitchell’s use of slo-mo during the arias (first used in ‘As with rosy steps the morn’, to stunning effect) is an elegant solution that manages to advance the drama outside of the recitatives but without detracting from the music’s beauty.

The production is located in an ‘alternative present’, within the embassy of an oppressive police state. The set was a sliding box, like a strip of film, comprising five rooms and vestibules in which the Christians are forced workers in the service areas of the Roman embassy, with a grand but sterile function room, and adjoining private lounge and bedroom. Some remarkably agile pole-dancers do their stuff in these lurid, red private chambers - who’d have thought that Handel’s music could provide an apt accompaniment to such gyrations.

Although the chorus and orchestra of Covent Garden are not especially familiar of this repertoire, they sang and played with distinction under Harry Bicket’s direction. Julia Bullock and Joyce Didonato as Theodora and Irene respectively sang and acted beautifully, but it was Jakub Jóseph Orliński as Didymus that simply stunned me. It’s always a shock to hear a counter-tenor’s voice for the first time in any work, it is such an incongruous and unworldly sound. Orliński’s voice is unearthly beautiful, indeed it is heavenly! From the very opening of his is initial aria ‘The raptur’d soul defies the sword’, the world seemed to stop turning, and his final duet with Theodora, (as they are put to death in the embassy’s cold store), ‘Streams of pleasure ever flowing’ simply ravished the senses. To reveal what happens during the final eulogistic chorus would be to spoil a remarkable coup de theatre.

As duncan mentioned, cameras were present at some performances, so there will a record of this production for posterity. Or get a ticket at Madrid’s Teatro Real. However you experience it, do try to see this important and sublime piece of music theatre.

[LHC]

The purpose of any review is to provide a recommendation, which is now entirely superfluous since I attended the last performance in the run on Wednesday evening, but, after a gap of 270 years, the ROH have made a production for the ages. It was a magnificent rethinking of the piece and contained some of the most ravishing singing I have heard. Reading the programme afterwards, it’s clear that according to the director Katie Mitchell, I completely got the wrong end of her stick. She sees the piece through a resolutely feminist lens. The essays speak of ‘ownership’ and ‘agency’ of events experienced by the female characters, and although this was clear, it was rather the portrayal of the Christians as militant fundamentalist ‘terrorists’ that struck me as being the more radical, resonant and relevant reappraisal of the oratorio’s original scenario. Indeed, were the Christians portrayed as being of another religion, one can only imagine the furore that could have ensued?

The Da capo form requires the director to find ways of intervening if the drama is not to come to a halt, and Mitchell’s use of slo-mo during the arias (first used in ‘As with rosy steps the morn’, to stunning effect) is an elegant solution that manages to advance the drama outside of the recitatives but without detracting from the music’s beauty.

The production is located in an ‘alternative present’, within the embassy of an oppressive police state. The set was a sliding box, like a strip of film, comprising five rooms and vestibules in which the Christians are forced workers in the service areas of the Roman embassy, with a grand but sterile function room, and adjoining private lounge and bedroom. Some remarkably agile pole-dancers do their stuff in these lurid, red private chambers - who’d have thought that Handel’s music could provide an apt accompaniment to such gyrations.

Although the chorus and orchestra of Covent Garden are not especially familiar of this repertoire, they sang and played with distinction under Harry Bicket’s direction. Julia Bullock and Joyce Didonato as Theodora and Irene respectively sang and acted beautifully, but it was Jakub Jóseph Orliński as Didymus that simply stunned me. It’s always a shock to hear a counter-tenor’s voice for the first time in any work, it is such an incongruous and unworldly sound. Orliński’s voice is unearthly beautiful, indeed it is heavenly! From the very opening of his is initial aria ‘The raptur’d soul defies the sword’, the world seemed to stop turning, and his final duet with Theodora, (as they are put to death in the embassy’s cold store), ‘Streams of pleasure ever flowing’ simply ravished the senses. To reveal what happens during the final eulogistic chorus would be to spoil a remarkable coup de theatre.

As duncan mentioned, cameras were present at some performances, so there will a record of this production for posterity. Or get a ticket at Madrid’s Teatro Real. However you experience it, do try to see this important and sublime piece of music theatre.

I saw the performance on Monday, and would agree with pretty much all of this, and especially your comments about Jakub Josef Orlinski. He really was sensational; an exceptionally beautiful voice allied to great technique and tremendous feeling for the text. I suspect his experience as a break dancer was instrumental in the decision to get him to join in the pole dancing (its difficult to imagine another counter tenor being able to take on the role with the same level of commitment if and when it is revived).

I also thought this was the most successful production I have seen by Katie Mitchell, and so much better than her risible Lucia di Lammermoor a few years ago. There were a few aspect of the production that were familiar from her previous productions. the multi-room set with action taking place in the rooms not containing the singers was also a feature of the Lucia (although much more successful here), and she made similar use of slow motion in Written on Skin. I did wonder though whether the audience at the back of the amphitheatre could see all the on-stage action given the very low ceilings used for the set.

The only points that I thought were a little questionable were the ending, which was at complete variance with what is written in the libretto/score, and the characterisation of Septimius, which seemed to me to present him as a more duplicitous and untrustworthy character than is intended in the score. However, on both counts, I thought this worked within the context of this particular production. I do hope that a filmed version is made available as I would love another chance to see and hear this again with this cast, if only to be able to hear Bullock and Orlinski once more in that final duet.

One of my best nights at the Opera House.

[Belgrove]

Opera on 3 will be broadcasting this on 5/3 at 6.30pm.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014ygb

[Ein Heldenleben]

My word the singing in this is exceptional . The line , the phrasing , the breath control in that last aria (Joyce D ?) was out of this world .Worth £245 just for that!