Gloriana at the ROH

[Belgrove]

Britten's Gloriana returns to Covent Garden this Thursday in a new Richard Jones production conducted by Paul Daniel and with Susan Bullock as Elizabeth. Good to see Toby Spence back too. R3 is broadcasting a live performance on June 29. I have only seen this once before in Opera North's effective production during the early 90's with Josephine Barstow's penetrating and steely portrayal of the ageing Queen.

I have always enjoyed Jones' work and will be seeing it next Saturday - anyone else going?

[salymap]

I thinkI attended the premiere -either that or second performance. [It's such a long time ago.Critics hated it but I loved it.

WHY can't we have opera on BBC4 as we did ages ago. I really like to see and hear the work.

[Mary Chambers]

I'm hoping to go to the cinema screening a week on Monday. Perhaps there'll eventually be a DVD.

[VodkaDilc]

I saw it at Sadler's Wells - so I'm guessing that was late 60s. I'm looking forward to seeing it in a couple of weeks. (I think my tickets are for the performance which is being broadcast.)

[LeMartinPecheur]

I'm hoping to go to the cinema screening a week on Monday. Perhaps there'll eventually be a DVD.

My cinema seat in Truro is already booked

Sadly, I've missed all the other relays.

[Belgrove]

Richard Jones' favourite period is the 1950's, and this production is a village hall pageant set at the time of the coronation and the opera's premier. It works, the amateur theatricals (slyly executed with great professionalism) making sense of the extended masque and the rather ropey libretto.

Let's be honest, this is not top draw Britten, the quality of the music is variable. I particularly liked the pizzicato and celesta scoring of the garden scene, but most of the best music and drama occurs in Act 3, onwards from when Essex bursts in on the unprepared Elizabeth and is confronted by a visage of Churchill in a pink dressing gown. It is the private scenes that remain the most memorable.

Susan Bullock sounded much lighter toned than of late, certainly more stable than her Brunnhilde - it is not a voice of great beauty however. Toby Spence as Essex took the palm, both for his acting and singing. Delighted that he has made a recovery from the terrible illness. He seems to be the outstanding performer in everything I see him in. Paul Daniel did not make much of the score, but I wonder if this is necessarily his fault. Great chorus.

Richard Jones makes first rate productions of works of lesser rank (Il trittico, Anna Nicole...). He's done it again for the ROH. Definitely more rewards to watch than to purely listen.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm really rather excited that it's being streamed to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.

[Frances_iom]

saw last night's production - agree with AH - it worked tho at times somewhat surprised that the audience didn't burst out laughing with, rather than at, the period village hall production being portrayed tho I felt that Britten should have tightened the somewhat over length acts - but the 2nd half is much tighter, bits of more mature Britten can be recognised in the music and make a fitting and thoughful conclusion.

[VodkaDilc]

This weekend's reviews in The Guardian and The Observer both sound encouraging - if you ignore the sniping about the libretto. I am looking forward to my trip to the ROH on Saturday.
It makes me wish I'd also booked for Death in Venice at ENO this week - but at least that's on TV tomorrow.

[Mary Chambers]

Most of the libretto is all right. The descents into cod-Elizabethan aren't very frequent, and I don't really mind them.

In preparation for the cinema transmission, I've been watching my DVD of the ENO production with Sarah Walker and Anthony Rolfe Johnson, which is straightforward spectacular grand opera, as Britten intended. I don't find it over-long at all, so perhaps if Richard Jones's production seems so it is his fault or the conductor's. I'll reserve judgement!

[VodkaDilc]

Most of the libretto is all right. The descents into cod-Elizabethan aren't very frequent, and I don't really mind them.

In preparation for the cinema transmission, I've been watching my DVD of the ENO production with Sarah Walker and Anthony Rolfe Johnson, which is straightforward spectacular grand opera, as Britten intended. I don't find it over-long at all, so perhaps if Richard Jones's production seems so it is his fault or the conductor's. I'll reserve judgement!

I'm pleased to hear that, Mary. Fiona Maddocks seems somewhat obsessed by the "dire cod-Elizabethiana text by William Plomer". The full review in The Observer is more favourable:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jun/23/gloriana-britten-66th-aldeburgh-festival-review

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

It's been most interesting comparing reviews in so far. Most tend to fall into two camps:

1. Gloriana is an underrated work, but Richard Jones' 1953 'village hall' production doesn't take it seriously
2. Gloriana is poor Britten and Richard Jones has created a brilliant production

I fall into the former.

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=954:gloriana-royal-opera-20th-june-2013-&catid=8:opera-reviews&Itemid=16

[VodkaDilc]

It's been most interesting comparing reviews in so far. Most tend to fall into two camps:

1. Gloriana is an underrated work, but Richard Jones' 1953 'village hall' production doesn't take it seriously
2. Gloriana is poor Britten and Richard Jones has created a brilliant production

I fall into the former.
http://www.opera-britannia.com/index...iews&Itemid=16

Interesting! One question: bearing in mind Britten's lack of enthusiasm for Elgar, did he really use the description 'stuck pigs' to describe the Gloriana audience? He must have known the famous quote from Elgar at the first performance of the Second Symphony?

I can't quite get to grips with the 'village hall performance within a performance' idea. Perhaps it will be more effective when I see it on Saturday - it sounds very contrived.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Interesting! One question: bearing in mind Britten's lack of enthusiasm for Elgar, did he really use the description 'stuck pigs' to describe the Gloriana audience? He must have known the famous quote from Elgar at the first performance of the Second Symphony?

He did indeed, in a letter of 11th June 1953.

I can't quite get to grips with the 'village hall performance within a performance' idea. Perhaps it will be more effective when I see it on Saturday - it sounds very contrived.

To me, it undermines the opera proper. By referencing our current monarch, it surely points to reminders of the failure of its 1953 premiere. Also - and I found this a more serious issue - by having the 1953 village hall 'backstage staff' constantly on-stage, it got in the way of the Tudor drama being presented. If you could filter out events taking place at the sides of the stage, you'd have an infinitely stronger production.

[salymap]

A friend's mother who had a West End tobacconist's shop was given three tickets by a customer, which is how I and two friends sat in a very good box at the ROH forwhat must have been the premiere.

I remember how surprised I was to read next day of the failure of the work. It's a long time ago but, as I've remarked to Mary before, the audience seemed happy.

Sadly, allmy programmes were thrown away years ago but would love to be reminded of the original cast. Perhaps I could wiki/google for it.

I do remember the gasp when Elizabeth was caught sans wig, also the laugh when the line 'He's reached the kneeling stage, I'll get him a cushion' came.

I'd loveto see that cast again but time moves onward