Gloriana at the ROH

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Here's a link:

http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/Default.aspx

Ah, I see Belgrove is already on the case.

When it first launched, I found the ROH archive patchy at best, with only selected performances/ productions online, but it was filled out excellently. Lots of people were going around last week saying that Gloriana hasn't been seen at the ROH since 1954, but a search of their database revealed the two Opera North performances there in the 90s.

[hmvman]

Just back from seeing it at my local cinema. I enjoyed it tremendously and I liked the 'play within a play' staging. First-rate singing and mostly clear diction, especially from Susan Bullock. I thought hers was a compelling performance. Orchestra playing and sound superb too.

On a high!

[rauschwerk]

Just back from seeing it at my local cinema. I enjoyed it tremendously and I liked the 'play within a play' staging. First-rate singing and mostly clear diction, especially from Susan Bullock. I thought hers was a compelling performance. Orchestra playing and sound superb too.

Agreed! Susan Bullock didn't have quite the power in her lower register that I would have liked, but she held plenty in reserve for the gripping final scene. Even in Colchester, which I have always taken to be a more cultured town than Ipswich, the audience was very small - just a few dozen. Extraordinary.

[hmvman]

Even in Colchester, which I have always taken to be a more cultured town than Ipswich, the audience was very small - just a few dozen. Extraordinary.

Yes, I was disappointed at the small audience in York. Generally, the opera and ballet cinecasts are very well supported.

[Stanfordian]

Just back from seeing it at my local cinema. I enjoyed it tremendously and I liked the 'play within a play' staging. First-rate singing and mostly clear diction, especially from Susan Bullock. I thought hers was a compelling performance. Orchestra playing and sound superb too.

On a high!

I saw it in Preston. There were around 20 there.

[Mary Chambers]

I love Gloriana. The music is wonderful, the libretto not nearly as bad as some people say, and the portrait of the first Elizabeth compelling.

I was only half looking forward to seeing this production in the cinema, because I'd read quite a lot about it and didn't like the sound of it at all. Other productions I've seen by Richard Jones haven't impressed me - the ridiculous Wozzeck in the baked bean factory, the absurd Hansel and Gretel. Both of those ignore the music, and I found them extremely pretentious.

His Gloriana wasn't as bad as those, but I still thought it pretty bad. All the 50s village hall business added nothing as far as I was concerned, and subtracted quite a lot. One thing that just shouldn't be done with this opera is make it look cut-price, and the settings were presumably part of Jones's concept as well as the designer's. The ending was the only part I found good enough.

The musical performance, luckily, was of a high standard. My passion for good diction was totally satisfied
, which is very rare. Although I'm not very keen on the timbre of Susan Bullock's voice, it served her well in this, and her portrayal of the Queen was as good as any. Toby Spence was perfectly cast, and his voice was strong, which is comforting to hear, though I don't think it's quite up to its former beauty yet. All the minor parts were well done, and I particularly liked Kate Royal's 'dark Penelope', Lady Rich. Dancing was good - my goodness, wasn't the young man who danced Time thin? - chorus fine, orchestra excellent, though I think a little more energy was needed in the conducting sometimes.

I wasn't prepared for the first two acts to be run together. I'd read this only happened on Saturdays. I wonder if it happened in the theatre, or if there was a bit of a time lapse involved? It made the first half very long, though perhaps it was necessary from a time point of view. The performance still lasted half an hour longer than we were told it would. Of course, if some of the silly silent 50s stage-shifting had been omitted, this would have been less of a problem.

As you have probably gathered, my verdict is that it was a fine performance of a rather poor production.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I very much agree with your assessment, Mary.

I wasn't prepared for the first two acts to be run together. I'd read this only happened on Saturdays. I wonder if it happened in the theatre, or if there was a bit of a time lapse involved? It made the first half very long, though perhaps it was necessary from a time point of view. The performance still lasted half an hour longer than we were told it would. Of course, if some of the silly silent 50s stage-shifting had been omitted, this would have been less of a problem.

Acts I and II run together in all performances of this production. Yes, it does make for a very long first half, longer still with the scene shifting.

[ROHbroadcast]

Just back from seeing it at my local cinema. I enjoyed it tremendously and I liked the 'play within a play' staging. First-rate singing and mostly clear diction, especially from Susan Bullock. I thought hers was a compelling performance. Orchestra playing and sound superb too.

On a high!

Really glad you enjoyed it :) As I was doing the sound mix on this, you've made me very happy!

Yes, I was disappointed at the small audience in York. Generally, the opera and ballet cinecasts are very well supported.

Sadly this seems to have been the case (based on the twitter feed, which is pretty much our only feedback) - a pity, most of the others we have done this season have done really well.

There was no time lapse or anything else involved - it was very much Live.

Still, onwards - it's live on Radio 3 tomorrow.

Mark Thackeray
Broadcast Engineer, Royal Opera House

[amateur51]

Really glad you enjoyed it :) As I was doing the sound mix on this, you've made me very happy!



Sadly this seems to have been the case (based on the twitter feed, which is pretty much our only feedback) - a pity, most of the others we have done this season have done really well.

There was no time lapse or anything else involved - it was very much Live.

Still, onwards - it's live on Radio 3 tomorrow.

Mark Thackeray
Broadcast Engineer, Royal Opera House

Many thanks for this Mark - and welcome aboard

[David-G]

I saw Gloriana on Monday at the Opera House. I could offer a few picky criticisms, but basically I enjoyed it very much. About two weeks ago I saw Falstaff at Glyndebourne, also with Jones and Ultz. All sorts of production touches in Gloriana seemed to derive from their Falstaff! Welcome ROHBroadcast! I saw your cameras. (Question: why don't carriage returns work in the "reply to thread" window? I cannot start a new paragraph.)

[Flosshilde]

Can't decide if Susan Bullock's voice is OK given that the character is an aging Queen, or if it's not.

Listening to it (the opera, not SB's voice) I'm struck by how sensual (or sensuous?) Britten's music is.

[Resurrection Man]

Can't decide if Susan Bullock's voice is OK given that the character is an aging Queen, or if it's not.

Listening to it (the opera, not SB's voice) I'm struck by how sensual (or sensuous?) Britten's music is.

IMO....it's not. Really disappointed with her Brunhilde and this performance did little to change my opinion as I switched off and put a CD on.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Can't decide if Susan Bullock's voice is OK given that the character is an aging Queen, or if it's not.

I think the fact that her character is a monarch in decline suits the state of her voice rather well. I didn't hear her Brunnhilde at Covent Garden, but know folks who did. One, in particular, was very glad he didn't have to write a review of The Ring.

[VodkaDilc]

His Gloriana wasn't as bad as those, but I still thought it pretty bad. All the 50s village hall business added nothing as far as I was concerned, and subtracted quite a lot. One thing that just shouldn't be done with this opera is make it look cut-price, and the settings were presumably part of Jones's concept as well as the designer's. The ending was the only part I found good enough.

I went to see it at Covent Garden on Saturday. I found the village hall setting a huge distraction; often it was amusing to watch, but it certainly took one's attention away from the action. (I found myself constantly watching the "Imogen Holst-type" figure who stood in the wings giving dance direction.) The long delays for scene changes must have been mystifying for radio audiences.
The opera itself was enjoyable and I liked all the main singers. I am still irritated by surtitles for operas in English. I could hear almost all the words and the flickering words above the stage were a distraction. Significantly there were no surtitles for the spoken words, which were, to me, less audible than the sung ones.

Since this was my first visit to the ROH since the redevelopment, I was amazed at the transformation. Not wishing to adapt the phrase used by the V&A some years ago, but it did strike me as a posh restaurant/bar with a theatre attached! And it still attracts the 'social' rather than 'musical' crowd in the more expensive seats. Overheard as I walked downstairs at the interval: "Is it over now?"

[VodkaDilc]

When I read that this had been released on DVD I decided it was not something I'd want to see repeatedly. It would be good to see it once though - and I see that Sky Arts is showing it later this month as part of an impressive nightly array of ROH productions. Every night at 8pm from next Monday for most of March there's an opera or ballet from Covent Garden. It certainly justifies the subscription. This is the reason I began paying for Sky all those years ago when Jeremy Isaacs launched ArtsWorld.