Skip to main content

Il trittico at the Royal Opera

YES! The new opera season has just started after a dreary British Summer. The last time I saw Il trittico was at the ENO years ago. Don't remember much part from hearing O mio babbino caro in the context of Gianni Schicchi. I was rather excited to see the triptych staged by the Royal Opera House.

Il tabarro: Eva-Maria Westbroek was a very powerful Giorgetta - with all those torn emotions fully expressed. Lucio Gallo sang Michele switching between rage and resignation. Ultz's design was stark yet atmospheric. There were sufficient background movements (the odd sailor, or strolling evening couple) to keep the set real without being too distracting.

Suor angelica: Ermonela Jaho was Angelica - where her voice darted from the cool / calm sister, to a penitent nun, to a distressed mother. All delivered wonderfully. I loved the moment when everyone froze on stage after Angelica's death - like someone pressed the Pause button on a DVD.

Gianni Schicchi: This was the same Royal Opera production that paired with L'heure espagnole a few seasons back. This revival brought the same fun and whimsical elements about. Francesco Demuro who sang the lover of Schicchi's daughter was a voice to watch.

And what an evening with such rich emotional textures, sound worlds and contexts - brought about by Pappano. There was some very good playing in Il tabarro with those very modern harmonies. The ensembles were rock solid all the way through. What a great way to start the new opera season.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Opera

Michael Levine's set design for Dialogues des Carmélites was minimalist. Actually, was there any set design? I suppose the director Robert Carsen was clever at introducing formation of human figures in many different ways to suggest the context of the opera. It kind of worked. Blanche, sung by Sally Matthews, was pretty good. Though I did find the whole work quite tedious - I think the intimate nature of the dialogues needed a small and intimate performing space i.e. not the Royal Opera House. The ending was worth waiting for. Dramatic. Poignant.

Xuan Spa, Park Hyatt Saigon

After a long day on my feet travelling from frantic Bangkok to Saigon, I very much looked forward to a relaxing massage before going to bed. The Xuan Spa was a very pleasant surprise. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere of the spa was tranquil - a world away from the screaming mopeds on the streets outside. The therapy room was big, with an en suite shower and lovely foot bath. The massage was good - classical Swedish - and at a leisurely pace. Subsequently I had a very good night's sleep.

Aqua Nueva serving up some hot Spanish snacks in London

It's just about a month old when Aqua opened in London. And yes, it's the same Aqua as the one on No 1 Peking Road. Well, the entrance on Argyll Street makes a bit of a statement - crimson velvet decor with a sleekly dressed receptionist guiding you to the lift. When you get to the top floor, it opens out into a series of bar and dining areas. My destination was Aqua Nueva - the Spanish part of this drinking-dining complex. That meant I was guided along an atmospherically lit corridor before I got to the the restaurant. It's well lit with a terrace looking out to a roof top terrace. Unlike Aqua in Hong Kong where it has the spectacular harbour view, the London one only looks out to a roof-top view. Rather than wading through the tapas and a la carte menus, I just asked the maitre d' to bring a selection of their tapas. I was pleasant surprised by the delicate croquette of mushrooms, lightly cooked octopus, braised pork, San Pietro fillets, Manchengo topped tortilla a...