Elektra at the Royal Opera

It's the one after Salome and before Der Rosenkavalier. Elektra, for me, has always been an opera that one experiences, rather than enjoys. It's dark, yet melodic in places. There is not much character development, yet the drama moves forward.

From the sound of the first bar (and sitting close to the percussion department meant I could feel it too), it's a whirlwind of emotions. Christine Goerke was a bold yet dark Elektra with a commanding stage presence. Adrianne Pieczonka had a nice sheen on her voice which suited her role as Chrysothemis. Charles Edwards' production of Elektra remained a striking one.

The energetic Andris Nelsons maintained momentum and drive, and the somewhat exaggerated dynamics really made Strauss's score come alive. The audience held its breath until the last bar ... when all could breath easy again. Fantastic.

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Written On Skin at the Royal Opera

This was the first revival of George Benjamin's Written On Skin. As with contemporary operas, familiarity goes a long way in appreciating the work. In this revival, I found Christopher Purves's The Protector powerful and moving. Barbara Hannigan, who sang Agnès, was superb. The pure and slightly eerie tone of Iestyn Davies as The Boy completed the perfect cast.

Götterdämmerung at The Met

Carl Fillion's set design for The Ring at The Met caused a real stir at the premier. Though not having the luxury of seeing the whole Ring, I managed to get a ticket to see Götterdämmerung. Fabio Luisi at the helm of the large Met orchestra kept everything going. There was enough breathing space for the drama to unfold, and there were muscular moments that needed to punctuate the drama. Probably not as poised as Bernard Haitink at Covent Garden many years ago, or as gutsy as Antonio Pappano this season in the same house. But nonetheless very good. Deborah Voigt was a fine Brünhilde - as the role demands from beginning to end. Lars Cleveman was quite a believable Siegfried - youngish looking, jumps about, looking slightly naive on stage. Hans-Peter Köonig was OK - none of his phrases sent shiver down my spine as there was not enough evil. Back to the set. The rotating 'fingers' really worked (you can see them in this pic - sitting above the performers), especially

La Voix Humaine, Glyndebourne

Stéphanie d’Oustrac starred in this one act / single cast Poulenc opera. The minimalist stage (Caroline Ginet) consisted of a tilting platform with an old fashioned dial telephone. But that's all it took for the drama to unfold. d’Oustrac was able to draw us into her conversation, expressing the challenging feelings of frustration, anxiety, disappointment and dare we say hope? A superb performance it was.

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