Diary of a Culture Hedonist

As ever, one can only marvel at the double-decker stage design by Herbert Murauer. Still awesome. Karita Mattila made a fine Prima Donna / Ariadne. Still a wonderful quivering Straussian soprano voice. The Tenor / Bacchus, sung by Robert Sacca, was pretty good too. As ever, the band and Pappano gave their best.

Not at all sure about this production. While the Blackpool stage design gave it intrigue, it felt too "outdoor" and didn't have enough intimacy - especially when the male / female couples were together. Ryan Wigglesworth conducted the score well. Mary Bevan as Despina was almost funny. But one felt somewhat unfulfilled.

Jonas Kaufmann was clearly the star of the show. Superb singing. And the stage set by Paul Brown really worked - especially in Act II / the Boudoir scene where the voyeurs gave it that extra seedy quality. As ever, Pappano gave his best with this Puccini score.

Was this Benvenutto Cellini a crazy production? Terry Gilliam's direction gave it that crazy fantastical feel that married up to Berlioz's score. Michael Spyres sang and acted the Cellini role well. Corinne Winters as Teresa gave a fine performance. But it's to Edward Gardner who held everything tightly together.

New staging by Richard Jones, conducted by the new music director Robin Ticciati, and with a strong cast - there was much anticipation. The Marschallin, sung by Kate Royal, was well cast: a great voice with that Straussian sheen and enough gravitas to carry the role. Tara Erraught's Octavian was androgenous enough. Teodora Gheorghiu as Sophie was pretty good. Lars Woldt's rendition of Ochs was funny and tragic at the same time.  Now onto the set design (Paul Steinberg) - I thought it was funny in the first two acts with larger than live tables, neon signs and trappings. The last act didn't do it for me - the dining room scene was just too contrived. Luckily that didn't get in the way of the trio Hab' mir's gelobt . Still, the music shone where it needed - a rewarding Glyndebourne experience.

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.

Julian Anderson's first opera. A new commission from the ENO. Its music director at the helm. And an eagerly awaited production from Pierre Audi. There was much anticipation of this new opera in the musical world. Roland Wood's portrayal of Oepidus was superb, and with much gravitas. Julia Sporsén as Antigone sang the part well and delivered drama throughout the three acts - and the powerful final note. Matthew Best was pretty good as the non-sexual Tiresias. The chorus deserved a prize for learning the difficult parts and delivered with much gusto. Pierre Audi's production was powerful - especially in the first act when the dynamic movement of the different characters and the crowds really heightened the drama. Ed Gardner was superb in the pit - with clear directions (key to keep the choruses tidy) and enough breathing space for the drama to come through. The band was responsive and accurate (loved the contra-bassoon). And how was the music? It felt right. At times...