Diary of a Culture Hedonist

A wonderful cast (Nancy Carroll, Oliver Chris, Rachel Redford and Rufus Sewell) delivering powerful lines. The character projection from Nancy Carroll and Rachel Redford was particularly strong. Took me a while to get the hang of the story line.

The house was decked with too many gimmicks. Otherwise it was an OK Mahagonny. Not convinced by Anne Sofie von Otter as Leocadia Begbick. The amplification of the dialogue was annoying to begin with, but got better. Glad to have seen it, but not rushing back any time soon.

A good performance of the Mastersingers. A slow start in the first act, but otherwise it was good. Not too convinced by the village fete judging of shoes and bread ... Big sound from everyone - just as well.

Egils Silins was a fantastic replacement for Bryn Terfel as Dutchman - he was a little more rugged, more pensive, more torn. And Adrianne Pieczonka was a superb Senta. The chorus was punchy - and I'd say the men won. Ed Lyon as Steersman added a little fizz on stage. But the real joy of the evening was Andris Nelsons in the pit - he got the orchestra to play slower, played the details, layered the sound and took risks to accommodate the drama happening on stage. Yes the ensemble rocked a little from time to time, but the price was well worth the high definition immersive experience.

A very grand opera indeed. David McVicar put much realism in this production of Andrea Chénier - all the details of a turbulent time in Paris. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek were a perfect match - exquite voices with superb acting. And Pappano gave his very best in the pit. Let's hope we don't have to wait for another 30 years again.

OMG Nina Stemme was absolutely fabulous as Isolde - not only she had that BIG Wagnerian voice, she also did an amazing job at acting the role. Stephen Gould was a pretty good Tristan - strong stage presence and the right kind of voice (apart from the odd wayward moments). I continue to be amazed to see Sarah Connolly in Wagnerian roles (this time as Brangäne), when not so long ago she was still doing Handel trouser-roles. She was fab, stole the show in Act 2. And the production? I forgot I'd seen it. So it was that memorable. And then I remembered how distracting it was. Perhaps someone should explain to the audience what was going on with those curtains. Never mind. Pappano gets Wagner. Full stop.

The set by Chantal Thomas works - there was depth and height, and the production made full use of it. Vittorio Grigolo was superb as Nemorino - just the right degree of madness. Lucy Crowe's Adina was a little static at the beginning, but got better as the act went on. Bryn Terfel was almost playing his laid back self. Daniele Rustioni did a good job giving this performance a real fizz.