Faust
It's not often that one gets a 94% discount on Grand Tier tickets to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, so who was I to miss out? Yesterday was the last night of David McVicar's production of Gounod's Faust, a veritable all-singing, all-dancing feast of the patriotic, divine, infernal and downright macabre. Faust marked soprano Katie van Kooten's début in the role of Marguerite, the chaste heroine who falls for the protagonist's charms and is ostracized after bearing his illegitimate child. van Kooten was by far the best of the soloists, with an unforced, silky, clear voice that seemed equally comfortable throughout the range. This was a stark comparison with Piotr Beczala's Faust, who took a while to warm up and went on some very off-key excursions in Act I. Orlin Anastassov was excellent as Méphistophélès, deftly disguising his evil intentions with playful charm. Della Jones as Marthe Schwerlein was, however, a huge disappointment, with some very forced vocals and poor French.
The choruses were a highlight of the evening, all excellent and visually stunning, particularly Gloire immortelle at the start of Act IV, with shameless trooping and waving of the tricolore that had you wishing for the 1812 overture, cannons, and a fat lady singing La Marseillaise.
But the evening will be remembered for the grotesque creatures of the underworld: break-dancing demons, can-can dancers in Satan's cabaret and vulgar, slithering, spitting, tutu-wearing, ballet-dancing witches, shamelessly prancing, mooning, feigning orgies and sneering at the guilt-laden Faust in cruel mockery. The grandiose scale was facilitated by some elaborate and imaginative sets, including an on-stage cathedral organ, Marguerite's first floor balcony, and a mock Giselle set for the dancing witches.
All in all, one of the best 94% discounts you'll ever get!
Incidentally, I've been making good use of my Barbican membership, having booked tickets for six other things this week! So here are some reviews for you to look forward to:
The Gotan Project (l'Olympia Hall, Paris, Oct 5th)
Yasmin Levy (Union Chapel Islington, Oct 18th)
Qawwali Flamenco (Barbican Hall, Oct 23rd)
Madredeus (Barbican Hall, Nov 2nd)
Michel Camalo and Tomatito (Barbican Hall, Nov 15th)
Shostakovich 10 & 12, Mariinsky/Gergiev (Barbican Hall, Dec 6th)
Romeo & Juliet, Mokhwa Repertory Company (Barbican Theatre, Dec 7th)
Bach's St. John's Passion, Collegium Vocale Gent/Herreweghe (Barbican Hall, Apr 5th)
Murray Perahia (Barbican Hall, Apr 23rd)
The choruses were a highlight of the evening, all excellent and visually stunning, particularly Gloire immortelle at the start of Act IV, with shameless trooping and waving of the tricolore that had you wishing for the 1812 overture, cannons, and a fat lady singing La Marseillaise.
But the evening will be remembered for the grotesque creatures of the underworld: break-dancing demons, can-can dancers in Satan's cabaret and vulgar, slithering, spitting, tutu-wearing, ballet-dancing witches, shamelessly prancing, mooning, feigning orgies and sneering at the guilt-laden Faust in cruel mockery. The grandiose scale was facilitated by some elaborate and imaginative sets, including an on-stage cathedral organ, Marguerite's first floor balcony, and a mock Giselle set for the dancing witches.
All in all, one of the best 94% discounts you'll ever get!
Incidentally, I've been making good use of my Barbican membership, having booked tickets for six other things this week! So here are some reviews for you to look forward to:
The Gotan Project (l'Olympia Hall, Paris, Oct 5th)
Yasmin Levy (Union Chapel Islington, Oct 18th)
Qawwali Flamenco (Barbican Hall, Oct 23rd)
Madredeus (Barbican Hall, Nov 2nd)
Michel Camalo and Tomatito (Barbican Hall, Nov 15th)
Shostakovich 10 & 12, Mariinsky/Gergiev (Barbican Hall, Dec 6th)
Romeo & Juliet, Mokhwa Repertory Company (Barbican Theatre, Dec 7th)
Bach's St. John's Passion, Collegium Vocale Gent/Herreweghe (Barbican Hall, Apr 5th)
Murray Perahia (Barbican Hall, Apr 23rd)
posted by CCT at 9:19 am
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