English Touring Opera are delighted to announce a season of lyric monodramas to tour nationally from October to December. The season features music for solo singer and piano by Argento, Britten, Tippett and Shostakovich with a bold and inventive approach to making opera during social distancing.
This tenth of ten Live from London concerts was in fact a recorded live performance from California. It was no less enjoyable for that, and it was also uplifting to learn that this wasn’t in fact the ‘last’ LfL event that we will be able to enjoy, courtesy of VOCES8 and their fellow vocal ensembles (more below …).
Ever since Wigmore Hall announced their superb series of autumn concerts, all streamed live and available free of charge, I’d been looking forward to this song recital by Ian Bostridge and Imogen Cooper.
The Sixteen continues its exploration of Henry Purcell’s Welcome Songs for Charles II. As with Robert King’s pioneering Purcell series begun over thirty years ago for Hyperion, Harry Christophers is recording two Welcome Songs per disc.
Although Stile Antico’s programme article for their Live from London recital introduced their selection from the many treasures of the English Renaissance in the context of the theological debates and upheavals of the Tudor and Elizabethan years, their performance was more evocative of private chamber music than of public liturgy.
In February this year, Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho made a highly lauded debut recital at Wigmore Hall - a concert which both celebrated Opera Rara’s 50th anniversary and honoured the career of the Italian soprano Rosina Storchio (1872-1945), the star of verismo who created the title roles in Leoncavallo’s La bohème and Zazà, Mascagni’s Lodoletta and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
Evidently, face masks don’t stifle appreciative “Bravo!”s. And, reducing audience numbers doesn’t lower the volume of such acclamations. For, the audience at Wigmore Hall gave soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn and pianist Simon Lepper a greatly deserved warm reception and hearty response following this lunchtime recital of late-Romantic song.
Collapsology. Or, perhaps we should use the French word ‘Collapsologie’ because this is a transdisciplinary idea pretty much advocated by a series of French theorists - and apparently, mostly French theorists. It in essence focuses on the imminent collapse of modern society and all its layers - a series of escalating crises on a global scale: environmental, economic, geopolitical, governmental; the list is extensive.
For this week’s Live from London vocal recital we moved from the home of VOCES8, St Anne and St Agnes in the City of London, to Kings Place, where The Sixteen - who have been associate artists at the venue for some time - presented a programme of music and words bound together by the theme of ‘reflection’.
'Such is your divine Disposation that both you excellently understand, and royally entertaine the Exercise of Musicke.’
Amongst an avalanche of new Mahler recordings appearing at the moment (Das Lied von der Erde seems to be the most favoured, with three) this 1991 Mahler Second from the 2nd Kassel MahlerFest is one of the more interesting releases.
‘And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven … that old serpent … Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’
If there is one myth, it seems believed by some people today, that probably needs shattering it is that post-war recordings or performances of Wagner operas were always of exceptional quality. This 1949 Hamburg Tristan und Isolde is one of those recordings - though quite who is to blame for its many problems takes quite some unearthing.
There was never any doubt that the fifth of the twelve Met Stars Live in Concert broadcasts was going to be a palpably intense and vivid event, as well as a musically stunning and theatrically enervating experience.
‘Love’ was the theme for this Live from London performance by Apollo5. Given the complexity and diversity of that human emotion, and Apollo5’s reputation for versatility and diverse repertoire, ranging from Renaissance choral music to jazz, from contemporary classical works to popular song, it was no surprise that their programme spanned 500 years and several musical styles.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields have titled their autumn series of eight concerts - which are taking place at 5pm and 7.30pm on two Saturdays each month at their home venue in Trafalgar Square, and being filmed for streaming the following Thursday - ‘re:connect’.
The London Symphony Orchestra opened their Autumn 2020 season with a homage to Oliver Knussen, who died at the age of 66 in July 2018. The programme traced a national musical lineage through the twentieth century, from Britten to Knussen, on to Mark-Anthony Turnage, and entwining the LSO and Rattle too.
With the Live from London digital vocal festival entering the second half of the series, the festival’s host, VOCES8, returned to their home at St Annes and St Agnes in the City of London to present a sequence of ‘Choral Dances’ - vocal music inspired by dance, embracing diverse genres from the Renaissance madrigal to swing jazz.
Just a few unison string wriggles from the opening of Mozart’s overture to Le nozze di Figaro are enough to make any opera-lover perch on the edge of their seat, in excited anticipation of the drama in music to come, so there could be no other curtain-raiser for this Gala Concert at the Royal Opera House, the latest instalment from ‘their House’ to ‘our houses’.
"Before the ending of the day, creator of all things, we pray that, with your accustomed mercy, you may watch over us."
Polly Graham’s vision of Dido and Aeneas is earthy, vigorous and gritty. The artistic director of Longborough Festival Opera has overseen a production which brings together professional soloists, students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and a cast of more than 80 south-east London adults and children for this, the 12th, annual Blackheath Halls Community Opera.
Graham foregrounded Aeneas’ and Dido’s obvious physical passion as the Trojan Prince tussled with a vicious Sorcerer - a devil in a sharp grey suit who wooed wickedly and sought to win the Queen of Carthage for himself. The Sailor’s song - sung with delightful indelicacy by a swarthy Alun Butler - was a riotous celebration of imminent departure, goading the tinsel-bedecked Chorus to rowdily anticipate their arrival in the Italian capital: “Rome is Home” screeched the lofted banner.
Any doubts that Dido may have had about her fate would quickly have been dispelled from the start, by the sinister Spirits clad in silver-grey smocks who squatted on the floor around the Queen’s prone body, scribbling prophetic graffiti: “You are going to die”, “The Queen of Carthage is dead”, “Blood”, “Betray”, read the ominous chalk jottings, the twirling white script forming an ever-increasing spidery web on the black floor as the evening progressed. Graham suggests that the ominous words are no Delphic divination but rather the outer projection of Dido’s own, sometimes suppressed, consciousness, when she explains, ‘Our production is inspired by these words from the libretto, “Great minds against themselves conspire, and shun the cure they most desire”. The stage is Dido's mindscape. We see everything as a manifestation of her thoughts.’
And so, Dido’s depression and inner unrest at the start of the opera is projected through the storm with which we begin and which shipwrecks Aeneas and his people as they flee from Troy, after Jupiter’s commands to the Trojan Prince have boomed electronically and rather ear-splittingly across and around the Albany’s round theatre-space, sending the Trojans on their fateful journey to Rome. Elliot Griggs’ lighting conjured thunder and tempest, as the singers of Blackheath Halls Opera Chorus floundered noisily, desperately seeking the safety of the Carthaginian shore. The Choruses generally may not have been ‘crisp’ but they were hearty, well-tuned, and the words were clear.
Founded in 2007, this year BHCO has been forced to decamp from its familiar home - the Blackheath Halls are currently undergoing a £3 million refurbishment - to The Albany Theatre in nearby Deptford. The theatre-in-the-round, skirted by a narrow circle of seats at ground level and in the balcony, proved eminently suitable for Graham’s concept, providing a large space across with the chorus could present the opera through physical and visual gestures as much as through song and music.
And, the physical movement was energetic, noisy, and sometimes a little chaotic, as the Chorus gossiped and laughed, whooped and stamped - sometimes obliterating the buoyant dances which conductor Lee Reynolds was inspiring from the excellent small instrumental ensemble - and carried in and assembled the constituents parts of a banqueting table. But, the spirit was one of vigour and life. The community chorus ran energetically about the auditorium and up into the balcony, peering at the action from the gallery - and occasionally blocking the audience sight-lines! - as Graham sought to use every inch of the available space.
The professional cast were excellent, and it must have been inspiring for both the Conservatoire singers and the members of the community to sing alongside them. German mezzo-soprano Idunnu Münch was the eponymous Queen, making her UK premiere after several years at Oper Stuttgart. Münch has a lovely rich voice, just perfect for passionate Queen of Graham’s conception; at first, I feared that she might misjudge the venue - her voice is large and she employed a very full vibrato in her first aria of despair, ‘Ah Belinda, I am prest with torment’, but she quickly found the measure of the acoustic and portrayed the Queen as a very ‘real’ woman, using every colour and nuance to win our sympathy. I’m not sure why this Dido seemed so shocked by her profusely bleeding wound given that it is self-inflicted, but Münch carried off Dido’s moments of delight and distress with equal dramatic conviction. ‘When I am laid in earth’ was truly touching, and the apparent resurrection of Dido’s spirit, as her prone body was strewn with red poppy petals by the children of the Chorus, was consoling.
Marcus Farnsworth was relaxed of voice and movement as the denimed Aeneas, though he took quite a battering from the pummelling fists of the children furious at his betrayal. Farnsworth and Münch conjured some credible regal ‘chemistry’, and he conveyed Aeneas’ honest love and subsequent confusion. Alison Rose’s lovely clean sound was a perfect complement to Münch, and she made Belinda a more supportive companion to the Queen than is sometimes the case, projecting beautifully when she sang from the balcony.
Only the descent of some wintery branches from the ceiling hinted at the arrival of the Sorcerer’s fearful voice from aloft. There was a touch of Britten’s Oberon when William Towers descended and set about luring the Queen into his sensual snare, particularly when, Pied Piper-like, the children joined his pack of witches, trailing behind their master - evil, masked acolytes. Towers’ microphone-assisted command, in the guise of ‘Mercury’, to Aeneas, to remind him of his destiny in Rome, was strange and sinister.
The students from Trinity Laban made impressive contributions, especially Sofia Celenza who exhibited vocal and physical poise in the role of the Second Woman.
Graham’s Dido may not have been quite what Purcell imagined when he conceived the opera for the genteel ladies of Josias Priest’s Chelsea boarding school (if that was indeed where the opera was first performed), but it was true to the work’s humanity, and performed with commitment and not inconsiderable charm.
Claire Seymour
Blackheath Halls Opera 2018: Purcell - Dido & Aeneas
Dido - Idunnu Münch, Aeneas - Marcus Farnsworth, The Sorcerer - William Towers, Belinda - Alison Rose, Second Woman - Sofia Celenza*, First Witch - Rebecca Leggett*, Second Witch - Jennifer Mitchell*, Spirits (Guste Sinkeviciute, Jude Smith, Laura Kislick, Leia Joyce, Stanislaw Kochanowski-Tym, Zarofina Farodoye), Sailor - Alun Butler, Chorus leaders* (Katy Allen, Jennifer Barwise, Emily Kirby Ashmore, Charlotte Levesley); Director - Polly Graham, Musical Director - Lee Reynolds, Designer - April Dalton, Lighting Designer - Elliot Griggs, Movement Director - Francesca Mangiacasale, Blackheath Halls Opera Chorus, Blackheath Halls Orchestra, Pupils from Charlton Park Academy, Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir.
Albany Theatre, Deptford; Monday 16th July 2018.
* Students at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance