I've been attending opera for nearly 35 years now.
In that time, I've attended an extraordinary variety of operas and have attended many staple works a number of times. Back in 2005, as I completed a decade of writing in this Journal, I looked back over ten years of opera going. As well as looking back, that review also looked forwards. What did I still want to see.
When I began this Journal the list would have included
Gradually, I have been picking them off until now only two had remained and, in fact, one of those has now been picked off too. Only the Verdi remains.
This turned out to be one of my very quick hit and run style visits to the capital. Down on the Saturday afternoon and back on the Sunday morning. Well, I was there for the opera and that's how it remained.
I did spend some time in the National Portrait Gallery and really liked a portrait of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The painting shows the earl to be a very naughty boy indeed. He is in a state of mild disrobement and has a look of pure mischief in his eyes. Historically, he was one of Shakespeare's patrons and was known to be flamboyant - a euphemism then and now for batting on both sides sexually speaking. Sometime I must re-visit the gallery and take out one of the audio tours.
Anyhow, I was then off to West London to Opera Holland Park. This semi-open air
venue has contributed much to my broad knowledge of the repertoire. Over the years,
I've attended Pietro Mascagni's Iris,
Francesco Cilea's L'Arlesiana and
Adriana Lecouvreur and now Léo
Delibes' Lakmé.
Once again, the company didn't disappoint. They told the tale simply without messing
up the setting, plot or characters. And, funnily enough, the contemporary relevance
of the imperial occupation of an Eastern culture came through without any directorial
underlining. Allison Bell gave us her utmost in the title rôle. She fended off
fearsome coloratura of the famous Bell song with aplomb. Philip O'Brien was
alright as the tenor lead but the rôle really didn't suit his voice. Better
suited was Grant Doyle in the more unforgiving part of the lead's best friend.
The audience liked Graeme Broadbent as the father figure; I wasn't so sure. No question
though when it came to Anne Collins who is simply a trouper - I first heard her
sing with English National Opera back in the mid-1970s, most notably as Erda in their
ground-breaking Ring cycle.
The whole venture was well conducted by Noel Davies also a veteran on English
National Opera performances - this time Donizetti's Mary Stuart on tour in Liverpool
in 1975. Tom Hawkes directed and, interestingly, he directed all three of the other
shows that I have seen there. Was I riveted? No. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
So, three stars. ![[Three Stars - Good]](3.gif){kind=small}
Train journey are always a good time for reading and I polished off English
Passengers by Matthew Kneale. This is another of my Oxfam finds. Crosby is still
a reasonably middle class and literate area and so the shelves of second hand books,
whilst varied in range, also include much good reading. This is how I discovered
Robertson Davies. I liked the present volume. It told
a story of the clash of various beliefs - nineteenth century evangelical Christianity
and scientific rationalism, mercantile imperialism with indigenous populations,
seafarers with landlubbers, etc, etc. But it was all told within the context of
a rattling good yarn.
Earlier in the year, Ross and I watched
The Naked Pilgrim and
The Grand Tour. Prompted by our general enjoyment
of these, I asked for Divine Designs from him for my birthday and we have not
been disappointed. Written and presented by Paul Binski, this was originally a 15
part series shown on Channel Five. It takes a compendious look at church architecture
around Britain. We've sauntered through the set over the course of nearly two months
and have really enjoyed the erudition and the tourism. It's made me want to visit
many of the places for myself.
![[Four Stars - Excellent]](4.gif){kind=small}