“Agency” is a current buzzword in opera, well-worn but still relevant, and usually preceded by the word “woman.” Women who were abused, controlled, and died were long assumed to have no free will. A radical rethinking of history and opera as a whole put this expectation to rest. One of the sharpest cross-examiners of any hardline position is British director Katie Mitchell, whose work has been seen in Europe since the mid-1990s (alternative phrase: “divided audiences”).
Production by Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor (1835) returned to the Royal Opera House for a second revival that was as laborious as it was frustrating and perceptive. Soprano Nadine Sierra excels in the title role (fellow American Liv Redpath will give three performances). Sierra single-handedly leading a strong ensemble might be a reason to watch this show. Giacomo Sagripanti conducted the orchestra with a very nice solo flute obbligato in the famous crazy scene with the choir and orchestra in passionate form.
While the men in this opera are preoccupied with old rivalries and future fortunes, the tragic Lucia is shown here to act in ways not usually seen and with an independent mind despite pressure on all sides. Eventually, perhaps, his ever-frail sanity collapses. Based on Walter Scott’s 1819 novel, the work is a prime example of “bel canto” in Italian; it simply means beautiful singing, but it encompasses the entire 19th-century Italian operatic style built around vocal fireworks, shrill embellishments, and elegance. Sierra’s fearless, golden-silver high notes and super-fast trills are matched with grace and intensity by young Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga as her beloved nemesis Edgardo. Polish baritone Artur Ruciński is rich-toned and convincing as his overbearing brother Enrico.
Mitchell’s Lucia It clearly reminds us of the etymology of hysteria (origin, womb). The doomed bride’s bloody navel, stomach retention and vomiting may be a sign of a shameful pregnancy or, if the adverb is permitted, her menstrual period only; both are lazily associated with female madness. The staging, designed in exquisite detail by Vicki Mortimer, divides the action in two: public and private, exterior and interior, unfolding in parallel. Sometimes simultaneous events can be distracting; It’s easier to follow if you’ve purchased a program and read the second column of the double summary beforehand. Ultimately, if the results are overly emphatic, Mitchell’s seriousness is beyond doubt. This revival (directed by Robin Tebbutt) shows us again and again the power of great singing. On opening night, audiences felt like they were a fourth main character; cheering, enthusiastic, generous, alert to every vocal triumph. It may be an opera of top notes, but this production, for all its minor disappointments, proves to be much more than that.
The two chamber concerts I went to last week served as an unwitting prelude to this year’s BBC Proms – a shorter part of which launched on Thursday. In the first, at Wigmore Hall, the outstanding violist Lawrence Power performed Nash Society For the final program of the all-day event dedicated to Australian composer-violist Brett Dean (b.1961). Dean’s hallmark is his special ability to create a musical atmosphere: the reworking of the music by William Byrd at Dean’s. Byrdsong Studies (2021) transported us to a ghostly Tudor past; The sound of a soft, zigzagging harpsichord (Xiaowen Shang) whispers through the centuries and meets the present. Dean’s Approach (Introduction to a Canon)Brandenburg Concerto No. Written as a direct introduction to No. 6, this work is an intensely controversial exchange between the soloists in which Bach’s music emerges suddenly liberated. Dean and Power also demonstrated their mastery in George Benjamin’s opera (Dean played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra). Viola, Viola (1997), a succinct breakthrough described by the composer as “a truly wild and ecstatic journey”. It really was.
Second chamber concert held at Milton Court Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic and Barbican performer. He was joined by McGill, an excellent player who could turn blizzard notes into a long, poetic, lyrical line. Kaleidoscope Room Collective for Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet and Messiaen’s Until the end of four hours. Both works, although laden with rewards, felt quite settled with some shifting in ensemble, but McGill’s playing was a model of balance, freedom and imagination. The clarinet movement in Messiaen’s Abîme des Oiseaux was a masterclass in the impressive range of a single line of music.
And so on proms. Both Power and McGill will play concertos this year; Cassandra Miller will play concertos for viola and Mozart for clarinet. Looking at the headliners of the 73 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, the backbone of the season is the centenary Bruckner and the epic Mahler. You can chalk this up conservatively, or you can hope that the appeal of orchestral and choir performances will draw crowds, as it did last year. They showcase the best of the Albert Hall and the Proms. For interesting and original concerts, check out the wider UK concerts in Gateshead, Nottingham and Bristol.
Visiting orchestras include the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Eastern-Eastern Divan. Must-see acts, performing two concerts each, will be the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Kirill Petrenko and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with their new conductor Simon Rattle. After years of confusion, The Last Night will feature Rule, Britannia! The further Britain moves away from the fantastic idea of dominating the waves, the less important it becomes that Thomas Arne’s great tune becomes a crowd-singing song. However, sensitivities are high and questions are asked correctly. Soprano Angel Blue and pianist Stephen Hough are the famous soloists of Last Night. Sakari Oramo will direct.
The prom announcement comes days after the death of Andrew Davis, 80, the long-serving, musically open-minded and popular principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He was to be the conductor at this year’s Proms. Let’s dedicate the entire 2024 season to the humorous and brilliant memory of Davis. If someone can do the right thing and revive his unforgettable Last Night modern-major-general parody, he may rest in peace, his soul honored.
Star ratings (out of five)
Lucia di Lammermoor ★★★★
Nash Society ★★★★★
Anthony McGill and the Kaleidoscope Room Collective ★★★★
Fiona Maddocks’ Prom 2024 pick
In chronological order. Be sure to book early; Tickets will go on sale at 9 am on Saturday, May 18.
prom 4
Hallé/Mark Elder (July 21)
Mahler Symphony No. 5
Prom 6
BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Crouch End Festival Choir/Ryan Bancroft (July 23)
Lamentation for Verdi
prom 15
Swingles, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Collon (July 30)
Messiaen: Turangalîla Symphony
prom 21
London Sinfonia / John Wilson (August 4)
John Adams: Harmonious
Prom 31
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim (August 11)
Schubert “Wonderful” Symphony No. in C major 9
prom 37
London Symphony Orchestra and choirs/Antonio Pappano (August 17)
Britten War Requiem
prom 42
Aurora Orchestra / Nicholas Collon (August 21)
Beethoven’s Ninth by Memorization
Prom 55 and 56
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Petrenko (31 August & 1 September)
Smetana: Má vlast/Bruckner Symphony No 5
Prom 61 and 62
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Simon Rattle (September 5 and 6)
Bruckner Symphony No 4/Mahler Symphony No 6