Carmen – Bizet – Royal Opera House

Carmen – Bizet – Royal Opera House

David Buchler
Royal Opera House

Nine months ago I reported on the opening of Barry Kosky’s new take on Carmen.  It was unlike anything seen before at the ROH and at many times was visually stunning.  However, the problem is that despite some stunning scenes, including a 20 foot black dress train (both long and wide!) for Carmen in the final Act, the production overall lacks warmth in the heat of the Spanish sun and indeed it is cold in its interaction between principals.  The constant streaming across the stage steps by principals and chorus does not add to the village or factory atmosphere, as was required by Bizet.  However interesting the production appeared to be, it was in fact the collage of the scenes that provided the interest, rather than the visual impact throughout the evening.

Le Villi (or Les Willis or The Fairies) – Puccini – Royal Festival Hall

Le Villi (or Les Willis or The Fairies) – Puccini – Royal Festival Hall

David Buchler
Royal Festival Hall

Giacomo Puccini’s first staged work was the one act opera ‘Les Willis’ based on a short story by Jean Baptiste-Karr.  The story tells the tale of the love between Anna and Roberto.  Roberto is enchanted away from Anna by another and Anna dies of a broken heart.  Her father calls upon the ‘Villi’ to take vengeance and the Fairies make Roberto dance until he dies of exhaustion.  This one act opera was written for a competition, but politics played and it did not get even an honourable mention.  However, Puccini’s work was heard by Ricordi, who immediately recognised its outstanding qualities and he published the work. 

War Requiem at the English National Opera

War Requiem at the English National Opera

David Buchler
English National Opera

In 1958, Benjamin Britten was asked to write a work for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral – the old one had been bombed and destroyed in 1940 and hundreds of people had died.  Britten decided that this work would commemorate the dead of both World Wars and his text combines the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead, with fairly dour poems by Wilfred Owen.  After its premiere in 1962, Shostakovich regarded Britten’s War Requiem as ‘The greatest work of the 20th century’ and indeed it was universally hailed as a masterpiece. 

Werther – Jules Massenet – Israeli Opera

Werther – Jules Massenet – Israeli Opera

David Buchler
Israeli Opera

Jules Massenet took a novel from Goethe to compose a lyrical 4 act opera from a French libretto by Eduard Blau.  It was meant to have its premiere at the Paris Opera Comique in 1887, but due to a fire at the Opera House this did not happen and it did not take place until 1892 in a German language translation in Vienna.  The French language premiere followed that year in Geneva.