You are reading a single comment by @hippy and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
hippy
I wasn't in the best mood - really stressed post-work and then my missus had a huge row with her folks over dinner. I needed something melodic and soothing, like Nozze di Figaro, or lighthearted like Zauberflöte... what i got was a discordant mess.
If we hadn't had been with the in laws I probably would have left in the interval. Thankfully the second half was slightly better, even if the narrative of the opera was confused.
On balance, some good performances (van Otter in particular) and the production was pretty ambitious. I just couldn't get on with the score - I think that Britten is the limit for me in terms of modern opera.
I also remembered that I saw a dress rehearsal of The Indian Queen at ENO in February; a sort-of bizarre mash up of Purcell's greatest hits and The Lost Chronicles of Terra Firma by Rosario Aguilar. Sufficed to say it was a strange mix.
Some brilliant performances from some young singers (Julian Bullock, Anthony Roth Costanzo) and some less convincing (Lucy Crowe, Noah Stewart).
The thing that struck me the most was the use of dance in the production - I'm not a fan of contemporary dance or ballet, but it totally blew me away in this show.