London Coliseum, 23 February 2017

Andrew Shore as the Major General in the Pirates of Penzance, performed by the English National Opera. 7th Feb 2017, London Coliseum, Britain.

Fifty years ago every local operatic society relied on Gilbert & Sullivan for their daily bread. Today it is difficult to find individual performances which may account for the high levels of surprise and delight in the audience enjoying this first revival of Mike Leigh’s production.

By taking the work at face value – no knowing asides or updating – the comedy actually works far better, and, sung by operatic voices, the music holds its own with ease.

The casting was different enough to make for an interesting evening even for those of us who had greatly enjoyed the original outing in 2015. David Webb has a light lyric tenor which he uses intelligently as Frederic, and his slightly reserved presence is perfectly in character. Soraya Mafi by contrast is a highly excitable Mabel but one for whom the Bellinian coloratura holds no terrors. Their duet Ah leave me not to pine was genuinely moving. Ashley Riches is a wonderful cardboard cut-out as the Pirate King, all swagger and attitude, and is surrounded by a likeable group of cut-throats.

John Tomlinson as the Sergeant of the Police in the Pirates of Penzance, performed by the English National Opera. 7th Feb 2017, London Coliseum, Britain.

To have the finest Wotan of his generation as the Sergeant of Police was a gem, and John Tomlinson did not disappoint. Totally in character, as one would expect, his nuances with the text were constantly alive and apt, and his voice, needless to say, better than one would dare to expect.

Lucy Schaufer returned as a sympathetic Ruth and Andrew Shore again relished the part of the Major General.

Gareth Jones moved things along swiftly in the pit and it was good yet again to enjoy Sullivan’s score from a full orchestra not a pit band.

Barbican Hall, Wednesday 22 February 2017

The UK premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Piano Concerto No2 may have accounted for the rather thin audience but those who stayed away missed one of the finest Bruckner performances I can recall in many years.

Rihm’s work fluctuates between tonal and atonal sentiments meaning that the ear is never quite at ease with the developmental line. There are many quasi-lyrical passages, and the gentler sections often come close to moving the listener but then the underlying tension works against this. The snare-drum towards the end brings a rare moment of consolidation to a work which can seem to be drifting away from us. The piano part is fiercely demanding with hardly a moment of respite for the soloist. In this capacity Nicolas Hodges was a tireless enthusiast and at times came close to convincing us that the work was greater than the sum of its parts. Lothar Koenigs brought sensitivity to many passages but could do little to enthuse us about the whole.

Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony after the interval was another matter altogether. There was superb dynamic range and consistent sensitivity towards the clarity of the score. The second movement had an Elgarian opacity which I can’t recall ever being aware of before. It was full of light and joy, with no sense of the ponderous weight that so many bring to Bruckner. The drive and enthusiasm in the Scherzo was matched by an almost playful approach to the finale.

Thankfully, being a BBC performance, it will be broadcast on Tuesday 28 February and I for one will be listening again.