London Coliseum, Friday 28^th September 2018

Salome should be a visceral assault regardless of whether it is the play or the opera. When Richard Strauss’ opera is given in English with much of Tom Hammond’s translation mirroring Wilde’s text it should be doubly effective. That Adena Jacobs’ production for ENO manages to drain most of the emotion out of it is quite a feat in itself. It is not so much that the production misfires – there are many telling moments and much of the score is well sung and presented – as that the temperature never rises above cool and the final scene is distinctly underwhelming.

Billed as a boldly feminine interpretation it was difficult to see how this claim was justified in terms of the production itself. That Salome is objectified by all around her is certainly a valid approach but the lack of eye contact, or more importantly the sense of the gaze, kills any sense of lust or passion.

Marg Horwell’s sets are equally unhelpful here. The vast open spaces make the singers look lost and rather that the claustrophobic world of both text and score, we have little sense of a community constantly inward-looking and cut off from the outside world. Of the many productions I have seen, WNO’s most recent was by far the most effective with its pierced Islamic screens and constant prying eyes. For ENO, all too often the stage is empty apart from the protagonist.

Needless to say there is no dance for Herod, and after a few listless poses Salome gives up and hands the dance over to four professional dancers, though there is little point as Herod is not watching anyway.

If there is supposed to be a close relationship with Herodias it is not obvious until the end which comes about as a double suicide. This hardly seems to be a feminist outcome as the men have all too obviously won yet again.

The singing is mostly strong, particularly in the smaller parts where Stuart Jackson’s Narraboth is particularly effective, and Susan Bickley a commanding Herodias. In any other production Michael Colvin’s Herod might be very persuasive as he is vocally on top of the part but his near insanity for much of the evening – ending up with his Father Christmas sack – cuts against any impact he might have made.

The five Jews are impressive – though they would never have agreed to mop up spilt blood! – as are the two Nazarenes.

This leaves us with the two protagonists. David Soar has previously impressed and is always a positive presence on stage but here Jokanaan seems to lie out of his reach. Too often the voice sounded strained and uncomfortable rather than the noble centre it requires. As Salome Allison Cook looked and acted exactly as Adena Jacobs obviously intended, the Barbie doll / My Little Pony overtones neatly focused and the lack of emotion throughout carefully controlled. All would have been well but her voice never carries the authority the part needs, particularly in the final scenes. There was no sense of development or a gaining of control. Even from front centre of the Coliseum stage her voice could not soar over the orchestra. Having heard Jessye Norman almost drown out the orchestra in this final scene I know it is possible!

The orchestra played with considerable finesse but Martyn Brabbins did not seem to be able to find the raw power and dangerous, heady enthusiasm Strauss calls for.

It is difficult to see how this production could be better focussed if it were to return. Meanwhile we have Porgy and Bess to look forward to.

Wales Millennium Centre, Saturday 15^th September 2018

Some works seem ideally suited to WNO and Prokofiev’s War and Peace is surely high on the list. If nothing else the marvellous WNO Chorus is called upon to give of its all, which it does in stunning fashion from the very first note. If the work itself occasionally slows the pace, then the choral scenes are never less that thrilling and often overwhelming.

David Pountney’s production draws of the strengths of his earlier staging of In Parenthesis to bring the action close to the audience and maintain the sense of a narrative unfolding before the participants as well as those seated in the auditorium. For this, Robert Innes Hopkins’ steeply curving set with its two doors is effective for the numerous changes of place and scale, aided splendidly by the projections created by David Haneke, which in turn draw on the 1966 film version of War & Peace. It is all remarkably effective in creating a sense of the epic scale of events as well as the intimacy of the opening scenes in the various noble households.

Singing the score in English is a mixed blessing. For the solo scenes it is helpful in maintaining the narrative but the large choruses lack the edge that sung Russian would bring.

The other great benefit of the ensemble which WNO can draw upon is the strength of the large number of minor parts which Prokofiev requires. Some doubling up was sensitive but so was the use of chorus members for small parts, where there was never any sense of two tiers of singers – all were equal within the cast as a whole.

Of the principals, tenor Mark Le Brocq was outstanding as Pierre and grew in stature as the evening progressed. Jonathan McGovern’s over-smooth Andrei oozed his way through the opening scenes though his death was unexpectedly moving. David Stout sang four roles, including Denisov and Napoleon, creating incisive characters for each. The second half is almost entirely given over to Simon Bailey’s gruff but warmly pleasing Field Marshal Kutuzov, who gives us just enough insight into his private life to create a leader who is aware of his responsibilities.

There are not as many female parts but Lauren Michelle’s Natasha is suitably naïve until the war challenges her assumptions. She sings radiantly throughout and is genuinely moving at the end. The final tableau showing her aiding Pierre / Tolstoy writing up the events makes a fitting conclusion to the work. By contrast Jurgita Adamontye’s Helen is about as narcissistic as one could wish for, her beautiful singing at odds with the nastiness of her character.

A wonderful start to the season. The problem with such vast undertakings is that the likelihood of revival is always slim. Let us hope we don’t have to wait another generation to see the work again.

Cadogan Hall, 6 September 2018

If you want a high quality piano recital cheerfully enlivened with a bit of stand up comedy than catch Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell in action. Although they aren’t yet a household name they have performed in over 150 countries and seem to astound audiences everywhere they go – we reviewed them here when they played The Carnival of  Animals with Barry Wordsworth and Brighton Philharmonic earlier this year.

Yes, they follow in the tradition of Victor Borge and Liberace but their USP – and it’s quite a coup – is that they play four hands on one piano and arrange the music accordingly. It’s an original take on the concept of piano transcription.  This concert included their versions of Scott Joplin, Vidor’s Toccata and Fugue, Bumble Boogie, Sidesaddle and much more – culminating in a stunning rendering of Rhapsody in Blue.

Worbey and Farrell, who were at the Royal College of Music together, are partners in life as well as in music. Normally I’d regard that as a complete irrelevance but here it isn’t. There’s a comfortable intimacy in the way they play because this is definitely not piano duetting in any conventional sense.  Sharing a single piano stool, they lean across each other, tucking notes in beneath each other’s hands as they race up and down the keys taking most works at phenomenal speed. They told the audience that Joplin stipulated that his rags should be played slowly. “We’ve come to the conclusion”, Farrell said chirpily, “That he just couldn’t play them as fast as we can! So we’ll meet him in the middle.” The joke, of course, was the accelerando in the Maple Leaf Rag after a gentle start.

In addition to lots of humour – they spark well off of each other as comedians too – the concert included extracts from The Carnival of Animals which they developed for the BPO concert. Each number is preceded by an introductory verse which they’ve written and they’re pretty witty.

I also really like the projection above and behind their heads which, with a camera placed near the piano, allows the audience to watch their hands. It’s carefully thought out too. Worbey was wearing floral cuffs while Farrell’s shirt had a scarlet band at the wrist so there was never any visual doubt whose hands were whose.

They are musically highly attuned to each other and achieve some astonishing effects with prestissimo, fortissimo playing especially in the Vidor. Such virtuosic flamboyance is testament to a lot of talent, the chemistry between Worbey and Farrell and many thousands of hours of work and practice. And it makes for an entertaining concert.

Susan Elkin

Royal Albert Hall, Tuesday 4^th September 2018

A Tango concert complete with dancers to give us an immersive, if very rapid, insight into the way the dance craze made its way from the brothels of Buenos Aires to the Royal Albert Hall. A bland statement like this hardly does justice to the emotional excitement of the evening and the hedonism virtually all tango music arouses in both players and audience.

The evening opened with the strings of the Britten Sinfonia accompanying bass Nahuel di Pierro in five early songs which ooze with the smoke and sweat of a cellar bar. During El motive they were joined by tango dancers Vincent and Flavia, better known for Strictly Come Dancing than at the proms, who brought an added level of glamour and sensuality to the event.

For those unaware of the impact of tango the following section may have come as a shock as all the music was from Finland – opening with a tango arrangement of Sibelius’ Valse Triste by Timo Hietala. Five songs followed, sung by Helena Juntunen whose high coloratura can match any opera singer in this hall. An additional unexpected feature was the accordion playing of Veli Kujala whose instrument has quarter-tone settings, making for some surprising, not to say edgy, musical inflections. As if all of this had not been challenging enough in itself, the first half ended with a version of David Bowie’s Sudenkorento (Life on Mars).

If the second half seemed somewhat more conventional it was certainly not lacking in musical excitement as it was led by pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler, who continues in the tradition of Astor Piazzolla, though his own compositions encompass modern jazz and elements of contemporary classical composition. As if to set the scene the second half opened with Piazzolla’s familiar Libertango, before moving into more demanding territory with the furious pace of Fuga y misterio and the aggressive trumpet solos of Murga del amanecer. With all the Bernstein we have heard this season, Ziegler’s Places seemed an appropriately brash evocation of a city at its most dynamic. There was a slight relaxation for Blues Porteno before the very hard edged Buenos Aires Report.

All involved, including conductor Clark Rundell, who had guided us so smoothly throughout the evening, and the three bandoneon players and dancers, returned for the final rendition of La cumparsita – which traditionally ends all tango evenings. With the Proms spreading its wings so aptly one can only wonder what we are in for next year?