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What I’ve been watching in July, ranked. It was unintentional that 4 of the operas were in English; driven by streaming expiration dates:
#1 - Britten – The Turn of the Screw – Opera North, Streaming on Operavision
Masterfully eerie production of Britten’s haunting masterwork. The camerawork doesn’t quite convey the way the apparitions must have suddenly appeared to those who got to see this live, but the performances still shine. ****1/2
#2 - Meyerbeer – Robert le diable – Royal Opera House, Blu-Ray
This is my first time watching a Meyerbeer opera; not by choice, but by scarcity. Compared to other dramas of the era, Meyerbeer seems to have a flair for theatricality, and I’m dying to see more. It was well-matched to Laurent Pelly’s production style; hand-drawn backdrops emphasized the story-book quality, without cheapening the story-telling, with the exception of the Act 5 “mouth of hell” which felt a little deficient to the spectacle it should achieve, especially compared to the nifty Inferno of Act 3. Tremendous singing throughout. ****1/2
#3 - Floyd – Susannah – San Francisco Opera, Streamed on SFO is On
Classic American opera very near the style of Copland (especially with the Appalachian folk songs). This production is very pretty with gorgeous natural scenes projected as backdrops, although those backdrops are partially hidden by wooden barn walls that purposefully give it a claustrophobic feeling. The audio recording was a bit dry and unflattering to some of the voices (left them as naked as the title character?). But the opera left an impact on me; I still very much recognize this ugly version of America in the small towns I’ve grown up around. ****
#4 - Tippett – The Ice Break – Birmingham Opera, Streamed on Operavision
An opera about racial inequality, political unrest and violence; an opera 50 years old that sadly could be set today. Tippett wrote his own libretti and that has often proved a blessing, but here it’s aged unevenly. Most of it is good, but his characterization of Olympion – a famous black athlete – is one-dimensional and cringy. Still, I like this production and its community-involvement approach. This is one of Graham Vick’s stagings where the audience can wander around a space and be a part of the performance. I’d love to experience one live someday. (Sigh.) ***1/2
#5 - Smyth – The Wreckers – Bard Summerscape, Streamed on ASO Online
The concept of a community that causes shipwrecks for loot has a lot of promise, but the overly florid libretto made it sound drearily old-fashioned and left me cold. The production is nicely atmospheric to match the vividly stormy orchestral writing, but kind of static after a while; I’d like to see this opera performed again and given a little more oomph. ***
Originally Posted by Florestan
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