Elektra- ROH January 2024

[Emeralds]

Anyone seen this new production by Christof Loy (even in General Rehearsal) of Strauss' Elektra with Nina Stemme, Sara Jakubiak, Karita Mattlia, et al? If so, what did you think? Just wondered if I should try to squeeze it in before it closes (but there's also La Strada and Manon.)

Edited January 20 by Emeralds

[Dawnstar]

I see Nina Stemme did the first night but has missed the 2 subsequent performances so if you do go then don't bank on seeing her. I'm not going to see it myself as I'm not keen on the piece, too violent for my taste though I gather from the reviews that this production keeps much of the violence offstage.

[Emeralds]

51 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I see Nina Stemme did the first night but has missed the 2 subsequent performances so if you do go then don't bank on seeing her. I'm not going to see it myself as I'm not keen on the piece, too violent for my taste though I gather from the reviews that this production keeps much of the violence offstage.

I know this sounds lily livered, but my Strauss preferences are more Arabella, Capriccio and Rosenkavalier (although even the plot of the latter has a few iffy bits) than Salome and Elektra.....lol. Thank you for the heads up about the cast change! I suppose it's unlikely I'll be able to fit it in this month so I thought I'd read what members thought. 

[Geoff]

Seeing it on Tuesday. The talk among my friends is (a) orchestra wins the night (b) singers get honourable mention but no more (c) production pointless but not distractingly so. The choosiest friend is going back to see it again, so it can’t be terrible. 
 

I took a seat where I could hear really well but not see that much. If that helps. 

[Mary]

 

2 hours ago, Geoff said:

I took a seat where I could hear really well but not see that much

it always amuses me that all my opera-going acquaintances now do this as a matter of course- doesn't say a lot for most recent productions!

[Sebastian]

Richard Bratby in The Spectator seems to like the singing and the production. And also the conducting, the review concludes:

This will be Pappano’s last wholly new production as music director at Covent Garden, and if in many ways he’s playing against type, there can be no question that he’s putting the drama, and his company’s collective achievement, first. That deserves respect.

[Cayetana]

3 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Just wondered if I should try to squeeze it in

Yes, do!  I went to the dress rehearsal and was totally caught up in the music and drama. Excellent production - you did not need to read any programme to understand the reasons behind scene etc decisions. Totally illuminating the work, I thought. The acting superb and also the singing was tremendous although I thought that Nina S was not giving her all vocally (totally understandable in a rehearsal, I think) but then she has been taken ill... on the strength of that I bought a ticket for Thursday and I again found it tremendous although as I was sitting up in the amphitheatre I was less involved. Sara Jakubiat was wonderful as the sister in both performances I saw. Love her voice. I didn't know her at all. Auryne Stundite was most convincing but I really loved Nina Stemme. The orchestra was wonderful. I think that Pappano is perfectly good in Strauss's operas. I totally recommend you get a ticket!!

[Emeralds]

Thank you @Cayetana and @Geoff for the illuminating review and feedback about your experiences. Thank you to everyone for your contributions. Very interesting indeed; I'll see if I can fit it in before it closes. 👌 

Edited January 20 by Emeralds

[MAB]

The production is perfectly watchable by ROH standards, remember it isn't just London that inflicts horrors on its audiences, a few months ago in Germany I had to endure a Strauss opera where a male character gave birth to a giant slug.  This Electra is at least easy on the eye.

[Sebastian]

7 hours ago, MAB said:

a few months ago in Germany I had to endure a Strauss opera where a male character gave birth to a giant slug. 

Please forgive my curiosity: might we know which opera? I thought I knew the Strauss repertoire but this has me stumped. 

[MAB]

It was Die Frau ohne Schatten, brilliant musically, but I've never liked the libretto.  Here is an excellent review of what I saw, but as they're avoiding spoilers the reviewer doesn't mention Barak giving birth to the slug.

 

https://operatraveller.com/2023/11/06/futuristic-fantasy-die-frau-ohne-schatten-at-the-staatsoper-stuttgart/

 

 

[JohnS]

I saw the 3rd night Elektra sandwiched between 3 Manons and 2 Giselles: a very different dance to death, more shattering than Giselle and on a par with Manon. Nina Stemme had to withdraw fairly late on which, given her difficulties on opening night, was not a surprise and I found Ausrine Stundyte substituting very impressive, making for a pretty formidable trio alongside Karita Mattila and Sara Jakubiak. They were all able to hold their own when pitted against the massed ranks of the ROH orchestra on fabulous form with Tony Pappano conjuring his magic. I thought the production worked well: I rather liked being able to see some of the goings on ‘off stage’ through the Castle windows and had no problem with Elektra’s flaming torch when the Castle has electricity. Overall I thought Elektra a triumph and I think I’d prefer to celebrate and remember Pappano for Elektra than Andre Chenier.

 

Given Stemme’s very late withdrawal where it might have been touch and go as to whether she could perform, there must be a possibility that a few more days’ rest will enable her to sing in some/all of the remaining three performances. If I were in London, I’d definitely see another performance whoever is singing Elektra.

 

[Sebastian]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

It was Die Frau ohne Schatten, brilliant musically, but I've never liked the libretto.  Here is an excellent review of what I saw, but as they're avoiding spoilers the reviewer doesn't mention Barak giving birth to the slug.

 

https://operatraveller.com/2023/11/06/futuristic-fantasy-die-frau-ohne-schatten-at-the-staatsoper-stuttgart/

Barak?! One wonders how on earth they justified that to themselves. 

[Emeralds]

The makers of "Alien" called- they want their idea back!

 

(Apologies for the very noughties phrase.)

 

I guessed it might be DFOS after checking it wasn't Salome, but was a bit too traumatised after reading the review (that's just the review, not watching the actual show!) of the Paris Opera production to search through DFOS reviews as well. Thanks to @Sebastian for asking and to @MAB for the answer. This is why I stick to the relative safety of Arabella, Capriccio etc....going back to Elektra, that sounds great: thank you Mab and @JohnS for your reviews! Will see if I can get 1 evening off. 

Edited January 21 by Emeralds

[Dawnstar]

On 20/01/2024 at 19:16, Emeralds said:

I know this sounds lily livered, but my Strauss preferences are more Arabella, Capriccio and Rosenkavalier (although even the plot of the latter has a few iffy bits) than Salome and Elektra.....lol. Thank you for the heads up about the cast change! I suppose it's unlikely I'll be able to fit it in this month so I thought I'd read what members thought. 

 

My Strauss preferences are Rosenkavalier, Arabella & Ariadne. I have to put up with a Loy production in order to see the ROH do Ariadne but I don't want to see Elektra enough to do so. As for Arabella, the ROH haven't done that in 20 years. Yes, I have been waiting that long! Although given their current apparent preferred production style if they ever do do Arabella I would probably hate the production anyway.

 

11 hours ago, MAB said:

It was Die Frau ohne Schatten, brilliant musically, but I've never liked the libretto.  Here is an excellent review of what I saw, but as they're avoiding spoilers the reviewer doesn't mention Barak giving birth to the slug.

 

https://operatraveller.com/2023/11/06/futuristic-fantasy-die-frau-ohne-schatten-at-the-staatsoper-stuttgart/

 

Did it happen at the end then, as the review mentions no spoilers when talking about the ending? I really do wonder what on earth goes on in some opera directors' heads.

[Scheherezade]

I’m with JohnS on this. Ausrine Stundyte, who has previously sung this role with Pappano, impressed me too, and having heard of Nina Stemme’s problems at both the general rehearsal and first night, I was relieved to have her for the whole of the performance that I attended. And aesthetically pleasing too, no visual horrors either, so one to see, I’d say.

[MAB]

11 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Did it happen at the end then, as the review mentions no spoilers when talking about the ending? I really do wonder what on earth goes on in some opera directors' heads.

 

Yes, it did.  As to what goes on in opera director's heads, I remember one of them claiming it was an intellectual failing of audiences if they don't appreciate the mad productions.  So we're insulted too after sitting through their torrid imaginings.  I have a lot of sympathy with those buying listening only seats.

[Dawnstar]

11 hours ago, MAB said:

Yes, it did.  As to what goes on in opera director's heads, I remember one of them claiming it was an intellectual failing of audiences if they don't appreciate the mad productions.  So we're insulted too after sitting through their torrid imaginings.  I have a lot of sympathy with those buying listening only seats.

 

In which case I am very happy to be an intellectual failure! When I first started getting interested in opera in my mid-teens I listened to a lot of broadcasts on Radio 3. It feels like it'd be better & cheaper to return to that than endure many current stagings.

[Scheherezade]

12 hours ago, MAB said:

Yes, it did.  As to what goes on in opera director's heads, I remember one of them claiming it was an intellectual failing of audiences if they don't appreciate the mad productions. 

 

Could this be a reference to Kasper Holten's oh so complimentary observation that if UK audiences, unlike their better-informed northern european counterparts, couldn't appreciate what was being served up to them, they would have to be re-educated.

[Geoff]

13 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

 

Could this be a reference to Kasper Holten's oh so complimentary observation that if UK audiences, unlike their better-informed northern european counterparts, couldn't appreciate what was being served up to them, they would have to be re-educated.

Don’t remember that but do remember Katie Mitchell, at an Insight for the Lucia (as above) swinging her legs and saying much the same, only even more directly.

[Lizbie1]

50 minutes ago, Geoff said:

Don’t remember that but do remember Katie Mitchell, at an Insight for the Lucia (as above) swinging her legs and saying much the same, only even more directly.

 

To be fair to Katie Mitchell, I've found her productions to be at least well thought through and coherent, unlike Kasper Holten's.

[JohnS]

I see Katie Mitchell and Oliver Mears are fronting an Insight on 11 April: ‘Directors … Who needs them?’ It’s sold out and I don't know if it’s being streamed. The blurb refers to joining the directors to discuss the director’s role but it’s not made explicit if this includes audience questions/comment.

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/insights-directors-who-needs-them-details

[Geoff]

5 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

To be fair to Katie Mitchell, I've found her productions to be at least well thought through and coherent, unlike Kasper Holten's.

I may be the only person who liked Holten’s Onegin (with the doubling). What I found wonderful was the way his reading explained why the music is so sad from the outset.

This was not - as so often - a directorial idea imposed in ignorance or opposition to the score, but a deeply musical illumination of it. 

[Scheherezade]

33 minutes ago, Geoff said:

I may be the only person who liked Holten’s Onegin (with the doubling). What I found wonderful was the way his reading explained why the music is so sad from the outset.

This was not - as so often - a directorial idea imposed in ignorance or opposition to the score, but a deeply musical illumination of it. 

Sorry Geoff, I didn’t like it at all. I found the doubling made it impossible to engage with the characters which, for me, made it emotionally sterile. 

[Dawnstar]

I'm with @Scheherezade on Holten's Onegin. I found the doubles deeply annoying & intrusive. If he thought Keenlyside & Stoyanova were too old for the lead roles, which as I recall was one of the suggestions given at the time for the use of doubles, then why did he agree to their casting in the first place? Given he was running the company at the time I can't believe he had no say in the casting. There were other aspects of the production that I also disliked, such as Lensky's dead body being left lying around on stage for the remainder of the opera, but it was the doubles that were the worst thing for me. I much preferred the previous much more straigtforward Pimlott prodution, which I saw for both its runs, and I don't know why they didn't keep that one for a few more revivals rather than spend doubtless plenty of money on the Holten production which again has had only the 2 runs. For a company that always seems to be saying how short of money it is the ROH certainly seems to be good at spending it on (IMO often unnecessary) new productions.

[Geoff]

I did say I thought I was in a minority on Onegin. I also said why I liked it, which had nothing to do with the doubling (mentioned only as a way of identifying the production). But perhaps I should have made it clearer that I took no view of the doubles, which to me were no more than decoration. 
 

Finally saw the Electra last night. Nothing special. A routine production (for which one can be thankful) with few distractions. Unlike the majority, I have no sentimental feelings towards that conductor whose reading of the score I found contrary to Strauss’s intentions. He tried a similar approach recently with Rheingold, which was remarkably successful and congruent with Wagner’s ambitions. The band coped fine with what he asked of them but the result was underwhelming. I have seen many wonderful casts sing this piece (perhaps none better than 1974, Nilsson, Rysanek, Ludwig under Böhm) but last night was not one of them. The crowd went wild at the end so what do I know. 

[MAB]

55 minutes ago, Geoff said:

I have no sentimental feelings towards that conductor whose reading of the score I found contrary to Strauss’s intentions. He tried a similar approach recently with Rheingold, which was remarkably successful and congruent with Wagner’s ambitions.

 

You are far from alone in that view.

[Geoff]

Nina Stemme returned last night but I wasn’t there. 

[Cayetana]

On 23/01/2024 at 19:32, Geoff said:

I may be the only person who liked Holten’s Onegin (with the doubling). What I found wonderful was the way his reading explained why the music is so sad from the outset.

Well, you are not alone: I also found it an entrancing, memorable production. Still do!