“I apologise to those who anticipated togas, or 17th-century Venice”, writes James Conway in the programme notes to his production of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, currently running at the Royal College of Music’s Britten Theatre in London.
Jane McCulloch’s production of La Traviata is currently playing in the small Studio Theatre at RADA. The intriguing setting of Berlin, 1938, is rendered subtly, through wonderful 1930s costumes designed by the director, and references to Berlin life in McCulloch’s new translation.
Set in the wonderful theatre upstairs at the Gatehouse pub in Highgate, Hampstead Garden Opera’s new production of L’Orfeo by Monteverdi contained some memorable images and richly resonant chorus passages.
Birmingham Opera Company’s production of Mittwoch aus Licht, Karlheinz Stockhausen’s six-hour sonic exploration of light, love, and the boundlessness of the human imagination, was a triumph from start to finish, and an unforgettable experience. Graham Vick’s spectacular production fostered a sense of child-like wonder that continued unabated throughout the night.
