Intriguing, mysterious, intense: Picture a day like this at the ROH

Ema Nikolovska (Woman) and John Brancy (Artisan)

Jacquelyn Stucker (Zabelle)

Beate Mordal (Composer) and Cameron Shahbazi (Composer's Assistant)

Jacquelyn Stucker (Zabelle) and Ema Nikolovska (Woman)

By Stephen Pritchard, 23 September 2023

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“the music gleams under the Woman’s desperate hope, rasps and rattles when she gives way to despair”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 22 September 2023

Benjamin, Picture a day like this (UK premiere)

The Royal Opera

Corinna Niemeyer, Conductor

Daniel Jeanneteau, Director, Set Designer, Lighting Designer

Marie La Rocca, Costume Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Royal Opera Chorus

Marie-Christine Soma, Director, Set Designer, Lighting Designer

Hicham Berrada, Video Designer

Ema Nikolovska, Woman

Jacquelyn Stucker, Zabelle

Beate Mordal, Lover 1/Composer

Cameron Shahbazi, Lover 2/Composer's Assistant

John Brancy, Artisan/Collector

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

Turandot drowned in an orchestral tsunami at The Royal Opera

David Karlin, 15th December

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form.

***11

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Stephen Pritchard

Stephen Pritchard began singing as a treble at the age of eight and progressed to become a tenor in Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, the Gibbons Consort and now the English Chamber Choir. Writing about music has been at the core of his 40-year career in journalism, chiefly at the Observer. He has been known to play a pretty mean jazz double bass.

Intriguing, mysterious, intense: Sir George Benjamin's Picture a day like this