Peter Schofield's Reviews
  • Home Page
  • RecentbReviews and Previews
  • Composer Index
    • Adams >
      • Nixon in China
    • Ades, The Tempest
    • Albinone, Pimpinone
    • Arne >
      • Artaxerxes
    • Bartok
    • Beethoven >
      • Fidelio
    • Bellini >
      • Norma
      • I Puritani
      • La Sonnambula
    • Berg >
      • Lulu
      • Wozzeck
    • Berlioz >
      • Beartrice et Benedict
      • Benvenuto Cellini
      • Damnation de Faust
      • Les Troyens
    • Birtwistle >
      • Minotaur
    • Bizet >
      • Carmen
    • Borodin >
      • Prince Igor
    • Britten >
      • Death in Venice
      • Peter Grimes
      • The Rape of Lucretia
      • Turn of the Screw
    • Cavalli >
      • La Callisto
      • Erismena
    • Debussy >
      • Peleas et Melisande
    • Donizetti >
      • Anna Bolena
      • Don Pasquale
      • L'Elisir d'Amore
      • Fille du Regiment
      • Lucia di Lammermoor
      • Maria Stuarda
      • Poliuto
      • Roberto Devereux
    • Dvorak >
      • Rusalka
    • Giordano
    • Glass >
      • The Fall of the House of Usher
    • Gluck >
      • Iphigenie en Aulide
      • Iphigenie en Tauride
      • Orpheus and Eurydice
    • Gounod >
      • Romeo et Juliette
    • Handel >
      • Acis and Galatea
      • Agrippina
      • Apollo e Dafne
      • Esther
      • Giulio Cesare in Egitto
      • Jephtha
      • Hercules
      • Orlando
      • Partenope
      • Radamisto
      • Rinaldo
      • Rodelinda
      • Saul
      • New Page
      • Tamerlano
      • Theodora
      • Xerxes
    • Haydn >
      • Arianna auf Naxos
      • La Canterina
      • L'Infidelta Delusa
    • Janáček >
      • Jenufa
    • LeGendre >
      • Burial at Thebes
    • MacMillan >
      • The Sacrifice
    • Martinu >
      • Mirandolina
    • Massenet >
      • Thais
    • Monteverdi >
      • Coronation of Poppea
      • Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria
    • Moussorgski/Shostakovich >
      • THe Khovanski Affair
    • Mozart >
      • Cosi fan tutte
      • Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
      • Don Giovanni
      • Idomeneo
      • La Clemenza di Tito
      • Le Nozze di Figaro
    • Offenbach >
      • Die Schone Helena >
        • Die Schone Helena
      • Les Contes d'Hoffmann
      • Vert-Vert
    • Prokofiev >
      • The Gambler
    • Puccini >
      • La Boheme
      • La Fanciulla del West
      • Madama Butterfly
      • La Rondine
      • Tosca
      • Turandot
    • Rameau >
      • Hippolyte et Aricie
      • Platee
      • Zoroastre
    • Rossini >
      • Barber of Seville
      • Armide
      • La Cenerentola
      • Le Conte Ory
      • La Donna del Lago
      • Mose in Egitto
      • Guillaume Tell
    • Rushton >
      • The Shops
    • Saariaho:
    • Salieri >
      • La locandiera
    • Schonberg
    • Shostakovich
    • Stradella >
      • Salome
    • Strauss JH
    • Strauss R >
      • Ariadne auf Naxos
      • Capriccio
      • Die Frau Ohne Schatten
      • Intermezzo
      • Die Rosenkavalier
      • Elektra
      • Salome
    • Tchaikowsky >
      • Eugene Onegin
      • Iolanta
      • Mazepa
      • Queen of Spades
    • Thomas >
      • Hamlet
    • Verdi >
      • Aida
      • Don Carlo
      • Ernani
      • Falstaff
      • Giovanna d'Arco
      • Macbeth
      • I Due Foscaari
      • Nabucco
      • Otello
      • Rigoletto
      • Simon Boccanegra
      • La Traviata
      • Il Trovatore
    • Vivaldi >
      • L'Incoronazione di Dario
    • Wagner >
      • Das Rheingold
      • Die Walkure
      • Flying Dutchman
      • Gotterdammerung
      • Meistersinger
      • Parsifal
      • Lohengrin
      • Tristan und Isolde
      • Tannhauser
    • Walton
    • Weber >
      • Der Freischutz
    • Weill
    • Zambiurai
  • The MET in HD
    • Prologue - Joseph Volpe
    • Reviews by Date >
      • Eugene Onegin 24/02/2007
      • Roméo et Juliette 15/12/2007
      • Tristan und Isolde 22/03/2008
      • La Damnation de Faust 22/11/2008
      • Thaïs 20/12/2008
      • La Rondine 10/01/2009
      • Orfeo ed Euridice 24/01/2209
      • La Somnambula 21/03/2009
      • Aida 26/10/2009
      • Les Contes d’Hoffmann 19/12/2009
      • Der Rosenkavalier 15/12/2009 and 09/01/2010
      • Simon Boccanegra 06/02/2010
      • Hamlet 17/03/2010
      • Armida 01/05/2010
      • Das Rheingold 09/10/2010
      • Boris Godunov 24/10/2010
      • Don Carlo 12/12/2010
      • La Fanciulla del West 09/01/2011
      • Nixon in China 12/02/2011
      • Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Comte Ory 27/03/2011 and 10/04/2011
      • Capriccio 24/04/2011
      • Die Walküre 15/05/2011
      • Anna Bolena 16/10/2011
      • Rodelinda 04/12/2011
      • Ernani 26/02/2012
      • Otello 30/10/12, The Tempest 13/11/13
      • La Clemenza di Tito (4.12.2012
      • Troyens 9/01/2013
      • Maria Stuarda 22/01/2013
      • Rigoletto 19/02/13
      • Parsifal 05/03/13
      • Francesca da Rimini 19/03/13
      • Eugene Onegin 08/10/2013 >
        • I Puritani
      • The Nose 29.102013
      • Prince Igor 04/03/2014
      • Werther 18/03/2014
      • La Cenerentola 13.05.14
      • Macbeth 14/10/2014
      • Meistersinger 16.12 14
      • Iolnta, Bluebeard's Castle 17.02.15
      • La Donna del Lago 07.03.15
      • Il Trovatore 3.06 2015
      • Otello 20.10.2015
      • Tabbhauser 31.10.2015
      • Lulu 24/11/2015
      • Madam Butterfly
      • Elektra
      • Tristan und Isolde 11.10.2016
    • Reviews by Opera >
      • Aida
      • Anna Bolena
      • Die Walküre
      • Boris Godunov
      • Capriccio
      • Das Rheingold
      • Der Rosenkavalier
      • Don Carlo
      • Ernani
      • Eugene Onegin
      • Hamlet
      • La Cenetrentola
      • La Clemenza di Tito
      • La Damnation de Faust
      • La Fanciulla del West
      • La Rondine
      • La Somnambula
      • Les Contes d’Hoffmann
      • Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Comte Ory
      • Maria Stuarda
      • Nixon in China
      • Orfeo ed Euridice
      • Rodelinda
      • Roméo et Juliette >
        • Improbable
      • Simon Boccanegra
      • Thaïs
      • Tristan und Isolde
      • Troyens
  • Glyndebourne
    • 2016 Beatrice et Benedict Saul
    • 2015 - Poliuto
    • Rape of Lucretia
    • 2014 - DervRosenkavalier, La Traviata
    • 2013 Hippolyte et Aricie, Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Pasquale >
      • 2009 - Rusalka
    • 2012 - Cunning Little Vixen
    • 2011 - Rinaldo
    • 2010 - Don Giovanni
    • 2007 - Macbeth
    • Garsington Opera >
      • Mirandolina
      • L'Italiana in Algeri
      • L'Incoronazione di Dario
      • Armide
      • Offenbach: Vert-vert
      • Intermezzo
    • 2006 Cosi fan Tutte
    • 2008 - Poppea
    • 2005 - Giulio Cesare
    • 2002 - Iphegenia in Aulide
    • Glyndebourne on Tour
    • Die Entfuhrung
  • Buxton
  • ROH Covent Garden
    • ROH Ariadne auf Naxos
    • ROH Callisto
    • ROH Carmen
    • ROH Don Giovanni
    • ROH La Donna del Lago
    • ROH Duke Bluebeard's Castle
    • ROH Erwartung
    • ROH Eugene Onegin
    • ROH Fille du Regiment
    • ROH Lohengrin
    • ROH The Gambler
    • ROH Mahagonny
    • ROH Minotaur
    • ROH Le Nozze di Figaro
    • ROH Peleas et Melisande
    • ROH Rosenkavalier
    • ROH Wozzeck
  • ENO London Coliseum
    • Agrippina
    • Benvenuto Cellini
    • Carmen
    • Partenope
  • Opera North
  • Welsh National Opera
    • Don Giovanni
    • Eugene Onegin
    • Fidelio
    • Flying Dutchman
    • Guillaume Tell
    • Iphigenie en Tauride
    • Khovansky Affair
    • Lohengrin
    • Lulu
    • Manon Lescaut
    • Mazepa
    • Mose in Egitto
    • Orlando
    • Otello
    • Parsifal
    • I Puritani
    • The Sacrifice
    • Tristan >
      • Traviata
    • Tudor Operas
    • Wozzeck
  • Ellen Kent
    • Aida
    • La Boheme
    • Carmen
    • Die Fledermaus
    • Madam Butterfly
    • Rigoletto
    • La Traviata 2005
    • La Traviata 2015
    • Tosca
  • New Chamber Opera
    • Pompinone
    • L'Infidelta Delusa
    • Tamurlano
    • La Locandiera
  • Other Companies
    • Bampton Classical Opera
    • Improbable
    • Opera Anywhere
    • OU Theatron Novum
    • The Opera Group
    • OperaUpClose
    • Oxford Philomusica
  • Locations
    • Baugé en Anjou
    • Budapest and Vienna
    • Dresden
    • Hamburg
    • London
    • Milan
    • Munich
    • Oxford >
      • Oxford Lieder
      • Oxford Philomusica
      • Chamber Music Festivals
    • Paris
    • Riga
    • Sweden >
      • Drottningholm, Confidencen
      • Opera pa Skaret
      • Stockholm
    • Toulouse
    • Vienna State Opera
  • Concerts and Recitals
    • IT&T
    • Music at Oxford
    • SJE Piano series
    • Humanitas 2016
    • Oxford Lieder >
      • Singing words 2015
      • The Schubert Project, 2014
      • The Schumann Project 2016
      • Young Artist Platform 2011
      • Young Artist Platform 2013
      • Oxford Lieder Festival 2013
      • Oxford -Lieder Festival 2012
      • Oxford Lieder Festival 2011
      • Oxford-Lieder Festival 2010
      • Oxford Lieder 2009
      • L'Italiana in Algeri
      • Oxford Lieder 2008 >
        • Don Giovanni 26.10 2016
      • Oxford Lieder 2007
      • Oxford Lieder 2006
      • Oxford Lieder 2005
    • Oxford Chamber Music Festival
    • Oxford Chamber Music Society
    • Oxford Early Music Festival
    • OSJ Ashmole
    • Oxford May Music
    • Phantasm
    • Southwell Music Festival
    • Stradivarius
  • Book Reviews
    • Mozart
    • Phoenix
    • Trade Secrets
    • Opera History
    • Volpe
    • Wagner
  • History in Opera
  • Christmas Card
  • Untitled
  • Untitled
  • Die Fledermaus
  • New Page
  • Untitled
  • New Page
Picture
ENO Benvenuto Cellini c Richard Hubert Smith
Something completely different.

Hector Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, English National Opera Live at Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford, 17 June 2014.

Berlioz’ first opera is a tribute from a leading French nineteenth century flamboyant romantic to a flamboyant renaissance Italian craftsman. The production under review aims to be a tribute to both from a larger than life modern entertainer. All three need to be approached warily.

Benvenuto Cellini’s autobiography is a fanciful embroidery on his life completed in 1563 when the author was sixty-three, eight years before his death in 1571. I recounts the trials and tribulations, personal, artistic and professional of a renaissance artist of his time. Berlioz' Opera cleverly captures the essence by concentrating on two themes: the rivalry with fellow sculptors for the patronage  of Pope Clement VII to win the commission of a large golden statue of Perseus with the head of the Madusa and the struggle to meet the deadline for the casting of the statue the morning after Ash Wednesday. At the same time Cellini is trying to win the hand of Teresa, daughter of the Papal Chancellor Balducci, from Fieramosca, a rival for the commission, to whom she is engaged. In the course of this Cellini kills Pompeo, Fieramosca's assistant, and has to obtain papal pardon for that too.

ENO's choice of Director is Terry Gilliam best known as a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus but is also a film director of some note. is first opera production, also for ENO, was Berlioz' The Damnation of Faust in 2011. On entering the cinema, one was somewhat alarmed to see it advertised on the screen as 'Terry Gilliam's Benvenuto Cellini' not Berlioz'. . We need not have worried. What came over from the start was a serious attempt to do justice to the opera the Composer's vision of the story.

Cellini (Michael Spyres) reveals himself as one of a group of revellers serenading Teresa (Corinne Winters). He arranges to elope with her over the Mardi Gras Carnival, disguised as a white friar and accompanied by Ascanio  his manager (Paula Murrihy) in brown. Unfortunately this arrangement is overheard by Fieramosca (Nicholas Pallesen) who will dress similarly with Pompeo (David Soar). The resulting confusion and its aftermath lasts until the bell marking the beginning of Lent with the killing of Pompeo and the arrest of Fieramosca, mistaken for Cellini. It must have been tempting to treat such antics as a Monty Python send-up. Thankfully this was resisted. The singing and staging were exemplary with Spyres outstanding as Cellini; under Edward Gardner's baton the orchestra played brilliantly the largely unfamiliar score with the unexpected intrusion of the well-known Roman Carnival music.

In ACT II the complications of ACT I are resolved but the main focus is the casting of the statue in time in the face of all obstacles which in any age can afflict the completion of a major project including industrial action, shortages of materials, unwanted pressure from the commissioner Pope Clement VII. Played by Willard White he descends from above accompanied by red-coated bodyguards, reminiscent of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition. But ACT II is not so satisfactorily directed. Indeed we learnt in an interval talk that Gilliam almost gave up and it shows. One had the impression that a certain amount of ad libbing was going on.This is a pity: the casting of the statue is the great set-piece climax of Cellini's autobiography - a fine piece of Renaissance literature. It deserves a better stage representation.

Nevertheless there was a great deal to enjoy.




11 July 2014












0000



Proudly powered by Weebly