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

Ellen Kent's Opera International, New Theatre Oxford, 2 March 2006.

For Rigoletto, Ellen Kent had assembled a cast that would grace the stage of the Royal Opera House. It was led by the doyen of the Chisinau Opera, Vladimir Dragos, whose talents are becoming familiar to followers of this Company. In voice and gesture he gave a great old-fashioned melodramatic performance of the title role. Gilda was sung in Oxford by another soprano of outstanding quality– Maria Tonina, her Caro Nome meriting a very high mark. In the final ensemble their voices were well matched by those of Andriy Perfilov as the Duke of Mantua and Tatiana Virlan, Madalena. Perfilov gave a good account of the role but, as always, suffered the handicap of having to compete, in his excerpt arias, with our memories of recordings of all the world’s greatest tenors of the last century! There were no weak links in the cast with notable portrayals of Monterone (Viorel Zgardan), Giovanna (Roddica Picireanu) and Sparafucile (Dmytro Pavlyuk).

In the advance publicity we were asked to note ‘some scenes contain nudity’ and that the production featured ‘a magnificent golden eagle’. (Such gimmicks are a trademark of Ellen Kent productions.) The latter made a dignified appearance in the first scene, while the naked and semi-naked ladies added an extra spice of debauchery to the Court of the Duke of Mantua in Acts I and II, though by the end of Act II they had rather exhausted their repertoire of seductive wiles! The whole staging was fast-paced and exciting, transitional scenes being enacted before a black proscenium curtain, without any interruption. The only slight weakness was the rather inflexible conductor’s beat, preventing the orchestral accompaniment from making a full impact. But this was a major triumph by any standard! One looks forward to the new production of Die Fledermaus due in Oxford on 14 September,

As drama, these two operas are contrasted in the universality of their plots. La Bohème is firmly anchored to a time and place where young women died of consumption in unheated garrets. The story of Rigoletto, on the other hand could be set in any time in history from Ancient Rome to the present day where similar macho elements of society exist (fun-loving or depraved, according to one’s point of view). Indeed, Jonathan Miller’s renowned mafioso version is having yet another revival ay ENO. A recent episode of Footballers’ Wives (viewed inadvertently, I assure you) had a poolside party strangely reminiscent of Ellen Kent’s Act I. A version of Rigoletto set in the world of professional football could well pull in a new audience for opera. If that’s what you want.

                                                                                                

Proudly powered by Weebly