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harpy128
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« on: 13:02:57, 02-07-2007 » |
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Read on another board: Stalls tickets for £50 for tonight's performance (and possibly Thursday's as well). Enter the code "ROHMetro" in the "Have a code?" box.
Naturally I've already bought mine full-price, sigh.
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time_is_now
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« Reply #1 on: 11:27:05, 03-07-2007 » |
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More generally, I believe http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk is useful for these kinds of things (i.e. saving money!  ) - I read about it somewhere the other week but haven't had chance to explore it yet. |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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harpy128
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« Reply #2 on: 12:54:28, 03-07-2007 » |
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Glad you enjoyed it despite the travel vicissitudes, opilec. Am looking forward to hearing it on Thursday (from the amphitheatre).
The offer does work for Thursday as well, someone has confirmed.
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #3 on: 19:21:59, 04-07-2007 » |
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The offer does work for Thursday as well, someone has confirmed.
Yes, it does! I've unexpectedly found I'm free on Thursday evening and snapped up the ROH's offer. I don't know Katya at all - have only seen The Cunning Little Vixen in the opera house and Jenufa on DVD, but with Mackerras in charge, I'm willing to venture into pastures new... |
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Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency
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martle
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« Reply #4 on: 21:41:47, 04-07-2007 » |
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IGI, you're in for a treat - as far as the opera itself is concerned, IMO. And also as far as this production is concerned, from what I've heard! |
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Green. Always green.
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harpy128
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« Reply #5 on: 11:39:45, 05-07-2007 » |
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IGI, in the unlikely event that you feel like legging it up to the amphitheatre bar in the interval, I'll probably be on the outdoor loggia thing, complete with other half and mother. I will probably be wearing a turquoise crinkly dress (again) seeing it's the only one that isn't in the wash.
Hope we all enjoy it anyway!
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #6 on: 23:35:55, 05-07-2007 » |
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Hi Harpy! I spotted this at lunchtime and did a quick runner from the Floral Hall up to the Terrace, but a combination of a larger-than-usual crowd and my inept ability to distinguish a turquoise dress from any other meant we missed each other. I was totally bowled over by the opera - short, intense and wonderfully staged. Janice Watson impressed me enormously and I think special mention to Toby Spence - what a lovely voice and he rather helped out Jeremy White when he got in a pickle with his timing at the start of Act III. I thought the audience response was very warm and Charles Mackerras got the ovation he deserved. |
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Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency
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George Garnett
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« Reply #7 on: 00:20:44, 06-07-2007 » |
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It is an incredibly compact, high specific gravity piece, isn't it? I'd forgotten quite how intensely all that content was packed into such short (by the clock) acts. Very much agree about Janice Watson, IGI. I thought she was tremendous. The ROH orchestra on top form too, responding wonderfully and warmly to Mackerras.
The only serious disappointment was that neither of the horses did a poo this time, but you can't have everything I suppose.
Having spotted a fair number of empty seats down in the stalls I did try and sneak my way in to join you there in the interval but the ushers were obviously primed and I was sent packing.
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #8 on: 00:48:51, 06-07-2007 » |
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Having spotted a fair number of empty seats down in the stalls I did try and sneak my way in to join you there in the interval but the ushers were obviously primed and I was sent packing.
Yes, they were checking all the tickets on the way back in. I can't help thinking that those who splashed out £135 for a stalls seat must have been a bit miffed to have plebs like me there on a £50 seat. I fully understand that the Royal Opera shouldn't be playing to empty seats and think the £50 offer was appropriate. However, I understand that Janacek rarely sells well at the ROH, so why not set the ticket prices lower? |
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Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency
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harpy128
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« Reply #9 on: 17:44:11, 07-07-2007 » |
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Sorry I missed you, IGI, and George too (again). I was duly wearing my turquoise dress but was forced by the arctic weather conditions to put a jacket on so the dress might not have been that visible.
Wasn't the performance fantastic, though? I've heard Janice Watson a few times but never sounding like that. I know people are saying it's Mackerras's last go at conducting KK but he looked to me as if he had a few more left in him. Could have done without the horses though - pointless distraction I'd say and probably not that much fun for the horses.
Gavin Plumley's programme note made reference to some kind of dodgy coup de theatre at the final curtain but I missed it - did anyone else see anything?
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harpy128
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« Reply #10 on: 10:33:38, 08-07-2007 » |
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Oh yes, that's probably it - thank you opilec.
Without knowing much about the original play, I thought that stuff was reasonable, though it seemed to annoy an ex-Catholic friend. Wonder whether Janacek would have thought religion was the problem or the solution, or both?
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harpy128
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« Reply #11 on: 18:16:27, 09-07-2007 » |
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My friend didn't like the inclusion of the cross but I'll have to get her to elaborate on her objections.
I suppose (although it didn't strike me that way at the time) one could argue that the production over-emphasised the religious aspect a bit because after all the primary problem seems to be an oppressive social structure (represented by the Kabanicha). Religion seems a bit incidental and Kat'a's own religion is presented in a fairly positive light, isn't it?
BTW I gather that some people thought the religious procession at the end was suggestive of Kat'a's "redemption". You pays your money..
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George Garnett
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« Reply #12 on: 18:39:47, 09-07-2007 » |
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BTW I gather that some people thought the religious procession at the end was suggestive of Kat'a's "redemption". You pays your money..
Hmmm. Yes, I'm with you on that, harpy. I can't believe that was the idea behind it, particularly given that, as opilec says, we had the same procession at the beginning. I took it to be more an implication of 'despite the tragedy, nothing has changed'. Personally I think Janacek's own chillingly self-controlled final words for Kabanicha " I thank you, good people, for your kindness" as Kat'a's body is returned are a better final image than an 'operatic'-style procession. Incidentally, I couldn't help thinking that the shock of the intended coup de theatre in the final Act was slightly compromised by the credit in the cast list: "Collapsing cross and scaffold by...." |
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« Last Edit: 18:42:12, 09-07-2007 by George Garnett »
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time_is_now
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« Reply #13 on: 19:19:37, 09-07-2007 » |
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Incidentally, I couldn't help thinking that the shock of the intended coup de theatre in the final Act was slightly compromised by the credit in the cast list: "Collapsing cross and scaffold by...."
Hmmm ... Almost as bad as my DVD of Chinatown which says on the back next to the BBFC rating: "Warning: Strong language. Incest theme." (Apologies to anyone reading this who hasn't seen Chinatown!) |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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