I went to the BYO Don Giovanni last year and it was surprisingly good - production and performance.

I thought Albert Herring was great fun when I saw it 99 years ago. Young Lady Billowses seem to be the trend as Glyndebourne have cast Miranda Keys (a good Norn in last night's Gotterdammerung I thought) for their tour.

Coincidentally I see the BYO Lady Billows is Katherine Broderick, who was a Rhinemaiden on Sunday. She won the Ferrier prize this year I think.

Did anybody go?

I went to Herring last Friday and it was great.  It was a traditional, no-nonsense production and the casting could hardly have been more ideal.  Even those who were playing the older roles managed to seem perfect for them.  I don’t want to single people out as it was really faultless, but I will anyway: Katherine Broderick was an imperious, commanding Lady Billows; Ben Johnson’s Albert was subtle, sympathetic and beautifully-sung; Benedict Nelson’s Sid and Tania Mandzy’s Nancy had sex appeal and fantastic chemistry together.  David Butt-Philip (Mr Gedge) is also a baritone to watch.  If there was one misjudgement it was the “children” – whoever directed them didn’t get the feel for how real children move and interact.

Peter Robinson conducted the Southbank Sinfonia; the textures were well-judged and all the musical parody played dead straight.

Die Zauberflöte, the following day, had a production "concept" which I'm sure would have worked if I'd have understood what they were trying to do in the first place.  The idea was that Pamina was a spoilt aristocrat and the whole thing was her dream.  Once you got past that (and it WAS kind of possible to see what it was getting at) it wasn't bad.  Indeed, most of the production was quite straightforward, except the rather disturbing little-girl costumes for the three “spirits” (understandably, BYO has lots of adult sopranos to showcase rather than casting trebles).

Michael Lloyd conducted at breakneck speed - "Bei Männern" was almost one-in-a-bar, and I take my hat off to those with numbers which are already fast for not coming unstuck.

The cast was a bit uneven - both Pamina (Tamara Zivadinovic) and Tamino (Amar Muchala) had a tendency to go flat at the top of their voices, though if Muchala can get this sorted out his easy stage manner, attractive voice and good looks should make him very employable!)  Papageno (Nicholas Merryweather) was terrific and had a real rapport with the audience; the Queen of the Night (Emily Rowley Jones) had every note in place, even at Michael Lloyd’s tempi.

It was sung in English, which made for some fairly odd dialogue as about half the cast were not native English-speakers.  Thankfully they did at least use the Jeremy Sams translation used by ENO rather than the “self-consciously trying to be young and trendy” one that BYO used last time they did this opera.  Ah yes, BYO’s previous Zauberflöte.  I seem to remember it being set in a 1960’s school gymnasium in outer space.  Not sure what I’m complaining about with the “Pamina’s Dream” idea!

And as for the wish I expressed in my earlier post for a "Rake's Progress" - the RCM are doing it this term, with Ben Johnson (title role in Albert Herring) as one of the double-cast Toms - I ran into him at The Magic Flute and asked if he knew which half of the run he'd be singing, but he hasn't been told yet.  Also worth a look this term is another Zauberflöte, at the Guildhall, where some of the BYO cast will repeat their roles.

Yes, Harry was played by a real boy (sorry, that sounds like something out of Pinocchio ) but I've never come across Emmie and Cis played by anything other than sopranos in their twenties dressed as children, as they were here.