read what our audiences have to say about Partenope
Review from Charles [by letter]
Re: Grandiose performance of Handel's Partenope
On Thursday 16 october 2008, I visited the English National Opera's production of Partenope by George Frederic Handel, and was entranced by this lesser-known Handelian comic masterpiece. This is not Opera seria, or the stodgy oratorio of Queen Anne's day, but a highly stylized Opera Buffa well before its time. Confusing, in that its plot is a comedy of manners, more involved than Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and more subversive than Leclos' Liaisons Dangereux, it, nevertheless, leaves us pleasantly stunned by its array of musical bonbons and merry wit and humour.
What stylistically astute pacing by Baroque Scot, Christian Curnyn! His attention to the balance and inner voicing, particularly the Italianate Botticellian colouring of Handel's light-hearted but intricately florid score of Partenope brings highlight after highlight to Christopher Alden's fast-moving and staggeringly ebullient stage production.
Read the full review here:
Review from David
I have just returned from the Friday night performance of Partenope. Sublimely beautiful music, and brilliant, dramatic and moving singing, RUINED by a dumb self-indulgent director. He seemed to think that making third-rate slapstick jokes would entertain the audience during the longer numbers. He had no understanding of the dramatic tension in the piece, and no historical understanding either. Setting it a surrealist world completely undermined the plot, which depends on genuine differences in status and feeling; instead these became sources of coarse humour, rather than the more sophisticated kind the work requires in order to reach its 'happy ending'. This is a brilliant time for early/baroque music; why do opera directors feel the need to impose their extraneous ideas on older works rather than investigating their emotional dynamics? I felt completely betrayed.
Review from David
I saw Partenope on Friday October 24th and loved it. I disagree with all of the other reviewers' view of the production. I found it stylish and constantly entertaining. I do not as a matter of course like updated productions (I disliked Lucia di Lammermoor for instance) but this worked just fine. I cannot imagine that a "Traditional" production would work well as everything is about the emotional states of the protagonists and these came across clearly.
The singers and orchestra were excellent. Full praise to the excellence of the whole cast. It is perhaps unfair to single out individuals but I think Rosemary Joshua's performance was the best I have ever heard by a soprano in a Handel opera. I cannot imagine it is possible to hear a better performance.
Review from Brown
Partenope - the cast and the orchestra did full justice to some splendid music; the production let them down monstrously. The basic setting was just silly; the action was much worse - crude, unbearably fussy and frequently incomprehensible,and the feeble attempts at humour, both in the production and the translated libretto,were merely coarse. The overall effect was contemptibly vulgar; this kind of trash should go back to where it belongs: the gutter.
Review from E.S. Tweedlie
I travelled down from Scotland on Thursday 23 October to catch Cav and Pag on the Thursday and Partenope the following evening.
The Thursday was very much a curate's egg, good in parts. I felt that the orchestral playing was very fine, with Edward Gardner coaxing some glorious sounds from the pit; verismo affords many opportunities with its big emotional tunes, and these were seized with both hands. The lead roles in both operas were in the main excellently handled, with in particular Peter Auty a convincing Turiddu with genuine Italianate tone;an outstanding Prologue from Christopher Purves and an expressive, emotional and beautifully sung love duet from Mary Plazas and Mark Stone were also real highlights. However,both productions in my view had important weaknesses. I found the translation employed in Cav insipid to the extent that it detracted from the dramatic impact of many of the key moments. For example, Santuzza's climactic 'Io son dannata' was represented by the anodyne 'You have damned me';other underpowered infelicities were 'he has made you a cuckold', and Santuzza's spine-chilling Easter curse on Turiddu being reduced to 'a bitter Easter.' The set was claustrophobic, and there was little sense of a hot Mediterranean sun inflaming passions. I also saw little point in the Italian words for flour, rice etc. painted on (presumably) the shop walls when the piece is being sung in English.
In short,sound musical values were in my view undercut by a disappointing translation and a questionable set. My issue with this production of Pag was that I do not believe that the kind of play within a play put on by the players is supported by the music Leoncavallo wrote. He uses minuet and gavotte, perfect for Commedia dell Arte, but not for the kind of crude bedroom farce portrayed in this production. The discrepancy between the atmosphere of this form of the play within a play and the fierce emotions of the actors is too great, rendering the conclusion unbelievable and depriving the piece of its tragedy. The audience should leave the theatre feeling for the protagonists; I didn't. And what was the reason for making the murder weapon a pistol, for killing Silvio/Woody before Nedda/Nelly, and for the suicide of Canio/Kenny? As with Cav, I feel good musical values were compromised by a capricious production.
Partenope benefited from an impressive ensemble;Rosemary Joshua,John Mark Ainslie,Christine Rice, Patricia Bardon, Iestyn Davies and James Gower all made light of the considerable vocal demands of Handel's music, despite at times being required to indulge in overfussy and seemingly unnecessary business.However,the overwhelming feeling was that the cast were enjoying themselves, and this was relayed to the audience. While the Man Ray aspect seemed a bit arbitrary and contrived, good support from Christian Curnyn and the orchestra, and a punchy translation made this production sparkle. First class singing and playing and a sense of fun made my journey worthwhile, and I would consider a similar pilgrimage in the future.
Review from Brenda
PARTENOPE - Friday, 31 October.
Handel! A treat, as my husband and I particularly love Handel's music and especially his operas.
But what a disappointment - a travesty, played for cheap laughs, an insult to both our intelligence and Handel's beautiful music.
Yes, it was sung superbly and the orchestra played beautifully. This, in spite of the awful translation and strange staging. Please tell me what a toilet has to do with this opera? Neither of us could follow the story and it was not clear who the characters were, even after two acts. Since several voices sounded rather similar, and the enunciation was generally poor (with the notable exception of the counter-tenor, at times we couldn't work out (from the Upper Circle) who was actually singing! And "comic" does not have to rely on cheap laughs, like using "shit" in the translation - completely inappropriate!
The fact that, when we left after the second act, we met so many people in the cloakroom, also collecting their coats to leave - and everyone saying the same thing: "inappropriate" "sad" "lovely music and singing - shame about the rest" etc.
Please give us back Handel and his wonderful music in a form we can enjoy!
We have been supporting the ENO (we are Friends) for more years than we can remember - this is the first time I have ever written to you to complain.
Rather sadly, Brenda Newman (Mrs)
Review from Pete
I went to see Partenope this weekend and was very disappointed. The orchestra were first class and the singing generally superb, especially Christine Rice who has a wonderfully rich, powerful yet delicate voice, and great stage presence. However, the production was awful and was bent & twisted out of shape in the effort to make the action fit the surrealist, Man Ray theme, which it could not do. Some of the action was incomprehensible and bore no relation to the synopsis. There were baffling costume changes which lasted only one scene (why the kilt & turban?), and poor John Mark Ainsley had to sing hanging out of windows, facing walls and who knows what else.
Review from J Woolf
I must differ from those who have enjoyed Partenope. The quality of the singing was excellent but I felt that the 1920s theme failed to make the characters relate to one another, with the result that the production dismally failed to come to life. It was quite nice if I sat with my eyes closed, but this is not what I come to the opera for! I know the opera of Handel's time was stylised and four-square, yet it seemed somehow disrespectful to the music to have crashing and banging throughout the arias and pointless surrealist goings-on to occupy the eye. I would have preferred an attempt to stage it in a way which reflected a little of what it may have been originally. Alternatively, perhaps someone with real ideas like Jonathan Miller can be persuaded to try a modern production - he would bring some wit and verve IN to fill in the spaces instead of this excruciating posturing and posing about, and tedious tramping up and down staircases. Sorry. I usually enjoy ENO productions but this was truly terrible - at least with my eyes open.
Review from Michael
Wonderful profound opera, a superb cast, but such a depressing evening as a result of the production. I travelled at not inconsiderable expense from Manchester as quality opera in our neck of the wood is a rarity and my evening was ruined by a production that was specifically designed to run contrary to the music. This is not " cutting edge drama", it destroys the drama that comes from the music.
A low point came when John Mark Ainsley sang his penultimate aria, beautifully delivered, superb da capo with appropriate decoration,when everything was thrown away by some childish business from other characters, atmosphere destroyed, cumulative effect devised by Handel destroyed...and so it had gone on all evening.
In future I will read the name of the producer as closely as the composer. I see that this charlatan has alrady destroyed Orfeo (singers wrapped up in tape) and La Vide Breve (opera transferred to a knitting factory) for Opera North. I have given up on Opera North as I can't trust their productions, I dont know if I will bother with ENO after this nonsense
Review from DiLuca
Saw Partenope last night (16 October)... The singing was mostly very good to excellent, especially from the soprano and the countertenor. The orchestra sounded magnificent.... very beautiful and expressive playing. The production and staging are, in a word, awful. Ridiculous, nonsensical, absurdist staging, kitschy attempts at slapstick humor (because, after all, Partenope is a COMEDY!). Singers seemed to be directed to do one of 2 things: light a cigarette and slouch against a wall somewhere, OR go wild and tear around the set, throwing things while singing their most difficult fioratura. Why is it so difficult to grasp the basic idea that when the stage picture AND the movements of the singers are COMPLETELY unrelated to the music OR what they're singing about, the audience is going to be l eft out? Just my opinion.... Hoping to have a better time at Cav/Pag tonight....
Review from Renee
We were lucky enough to hear 'Partenope' last night and found the singing and playing (of the orchestra) wonderful, skilled, beautiful and totally enjoyable. BUT the same cannot - unfortunately - be said about the production. Does Christopher Alden think that we, the audience, are not capable of enjoying opera (especially with da capo arias)without constant "business"? Stupid out-of-context extras like lavatories on stage, idiotic loo paper that adds nothing to the action, poor singers lying uncomfortably on a staircase (... need I go on?) ,ake us angry rather than help us to get involved in the work. In fact all this stupidity detracts from the wonderful enjoyment we got from the inspired music and its talented interpreters. And what about Health & Ssafety: why make these poor singers smoke? Is it good for their voices???
Thank you for giving us a most enriching evening and congratulations on assembling such a talented cast!
Review from Helen
I had the misfortune to be at your production of Handel's wonderful Partenope last night (Saturday 18th October). Whilst the soloists and the orchestra were marvellous I thought the production was simply awful, in line with your recent attempt at staging Poppea. I have been coming to the Coliseum for years and am greatly sadden that you are prepared to embark on such appalling productions presumably to fill the seats. Handel's music is glorious and should be taken seriously not confused by cheap laughs on stage about loos and ridiculous innuendos. I fear my days of coming to the ENO may be over.
Review from Eric
A really dire production ! I thought the first act was bad enough but the second was in a class of its own - a junior school pupil might have found the toilet scene funny, but to me it was pathetically unfunny, contrived (what relevance did it have to the amours of the participants ?) and frankly embarassing. I cannot judge the third act because, along with several other opera lovers, I had left. A hopefully never to be repeated experience! Good singing though, but I felt sorry for the performers having to act out such dross.
