Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Fiona Maddocks's rating
Reader rating
Dir: James MacMillan (cond), Katie Mitchell (dir).
Cast: Stephan Loges, Amy Freston
Description: James MacMillan's opera is inspired by the tale of a WWII survivor who gives birth while still a virgin. Concert performance with Britten Sinfonia. Directed by Katie Mitchell.
Trains: Tube: Covent Garden 
Phone: 0207304 4000
Website: www.roh.org.uk
Email: onlinebooking@roh.org.uk
Extra info: Air Conditioning, Food
Admirable: John Tomlinson as the veteran knight Gurnemanz
Bernard Haitink, former music director of the Royal Opera, was given a hero's welcome as he took the podium for a revival of Parsifal. Now 78, he left in 2002 when the house was in turmoil and returns to a far more serene establishment - at least in the parts the audience see.
If anything this serenity hindered rather than helped the first night of Wagner's epic final opera. Singers, orchestra and audience were sorely tested by Haitink's more than ceremonial pace, which at times came close to stasis. For all the exquisite sounds from stage and pit, this Parsifal felt every second of its five hours 15 minutes and some. In part the fault was the low energy of this 2001 co-production with Teatro Real Madrid, directed by Klaus Michael Gr¸ber. In terms of plotting a drama, few come more serious than Wagner.
You could make a contour map of this opera and find it bristling with incident, adventure and high peaks. Yet this felt like an unvarying plateau in which even key moments were botched. Has anyone, bar Dan Brown, ever seen a more underactive Grail? Parsifal's near-miss kiss with Kundry was positively Masonic in its reticence. And the Klingsor magic sword moment - pure theatre when done well - had one eye on Spamalot in its incompetence.
Nevertheless there were admirable performances, notably from John Tomlinson, returning as the veteran knight Gurnemanz. His wise presence can animate any stage, and did, though the slow pace put extra strain on his voice in this huge role. Petra Lang was bizarre and exciting as Kundry. Willard White's Klingsor, though mellower than of late, remains gripping. Flowermaidens and chorus deserve praise and Falk Struckmann mustered urgent pathos as Amfortas.
But all were under-charactised, especially Parsifal himself, who was forever hanging around or hiding behind a pillar. British tenor Christopher Ventris has the makings of a fine lyrical "Pure Fool", if only someone would direct him.
Haitink has described the text of Parsifal as "horrible". Given its sickly tangle of religiosity and disease, it is hard to disagree. But perhaps his lack of sympathy prompted an over-beautiful, languid interpretation, with the drama lost. It's too easy to say forget the words, just listen to the music. However repulsive, they make this maddeningly enigmatic work an opera.
• Until 21 Dec (020 7304 4000).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
[ 1 ] [ 2 ]
