Weather Tonight: 4°c Partly Cloudy Night Morning: 8°c Cloudy

Music

London,

English National Opera: Partenope

Description: Christopher Alden directs Handel's comic tale of three men competing for the hand of the Queen Of Naples. Conducted by Christian Curnyn and sung in English.



Rating: 3 out of 5 Fiona Maddocks's rating
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Reader rating

Your rating

one star two star three star four star five star

Click on a star to rate

Dir: Christopher Alden.

Cast: English National Opera, Rosemary Joshua (Partenope), Patricia Bardon (Rosmira), Christine Rice/Armindo Iestyn Davies (Arsace), John Mark Ainsley (Emilio), James Gower (Ormonte), Christian Curnyn (cond), Andrew Lieberman (des)

London Coliseum St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4ES

Phone: 0871911 0200

Website: www.eno.org

Email: box.office@eno.org

Extra info: Food, Pub

Transport: Rail/Tube: Charing Cross; Tube: Leicester Square/Embankment Transport for London , Tube / Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176 Transport for London

Royal flush in Partenope

Partenope
French Surrealism: Partenope (Rosemary Joshua) and Emilio (John Mark Ainsley)

By Fiona Maddocks
10 Oct 2008


Crystallised through the stark imagery of French Surrealism — a stylish way of capturing the zaniness of Handel — ENO’s new staging of Partenope is packed with riches. It is also full of flaws. The pleasures come chiefly in the music and the excellent cast of six led by John Mark Ainsley. The problems lie in Christopher Alden’s production, an odd mix of the overdone and the raw.

Christian Curmyn, making his ENO debut, has recorded this little-known Handel comedy. His approach is brisk, supple and agreeably soft contoured, rather than edgy or manic. The ENO orchestra plays with vigour and zest, with period colour provided by buoyant harpsichords, theorbo and cello continuo.

As on the CD, Rosemary Joshua sings the title role of Queen of Naples. After an absence from the stage owing to illness, she is back on tremendous form — elegant, feline and growing in assurance as the evening progressed. In Andrew Lieberman’s designs, 1920s Paris is the touchstone. The opening scene is visually arresting, a white salon with a sweeping staircase providing a vertiginous platform for much of the action. Partenope, got up as Nancy Cunard or Coco Chanel, and her various gender-bending suitors, play cards and drink cocktails. John Mark Ainsley (Emilio), inexplicably, is a Man Ray lookalike wearing a suit and a variety of weird headgear. Never mind. He sings persuasively. Countertenor Iestyn Davies (Armindo) tumbles downstairs with the deadpan solemnity of Buster Keaton and sings like an angel who smokes five a day — pure-toned with hint of roughness. He’s a find.

Amanda Holden’s racy new rhyming translation freely employs contemporary colloquialisms, which may annoy purists but provokes laughter and is easily audible.

As ever with Handel, his genius is to clothe sober insights into the human psyche in the gorgeous silk chiffons of wit and satire. Director Christopher Alden, instead, starts promisingly but yields to lumpen vulgarity. A lavatory, so passé on the operatic stage these days, occupies centre stage and flushes mid-aria.
Christine Rice and Patricia Bardon, both outstanding as doubly cross-dressed lovers, have to endure an Andrex dog moment — yards of loo roll — which amused some.

Don’t be deterred. Handel’s music, a glory of magnificent arias and nimble ensembles, shines through.

Until 12 November. Information: 0871 9110 200, www.eno.org.

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

Reader views (0)

 Add your view

No comments have so far been submitted.


Add your comment

 

Terms and conditions Make text area bigger You have  characters left.

We welcome your opinions. This is a public forum. Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.

For information about privacy and cookies please read our Privacy Policy.


 

Music top five
Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd

IndigO2
SE10
Apr 8, 7pm

Chris Rea

HMV Apollo
W6
Apr 5, 6.30pm

Miles Kane

HMV Forum
NW5
Apr 28, 7.30pm

Example

The O2 Arena
SE10
Apr 27, 6.30pm

Lightning Seeds

02 Shepherd's Bush Empire
W12
Feb 18, 7pm