Orlando - The Royal Opera, Covent Garden

I caught the last night of this new production on the 23rd October. I was slightly concerned beforehand about the poor reviews I had seen in all the British press: complaints about the quality of the singers, doubts about whether the trouser-role of Orlando was set too low in Alice Coote's voice, and the most biting criticism of Anthony Baker's set designs. For the first ten minutes or so of the show, I was prepared to believe the reviews, as I sat through a dull and unsparkling first aria from Jonathan Lemalu (Zoroastro) and a very wobbly first recitative from Alice Coote (her voice took quite a while to 'settle' into the right range).
But things soon improved with the appearance of Camilla Tilling as the charming but slightly hopeless shepherdess, Dorinda, and Bejun Mehta as Medoro. As I sat and listened to aria after aria, each more splendid, virtuosic, moving or original than the last, the overwhelming impression was of attending a true spectacle. I left after three hours feeling uplifted.

Alice Coote was amazing. I had never heard her sing before (I missed her now famously over-acted recital at the Edinburgh Festival this summer), and at times I could not tell, either from her deportment on stage, or from her voice, whether she was male or female. She was just a stunning performer - to the point where eventually I stopped wondering about the gender thing and just concentrated on the musical and vocal expertise on display. Her most virtuoso aria, the bellicose 'Fammi combattere', brought the house down. One reviewer had worried about her voice carrying to the back of the hall - there was no such problem on the night I was in the audience - I was sat in the amphitheatre and Coote's voice carried perfectly; indeed, I would say better than any of the other singers', including Jonathan Lemalu, who is a dry-but-fruity bass. Impressive. Some of the more complex moments later on in Act 3 were slightly less impressive, but the 'Sleep' aria was very moving.

Barbara Bonney was less impressive overall, although there were some moments of the perfect phrasing that I would have expected from her. She seemed uncomfortable to be on the stage - fumbling the props - and had very little presence (despite the huge width of her skirts). She did sing in tune most of the time, however.

The same cannot be said of Camilla Tilling. I quite honestly don't know how to sum up her performance, except with a list of pros and cons:

Pro:
Acting: she has great stage presence, tons of enthusiasm and energy, and brightens up the stage simply by being on it.
Voice: charming, you can forgive her a lot for the consistent sweetness - it's just perfect for this shepherdess role (also for Pamina, earlier on in the year). And a good portion of her performance was stunning (e.g. the nightingale aria at the beginning of Act 2).

Con:
Pitch: in about half of her arias, she sang consistently sharp to the pitch of the orchestra. I can't imagine that she has problems with the baroque pitch, so to me, this permanent sharpness speaks of poor vocal technique and a distinct lack of musicality.

Fluffs: she nearly caused the first act to grind to a halt twice, firstly by coming too early in the recit after Bonney's first Aria (coincidentally robbing Bonney of the opportunity to take applause), and then by losing it completely in her second aria. I think there may have been a problem with the rotating set, which ground to a halt with an unhealthy sounding noise, but Tilling clearly did not know what she was singing, and the orchestra were so confused that they almost stopped playing. Fortunately Harry Bicket managed to get things going again.

I was also quite won over by Bejun Mehta, who is a bit of a star in his own right (he has also performed the title role of Orlando). One Aria in Act 2 (two hearts always intertwined, sung to Angelica) provoked a similar response in me to my first hearing of Tristan und Isolde: tears and shivers down the spine. I was amazed to find myself so moved by Handel, and I think the praise for this is due equally to Handel and to Mehta.

This was the first time that the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment had performed at the Royal Opera. It very different to the usual Opera House band - much smaller, the whole orchestra fitting into the portion of the pit that is not blcked from view by the stage. The Opera House is really too large for an authentic 18th century orchestra, and the orchestra are too far removed from the singers on stage to achieve true intimacy, but within these limitations I found it a new and satisfying experience. Ths crispness of Bicket's phrasing was a welcome change from the usual sloppiness heard in this House, and the small ensemble pieces (arias accompanied by two viola d'amore or recorders) worked very well, all things considered. Best of all, the orchestra stayed after the final curtain had fallen to take a bow - and were rewarded with the loudest applause of all from the audience. It makes such a difference when the band doesn't disappear down the pub the minute that the curtain falls.

But Handel's music deserves the starring role in any discussion of this performance. I had never heard any Handel opera before - I have sung endless Messiahs and have heard quite a few oratorios - and what amazed me was the realness of the emotions behind many of the arias, but particularly Dorinda's. Although the structure of opera seria is highly constraining, Handel is constantly pushing at the boundaries and doing the unexpected (I found Andrew Jones' excellent program notes to be very helpful for a novice such as myself). The trio where Angelica and Medoro console Dorinda is a perfect example.

I can only think that the performances have improved since all the reviews were writen at the beginning of the run. No doubt the singers have become more comfortable with the fiendish demands of the music. There was definitely an air of the 'last night'about the evening, and I felt that each of the five singers were giving their all to te performance with no holding back (except possibly Barbara Bonney, who hadn't managed to find top form). I will go back again when this production is inevitably revived, and will take my husband with me. Maybe next time Bejun Mehta will take the role of Orland? That's something I would like to hear.