ROH Season 2014-15

[Belgrove]

Details are here

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/opera-and-music-201415

Not much to get me excited. The enticing prospect of Stemme and Connolly in Tristan negated by Tomlinson and Pappano, I fear. Only King Roger is the must see.

[gurnemanz]

Some seen already. At first glance I definitely fancy Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny with Anne Sofie von Otter. Possibly Ballo in Maschera.

[kuligin]

A mixed bag, no Handel, no Janacek, no Strauss, no Busoni ( well Il ive in hope that Doktor Faust might get a production) but plenty of Rossini, and Idomeneo, Monteverdi Birtwistle

Would love to see I Foscari but Domingo is surely well passed his sell by date

[Barbirollians]

Domingo was jolly good in Nabucco last year.

The cast for Elisir d Amore looks very good and Stemme is well worth hearing in T and I .

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

A mixed bag, no Handel, no Janacek, no Strauss, no Busoni ( well Il ive in hope that Doktor Faust might get a production) but plenty of Rossini, and Idomeneo, Monteverdi Birtwistle

I was there at the press launch this morning and the first thing I noticed on looking through the programme was that there was no Russian opera. A newspaper colleague then added, 'Nor any Janacek'. The point was also made by Rupert Christiansen when questions were invited. Kasper Holten admitted that there was a gap there, but promised that there were big plans afoot for Janacek later on.

If L'Ormindo at the Globe was anything to go by, the Monteverdi L'Orfeo at the Roundhouse should be very worthwhile and there are some interesting things going on at the Linbury. The only new production in the main season which I hadn't heard or read about was the Katherine Thoma Ballo; they were more than well aware of the reception her Glyndebourne Ariadne had last season, but assure us that they've seen some of her other work and believe she is very talented. We shall see.

We're promised that Christof Loy's production of Tristan & Isolde is having the sightlines issue addressed. (I wonder how much it cost them in refunds/ re-seating audiences last time around?)

William Tell, King Roger, I due Foscari, Idomeneo, Andrea Chenier, Mahagony - lots of interesting new productions, with some great casting, all bolstered with well-cast revivals to sell those tickets. They made no secret of the fact that they've been disappointed with ticket sales for Die Frau ohne Schatten, but are prepared to offer plenty of 'bums on seats' stuff to allow them the chance to put on less popular fare.

One gem that slipped out - this season will see the final outing for John Copley's La boheme. The director for its successor? Richard Jones! I expect he's out selecting the wallpaper now...

[Honoured Guest]

Is it a single press event for both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet? Do the press sit in two separate groups? Does the ROH attempt to present the two seasons as a unity, or do they acknowledge that they are almost completely separate, except for sharing a building?

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Is it a single press event for both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet? Do the press sit in two separate groups? Does the ROH attempt to present the two seasons as a unity, or do they acknowledge that they are almost completely separate, except for sharing a building?

Yes, a single press event, presented up in the Clore Studio. Alex Beard gave a brief introduction, then Kevin O'Hare and Wayne McGregor for The Royal Ballet, and Kasper Holten and Tony Pappano for The Royal Opera gave us an overview of their seasons.

[MrGongGong]

Is it a single press event for both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet? Do the press sit in two separate groups? Does the ROH attempt to present the two seasons as a unity, or do they acknowledge that they are almost completely separate, except for sharing a building?

They are (mostly) the same musicians playing for them
and the same technical staff etc

I'm not sure what your point is ?

[Honoured Guest]

Thank you both for your replies. MrGongGong, the musicians and technical staff don't come top of my list for reasons to attend a dance performance! My "point" was that, as I said, opera and ballet are two different artforms, with two sets of critics, and I can't imagine that either the opera press has much interest in choreography and dancers, or the dance press has much interest in operatic singing or direction. I just wondered how the ROH structured a combined press conference which covers two disparate companies and is attended by two disparate press sets.

[CallMePaul]

Instead of Philip Glass's take on Kafka, did the ROH not consider Gottfried von Einem's Der Prozess? This opera by a major 20th Century Austrian composer is today almost unknown, although it had big names in its premiere and no less than Otto Klemperer conducting! I believe it has had a number of productions across the German-speaking world but awaits its British premiere. His setting of Georg Buechner's Dantons Tod, also conducted at its premiere by Klemperer, is almost in the same league as Berg's Wozzeck and again deserves to be heard here. If the ROH considers these too risky, how about a festival such as Buxton or Wexford?

[Flosshilde]

The enticing prospect of Stemme and Connolly in Tristan negated by Tomlinson and Pappano, I fear.

I suppose one could always put one's fingers in one's ears when Tomlinson sings, & King Mark isn't on very much. DO you not rate Pappano in Wagner?

I must say Stemme is very tempting - she sang Acts 1 & 2 Isolde in Glasgow with the BBCSSO under Runnicles; unfortunately I had a dreadful cold & had to miss Act 2, but she was superb in Act 1 (even though she had a cold.

[Barbirollians]

I was there at the press launch this morning and the first thing I noticed on looking through the programme was that there was no Russian opera. A newspaper colleague then added, 'Nor any Janacek'. The point was also made by Rupert Christiansen when questions were invited. Kasper Holten admitted that there was a gap there, but promised that there were big plans afoot for Janacek later on.

If L'Ormindo at the Globe was anything to go by, the Monteverdi L'Orfeo at the Roundhouse should be very worthwhile and there are some interesting things going on at the Linbury. The only new production in the main season which I hadn't heard or read about was the Katherine Thoma Ballo; they were more than well aware of the reception her Glyndebourne Ariadne had last season, but assure us that they've seen some of her other work and believe she is very talented. We shall see.

We're promised that Christof Loy's production of Tristan & Isolde is having the sightlines issue addressed. (I wonder how much it cost them in refunds/ re-seating audiences last time around?)

William Tell, King Roger, I due Foscari, Idomeneo, Andrea Chenier, Mahagony - lots of interesting new productions, with some great casting, all bolstered with well-cast revivals to sell those tickets. They made no secret of the fact that they've been disappointed with ticket sales for Die Frau ohne Schatten, but are prepared to offer plenty of 'bums on seats' stuff to allow them the chance to put on less popular fare.

One gem that slipped out - this season will see the final outing for John Copley's La boheme. The director for its successor? Richard Jones! I expect he's out selecting the wallpaper now...

I know it is getting long in the tooth but that is a lovely Boheme - I assume the luxury casting of Netrebko and Calleja is to ensure it goes out in style ? I suggest they put it in careful store as any new production is likely to face brickbats .

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I suggest they put it in careful store as any new production is likely to face brickbats .

Something along those lines was (tongue-in-cheek) suggested!

[Belgrove]

DO you not rate Pappano in Wagner?

I'm afraid not. I've heard all his Wagner and he was only satisfactory in Meistersinger, the least 'Wagnerian' of the late works. He does not get the long paragraphs, just picks up on the punctuation. It's odd because his Berg as as good as I have experienced, and his Ariadne was sublime (looking forward to hearing that again in the summer). He speaks very eloquently on Wagner, but it just does not translate to deeds.

That being said, the standard of the orchestral playing under his Directorship has never been better.

[Flosshilde]

I know it is getting long in the tooth but that is a lovely Boheme - I assume the luxury casting of Netrebko and Calleja is to ensure it goes out in style ? I suggest they put it in careful store as any new production is likely to face brickbats .

& keep Netrebko in a room & take very good care of her to make sure she has no possible excuse to cancel.