Classical and Jazz: Review - Simon Boccanegra at the London Coliseum
Published: 16 June, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
ACCLAIMED Russian director-designer Dmitri Tcherniakov has come up with a grey production of Simon Boccanegra for the English National Opera at the Coliseum.
He’s updated Verdi’s opera about power struggles between patricians and plebeians in 14th-century Genoa to modern times, replacing medieval court costumes with modern clothes, white shirts and grey suits for the mostly male cast.
The updating has much in its favour as the opera is relevant to the neverending power struggles between patricians and plebeians and revolutions all over the world.
The Tcherniakov treatment works brilliantly in the opening scene when the plebeians oust the patricians, electing Simon Boccanegra as the city’s new ruler. Their revolutionary plotting takes place outside a packed bar in a city backstreet, a parked car winking its yellow warning lights.
Initially, the exciting opening helps to sustain interest into subsequent scenes about plots and conspiracies to topple Boccanegra 25 years later. The plotting takes place in sparse set in rooms with different shades of grey. Almost inevitably, the opera sung by men in grey suites sung in grey rooms becomes an irritating, tedious grey opera.
Mostly, the blame rests with the opera’s tortuous storyline. But the plot becomes even more difficult to understand when patricians and plebs are dressed in similar grey suits.
That’s a shame as much of the singing is excellent, particularly Bruno Caproni as Boccanecra and Brindley Sherratt as his rival, the patricians’ leader. Soprano Rena Harms shines as the only woman soloist, daughter and grand-daughter of the two main protagonist respectively – and the cause of a bitter feud between them. Thankfully, the performance is saved by Verdi’s wonderful music, delivered with great skill by conductor Edward Gardner. An added bonus is James Fenton’s terrific new translation that marries the words with the music to perfection.
• Seven more performances till July 9, www.eno.org
• Antonio Pappano is not retiring as the Royal Opera House’s musical director, as inadvertently stated last week. Indeed, he is conducting five operas and a Placido Domingo celebration during 2011-12 season.