This weekend sees the opening in Long Beach of Philip Glass's The Fall of the House of Usher which will then come to Chicago in February as the second production on COT's 2012-13 season. It replaces what would have been COT's tribute to Benjamin Britten on his centenary, Paul Bunyan, which had been scheduled for the second slot.
But the good news is that the Philip Glass opera is to be directed by Ken Cazan who was responsible for two stagings of Britten operas during my years at COT of which I was immensely proud. I and COT are hugely indebted to Ken for Death in Venice and Owen Wingrave. They were landmark productions - of that there is no doubt.
So if you are in Southern California pop along to Long Beach and get a preview of what Chicago will see in February. If it is up to his usual standard it will be more than worth the trouble.......
I am back in London after my short trip to Portugal. It is cold and damp - but I was warmed up by a lovely lunch with Anthony Whitworth-Jones at the excellent Masala Zone in Covent Garden's Floral Street, just paces from the Royal Opera's stage door. If you enjoy Indian cooking this chain is a real bargain. It was here that I enjoyed happy hours with Christian Curnyn as we discussed the casting of the Cavalli and Charpentier productions he did with COT in 2010 and 2011. So it is a productive place for creative discourse.......try it - you may be inspired!
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