Suffolk, the birthplace and long time home of Benjamin Britten, has a magic that I find irresistible so I try to get there as often as I can. I was there again last week for a couple of days (only) and attended two performances by English Touring Opera at Britten's remarkable concert hall, the Snape Maltings (seen above when I was there last December). This company serves a valuable purpose in bringing opera to the places which otherwise are seriously deprived. I saw their Rossini Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, an odd pastiche of music Rossini recycled from other works, including the overture already used twice before and now just famous as the overture to Barbiere. Rossini was a genius, but also a business man and this was clearly a bit of a con! It is rarely performed and I can now cross it off my list!
Verdi's Macbeth however is another kettle of fish, a masterpiece that I adore - it has been an important part of my life with productions at Glyndebourne during my many years there. It was the one Verdi seen at Glyndebourne before the war in the famous production by Carl Ebert designed by Caspar Neher. So it is a piece "owned" by the great Sussex opera house! I am delighted that ETO are bringing around the UK to introduce this marvellous work to the widest possible audience. It is a challenge but they meet it gallantly, and it has clearly given great pleasure to many, including the full house at the Maltings on Friday.
Other pleasures of being in Suffolk was a lunchtime string quartet recital by the Idomeneo Quartet in Aldeburgh's Jubilee Hall - a place forever planted in the history of the Aldeburgh Festival and Britten's life. It was just an hour - of Haydn and Mendelssohn's extraordinary last quartet, written in the shadow of the death of his beloved sister Fanny. Remarkable stuff, and superbly played.
It was then a short walk to the excellent Lighthouse Restaurant for a little lunch party with Humphrey and Christina Burton in fine form, as well as my dear friends Michael and Phyllida Flint!
I have been lax in keeping up with the blog - but there are many other pleasures in life! And in the ten days these have included Athol Fugard's Blood Knot and the delightful Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, and All about Eve in the West End - very contrasting theatrical experiences.....
I am starting Neue Stimmen next week - in Turkey. May will take in Berlin, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Madrid and London. A busy time ahead. I will try to keep you all up to date.
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