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Post by alece10 on Jan 15, 2019 17:05:52 GMT
Looking for some advice from theatre board opera buffs.
I quite like Philip Glass music and have one or two cd's but never been to one of his operas. I'm also a real opera novice. Carmen is about my limit.
So my question is would I like this or would it be a bit beyond me?
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 15, 2019 17:26:48 GMT
Hmm, interesting question. I guess it boils down to if you think you like Glass enough to hear 3 hours of his music. I didn't see this in 2016 but I did listen to the radio broadcast & found it very monotonous. The entire piece seemed to have the orchestra just modulating between 2 notes (admittedly not always the same 2 notes) so I personally wouldn't go & see it because the music isn't to my taste. However if you think you can take the music then the production got good reviews last time round. Have you tried looking up the 2016 reviews & production photos? They should give you an idea as to whether the visuals are to your taste & it's some of the same cast this time round.
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Post by alece10 on Jan 15, 2019 17:39:40 GMT
Hmm, interesting question. I guess it boils down to if you think you like Glass enough to hear 3 hours of his music. I didn't see this in 2016 but I did listen to the radio broadcast & found it very monotonous. The entire piece seemed to have the orchestra just modulating between 2 notes (admittedly not always the same 2 notes) so I personally wouldn't go & see it because the music isn't to my taste. However if you think you can take the music then the production got good reviews last time round. Have you tried looking up the 2016 reviews & production photos? They should give you an idea as to whether the visuals are to your taste & it's some of the same cast this time round. That's exactly what I was thinking as the cds I have are not of a full opera and his music can be monotonous so not sure I'd want to listen to 3 hours. The clip I saw looked stunning visually but that might not be enough. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2019 18:08:43 GMT
I've really enjoyed the Glass operas I've seen - not seen Akhnaten though, have booked for this run. Yes, you are getting several hours of full-on Philip Glass which I guess is either repetitive or hypnotic depending on your point of view  If you like Glass and like the look of the visuals I'd give it a go. I think Glass's operas appeal more to Philip Glass fans than Opera fans, if that makes sense. Worth bearing in mind that it's "Sung in Egyptian, Hebrew and Akkadian with no surtitles." - so it really is all about the impact of the visuals and the music. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 15, 2019 19:20:31 GMT
I think Glass's operas appeal more to Philip Glass fans than Opera fans, if that makes sense. As an opera fan but definitely not a Glass fan that certainly makes sense to me. I suppose to get a full range of opinions alece10 needs to find a Glass fan forum to ask! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 15, 2019 20:04:02 GMT
Arhnaten is my favourite Glass opera (I've seen about 8 of them) and this production is pretty good, I'm going back for a second time
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Post by jadnoop on Jan 15, 2019 23:24:14 GMT
I've not seen too many operas but found this fantastic.
The radio 3 recording was good, but one thing that doesn't come through too clearly in the audio was the use of juggling. This was more impressive than it sounds and the sound & rhythm of this worked really well with the rhythm of Glass' music in my opinion.
I found the music was sort of similar to Koyaanisqatsi (certainly more to that than Satyagraha), so if you liked that then you will probably enjoy Akhnaten.
Ultimately, if you're unsure just get a cheap ticket perhaps(?)
Looking forward to seeing this again in a couple of weeks.
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Post by tmesis on Jan 16, 2019 16:19:40 GMT
I'm a fan of Glass's music; the symphonies, string quartets and, particularly the violin concerto are excellent, but his operas bore me rigid. They are dramatically way too static for me. I much prefer John Adams who at least started out as a minimalist, and, superficially, has some similar elements in his music, but has stylistically moved on from there to prove much more nuanced scores. I didn't find Akhenaten quite as stultifying as Satyagraha but it was a trial of endurance. Others around me received it rapturously though, and it does attract a different, younger, more 'hip' audience
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 16, 2019 18:28:55 GMT
tmesis Adams is one of my favourite composers. Klinghoffer, harmonium, harmonielehre, el nino and absolute jest are all wonderful
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Post by tmesis on Jan 16, 2019 20:04:36 GMT
tmesis Adams is one of my favourite composers. Klinghoffer, harmonium, harmonielehre, el nino and absolute jest are all wonderful I also love his Violin Concerto, Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Nixon in China which was one of ENO's best productions |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 17, 2019 11:29:16 GMT
Totally hijacking alece10 thread and going off topic, could Nixon be staged again like it was at ENO aka 'yellow face'? Is the YF term acceptable? Apologies if this offends. |
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Post by joem on Jan 18, 2019 14:34:54 GMT
Looking for some advice from theatre board opera buffs. I quite like Philip Glass music and have one or two cd's but never been to one of his operas. I'm also a real opera novice. Carmen is about my limit. So my question is would I like this or would it be a bit beyond me? If you are an opera novice I would say don't bother but on the other hand if you like Glass's music then why not? It was indeed stunning visually as has been remarked and some of the singing is... intriguing. I'd see this over Satyagraha any day. |
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Post by alece10 on Jan 18, 2019 14:49:37 GMT
Thanks everyone for your advice on this. Although it sounds very interesting and will be visually stunning I think I will give it a miss. Mainly because of the price. I've been to the colisseum a few times and always sat in stalls or dress. The one time I sat in the balcony it was awful and the stalls/dress prices are way too expensive.
Might just keep my eye out for offers though.
Thanks again.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 18, 2019 15:07:34 GMT
Lots of offers will surface nearer the time
It's worth checking our for Secret Seats as more are often added throughout the run
Finally TKTS on the day
Discounted seats for ENO are easy picking, best of luck
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Post by alece10 on Jan 18, 2019 18:01:47 GMT
Lots of offers will surface nearer the time It's worth checking our for Secret Seats as more are often added throughout the run Finally TKTS on the day Discounted seats for ENO are easy picking, best of luck I've not heard of secret seats. Is that via the ENO website? |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 18, 2019 18:57:40 GMT
Lots of offers will surface nearer the time It's worth checking our for Secret Seats as more are often added throughout the run Finally TKTS on the day Discounted seats for ENO are easy picking, best of luck I've not heard of secret seats. Is that via the ENO website? Yes, it is. Also, I seem to remember reading in 2016 that this was a sell-out & there weren't the discounts around that there usually are for ENO. |
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Post by QueerTheatre on Jan 18, 2019 23:46:13 GMT
Lots of offers will surface nearer the time It's worth checking our for Secret Seats as more are often added throughout the run Finally TKTS on the day Discounted seats for ENO are easy picking, best of luck lol good luck with discounts for this one. Its nearly totally sold out already, get in quick. |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 19, 2019 7:17:43 GMT
Lots of offers will surface nearer the time It's worth checking our for Secret Seats as more are often added throughout the run Finally TKTS on the day Discounted seats for ENO are easy picking, best of luck lol good luck with discounts for this one. Its nearly totally sold out already, get in quick. Eek. Well done ENO, obviously folk want to see something that isn't translated into English! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Mar 7, 2019 8:59:58 GMT
Beavo. This production has grown in strength since its first outing.
My one critism would be the tenpos, it seems very slow
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2019 13:07:13 GMT
I enjoyed this a lot too. Good to see the place full although that meant my Secret Seat was worse than normal (I was in the Dress Circle Slips - so a £50 seat for £30. Still a good view).
However ... the layout in the dress circle foyers really can't cope with the crowds when its full. I think they have halved the size of the bar in there (there used to be seats by the window down the side of where the bar now is, if I recall correctly). And they've put a couple of drink sales points in the foyer bit as well, so people were crowding around that. So it was a real scrum beforehand and during both intervals. The upper circle and ground floor areas are much better.
Still sticking with their stupid food and drink policy, although the bag search was less thorough than expected and a winter coat with many pockets hides a multitude of sins.
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Post by jadnoop on Mar 8, 2019 2:18:00 GMT
I thought it was great too, and I'm happy that ENO have had another commercial success on their hands (although definitely agree that the foyers were just too packed). Given how successful this and Satyagraha have been, hopefully it won't be too long until Einstein on the Beach returns to London (although IIRC that's been at Barbican rather than ENO).
Regarding the tempo, this production is definitely a tad slower than the recording from 1987, but I prefer this one to be honest. It might just be that I heard it at the ENO first, but the cd just feels a little rushed by comparison. They put one of the performances from 2016 on Radio 3, so I wonder if there's any chance that a recording could be properly released some day.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2019 7:00:45 GMT
Given how successful this and Satyagraha have been, hopefully it won't be too long until Einstein on the Beach returns to London (although IIRC that's been at Barbican rather than ENO). Yes, Einstein was done at the Barbican in 2012 - not sure where the original UK production was? Interestingly when I saw it in the 2013 run Satyagraha wasn't the big hit these two runs of Akhnaten have been - I got cheap stalls tickets through TKTS. Did it do better in the 2017/18 run? Anyway, nice to see them doing so well with adventurous repertoire. Hope they do more of this sort of thing (would love to see some John Adams for instance - Nixon in China or Doctor Atomic would be good!) With the right marketing I'd think they could get a similar audience in. |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Mar 8, 2019 9:07:47 GMT
Given how successful this and Satyagraha have been, hopefully it won't be too long until Einstein on the Beach returns to London (although IIRC that's been at Barbican rather than ENO). Yes, Einstein was done at the Barbican in 2012 - not sure where the original UK production was? Interestingly when I saw it in the 2013 run Satyagraha wasn't the big hit these two runs of Akhnaten have been - I got cheap stalls tickets through TKTS. Did it do better in the 2017/18 run? Anyway, nice to see them doing so well with adventurous repertoire. Hope they do more of this sort of thing (would love to see some John Adams for instance - Nixon in China or Doctor Atomic would be good!) With the right marketing I'd think they could get a similar audience in. The original UK Einstein was the 2012 production. Strane how on its European tour in the 70's it never came to the UK. I'm sure ENO will stage Einstein soon as it makes logical sense. Nixon was staged twice, Peter Sellars reworked his 80s staging in the Noughties for London and this has now gone onto the Met. I love this opera but I do wonder if we have to go down the appropriate casting route? Finally, Atomic was staged and it was wonderful but I remember lots of offers. I bought two lots of stalls tickets for 20 quid. I think this opera is now more topical than ever so perhaps the time is right for a revial. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2019 9:13:04 GMT
Ta. Didn't realise Einstein had never been in the UK before. Yes, I don't think they could get away with casting the Chinese roles in Nixon as they did previously! I am surprised Akhnaten has been a sell-out both times, wonder why this is the case when other modern operas haven't done so well (including Satyagraha and the Adams ones - "Death of Klinghoffer" didn't sell well either). Can't just be the nudity  |
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Post by jadnoop on Mar 8, 2019 17:07:03 GMT
I thought Satyagraha in 2017/18 felt pretty packed when I went, but I didn't look for tickets or deals late in the day, so I may be mistaken.
In terms of Einstein coming to London, would the venue be affected by the direction? Phelim Mcdermott directed Satyagraha & Akhnaten, as well as a few other things at the ENO, but presumably if Einstein on the Beach returns it would be directed by Robert Wilson, so I wonder if this would lean the production towards the Barbican. Although I don't know how these collaborative relationships work in the arts, so perhaps it wouldn't be a problem...
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If you like Glass and like the look of the visuals I'd give it a go. I think Glass's operas appeal more to Philip Glass fans than Opera fans, if that makes sense.
