To the Royal Opera House,
Thank you for such a fantastic year.
This year I have been incredibly lucky to have been a student ambassador for the Royal Opera House. There were sixteen of us together and we were selected out of 500 applicants. It was the first year that the Royal Opera House have put on this scheme and we were eagerly anticipating to be used as their guinea pigs.
Our job was to try and promote opera to the 'youth of today'. In other words, how do you convince your friends that it isn't completely bonkers to love opera and spend your summer in one- a challenging feat. In the past I had found it difficult to get my friends to see me in one, how on earth was I to get them to go to see one off their own back?
With help of the student standby scheme, I think we have persuaded a lot of students to at least try opera. £10 tickets for seats that could be worth up to £225? Yeah I'll take that.
I think if anyone has the opportunity to go at least once in their life, to take the chance. The building itself is beautiful. Every time I have been this year, I have seen something else that has been fascinating. Whether it has actually been the architecture or the display of historical costumes e.g. Maria Callas' dress from Tosca. It is a very unique building with a very unique history. I found myself stuck in a rut at the beginning of my second year of university and I was thankful that I could just go down to London for a few hours and enter another world.
I have seen some really beautiful productions this year from some of the classics (I saw Die Zauberflöte again, which was the first production I ever saw at the ROH) to some pieces I had never heard of (Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and Puccini's La Rondine).
I was also introduced to the world of ballet. After never experiencing anything more than Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for.
However, some of it blew my mind.
At first I went to see a trio of modern ballet works: Infra/Viscera/Fool's Paradise. I didn't know any of the choreographers, ballerinas or composers, so I was entering the performance with a completely open mind. Whilst Viscera and Fool's Paradise were pleasant enough, Infra was so brilliant. The message was so poignant- how can you feel alone when you are surrounded by crowds. The music was a credit to the performance. I had never heard of Max Richter before, but now I am in love with his style: a combination of minimalism and electro-acoustic sound.
Check some of it out:
However, some of it blew my mind.
At first I went to see a trio of modern ballet works: Infra/Viscera/Fool's Paradise. I didn't know any of the choreographers, ballerinas or composers, so I was entering the performance with a completely open mind. Whilst Viscera and Fool's Paradise were pleasant enough, Infra was so brilliant. The message was so poignant- how can you feel alone when you are surrounded by crowds. The music was a credit to the performance. I had never heard of Max Richter before, but now I am in love with his style: a combination of minimalism and electro-acoustic sound.
Check some of it out:
In January, I went to see Onegin. I had seen the opera Eugene Onegin, but I hadn't seen the ballet by the same composer (Tchaikovsky). Again, a really moving production. I suppose as a fan of opera, I had always believed that words were the only way you could transmit a meaning. However, the story was crystal clear and not a word was spoken. The letter scene was particularly moving- a far cry from Tatiana's letter aria.
Later in March, I saw the most incredible opera that I have ever seen live: Tosca. Strangely, I have only ever seen snippets of the production. I've seen the beginning where Tosca is acting extremely jealous in the chapel and I have seen her aria Vissi d'arte, but that was it. I was not prepared for the end. And I was definitely not prepared for Te Deum.
Te Deum was orgasmic live. It was such a wonderful wall of sound, yet so sinister at the same time. To date, I haven't seen a performance that has had such a strong impact on me. The Bryn Terfel version is incredible, but it's not very plausible - if this was the case, Tosca would be running to Scarpia (SO SEXY).
Later in March, I saw the most incredible opera that I have ever seen live: Tosca. Strangely, I have only ever seen snippets of the production. I've seen the beginning where Tosca is acting extremely jealous in the chapel and I have seen her aria Vissi d'arte, but that was it. I was not prepared for the end. And I was definitely not prepared for Te Deum.
Te Deum was orgasmic live. It was such a wonderful wall of sound, yet so sinister at the same time. To date, I haven't seen a performance that has had such a strong impact on me. The Bryn Terfel version is incredible, but it's not very plausible - if this was the case, Tosca would be running to Scarpia (SO SEXY).
So strong that I have actually decided to write my dissertation on Tosca.
So year, I'm feeling pretty sad that I won't return to the building for at least a year and with such an incredible season, the sting is a little worse. Classics such as Carmen and La Boheme are being performed as are the more grizzly operas (Wozzeck and Elektra) and I would have loved to have seen their version of Turandot after being in the production myself. Singers such as Elina Garanca, Elizabeth Watts and Veronique Gens will be on the stage- a delight for any opera goers.
Check out the season for yourself: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/201314-opera-and-music-season-announced
I have been invited to become a student ambassador when I come back from the States, so I'm hoping the season will be as good and I'm pretty excited to meet new opera and ballet enthusiasts.
P.S. There is one thing I will not forgive you for ROH. I will never get those four hours of Robert di Diable back- those sexy nuns have scarred me for life.
So year, I'm feeling pretty sad that I won't return to the building for at least a year and with such an incredible season, the sting is a little worse. Classics such as Carmen and La Boheme are being performed as are the more grizzly operas (Wozzeck and Elektra) and I would have loved to have seen their version of Turandot after being in the production myself. Singers such as Elina Garanca, Elizabeth Watts and Veronique Gens will be on the stage- a delight for any opera goers.
Check out the season for yourself: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/201314-opera-and-music-season-announced
I have been invited to become a student ambassador when I come back from the States, so I'm hoping the season will be as good and I'm pretty excited to meet new opera and ballet enthusiasts.
P.S. There is one thing I will not forgive you for ROH. I will never get those four hours of Robert di Diable back- those sexy nuns have scarred me for life.
