Royal Opera

December 7th 2008-January 1st 2009

Hairy McMungo is wondering whether to take his wee Caledonia to Hansel und Gretel. She’s not quite three years old but she is very grown up for her age. She can write ‘Daddy’, ‘Money’ and important words like that and she was very excited to find the a picture of a garden rake in her reading book because Hairy’s clever lassie knows there’s an opera called The Rake’s Progress. Hairy McMungo thought this was not quite the moment to explain about the other type of rake.

But of course Hairy doesn’t need to wonder about Hansel and Gretel’s suitability for his first-born. If anyone can predict whether this production is suitable for his beautiful wee bairn, that person is Hairy McMungo.

The production is double-cast but there is no obvious ‘better’ cast. Cast A includes Thomas Allen; cast B Ann Murray. Colin Davis and Robin Ticciati do their best to turn the rather childish tunes into something more without making it too Wagnerian and the directors (co-directors Hairy assumes rather than one for each cast) Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier make use of the opera’s potential for comedy and horror.

Angelika Kirchschlager and Alice Coote share the role of Hansel. The two very distinctive mezzos sound lovely but Hairy thinks Kirchschlager has the edge when it comes to the childlike element of the role, Coote offers a more mature portrayal. Diana Damrau and Camilla Tilling are a very sweet pair of Gretels. Tilling’s very light soprano lending itself particularly well to the music while Damrau gives us just a hint of the comic skills she’ll use to even greater effect when she sings Adina later this season. Hairy suggests you book that one in advance if you haven’t already done so.

Hairy doesn’t need to tell you about Thomas Allen’s performance as Peter, you don’t need to be psychic to know how good he is. He shares the role with Eike Wilm Schulte who gave a very fine and enjoyable performance, Hairy thinks his more bass-like voice makes an effective contrast with all those sopranos. And it’s difficult for Hairy to say who is the scarier out of Anja Silja and Ann Murray. Silja has the bigger voice and this is used to great effect but Murray is a very subtle performer in the same way as Allen. Hairy is quite disappointed Allen and Murray aren’t scheduled to perform together. He is also disappointed that neither of them appear to be Scottish. But as both the names of Murray and Allen have their roots in Scotland there could well be some Scottish blood running around in there somewhere.

Four of the Young Artists also perform. Pumeza Matshikiza and Eri Nakumara are the Sandmen, and Anita Watson and Simona Mihai are the Dew Fairies. Hairy McMungo thinks you should watch Mihai in particular. All four are outstanding vocally but Mihai is another one of those very inventive performers. When she sang the role of Cis Albert Herring for the Royal College of Music Hairy was quite tempted to watch her the whole time she was onstage. Albert Herring also included former Young Artists Andrew Kennedy, Robert Murray and Jared Holt and Hairy is sure he doesn’t need to remind you how good they are (although the star was quarter-Scot Wendy Dawn Thompson as Florence Pike – Wendy wasn’t a Young Artist but was in the ROH’s The Minotaur). So take note of Hairy McMungo’s tip and expect similar achievements from Mihai.

But is this a suitable opera for his wee bairn? Hairy doesn’t doubt she’d enjoy some of it but perhaps it’s a little bit on the long side for Caledonia, 2 hours plus an interval that’s likely to be as much as half an hour. Even though Caledonia’s reading skills are excellent, she might have trouble with the surtitles and as her daddy is a stingy old Scotsmen who won’t pay for a seat in the Stalls or the Grand Tier or even the Balcony she wouldn’t be as close to the action as she’d like to be.

Mrs McMungo wants to take Caledonia to see Cinderella at the Wimbledon Theatre. It stars Gareth Gates but this probably isn’t as horrific as it sounds as Gates was offered a place at the Royal Northern College of Music. And Caledonia will love joining in with the ‘he’s behind yous’ which she probably shouldn’t do at the Royal Opera House. Hairy is sure she’ll be the first child up on the stage to claim her free goodies. So Hairy thinks she’d prefer Cinderella to Hansel und Gretel.

So what about the adult members of the audience? Hairy is sure anyone who appreciates good performances will find plenty to enjoy in Hansel und Gretel and the Wagner fans will have some leitmotifs to listen out for (Hairy has not yet tried playing ‘Spot the Leitmotif’ with Caledonia as that would be a bit much even for her fine brain and Hairy McMungo isn’t sure of the point of leitmotifs anyway). But a lot of the music is quite childish so unless you happen to be in just the right mood (which isn’t impossible with Christmas approaching although it’s more likely you’re in a stressed mood rather than a happy one) Hairy thinks it could get just a bit annoying.

HAIRY McMUNGO

primi-divi at hotmail.co.uk