The Rake's Progress, an opera by Igor Stravinsky performed by Glyndebourne Touring Opera at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool

It's great to see Glyndebourne taking in Liverpool in its tour and putting on not necessarily the most popular of operas. This was a revival of the 1970s Glyndebourne production with superb sets designed by David Hockney.

The Rake's Progress is Stravinsky's only full opera, dating from 1951. The libretto is by WH Auden, from the Hogarth drawings of the same name.  The score also derives much of its charactertics from the same period, a kind of mix of classical and baroque, but unmistakeably moving towards late Stravinsky.

The plot is a fable: do not abandon true love for the temptation of riches and fame; it will end in disaster, as it did for the hero of the opera, Tom Rakewell.  We see how he travels from the simple country life to the sins of the city of London, under the malign influnce of Nick Shadow (the devil in disguise). There he achieves wealth and fame but these are shortlived as he squanders them in gambling and ill-chosen relationships. He never fully realises the error of his ways, however, as, by the time he is reunited with his true love, the country girl who has waited for him all this time,  he has lost his mind. Unusually for opera, it is the hero, not the heroine, who dies at the end.

A wonderful production, with particularly exceptional singing by Frederick Jones as Tom and Sam Carl as Nick. And the Hockney sets are very much worth the wait incurred in changing them between each scene. ❤❤❤❤❤

The Power of the Dog, a film by Jane Campion at Barbican Cinema, London

Ostensibly set in Montana in 1925 (but actually filmed in New Zealand), this film has some of the characteristics of a traditional Western but with a much more subtle story line.  The primary thread of the film is the complex relationship between two brothers who own a lucrative ranch and grand house with servants, inherited from their late parents. The older brother George takes the role of hands-off ranch manager in suit and tie; the younger, Phil, mucks in with the men.  Phil is notoriously ill-mannered and belligerent and clearly has some anger management problems; yet he is oddly submissive to his mild-mannered older brother.  The two men have always slept in the same bed even although there are many more rooms in the house. 

This fragile but stable relationship is upset when George decides to marry a local widow, Rose, and bring her back home, along with her teenage son, Peter.  Poor Rose fails to live up to the role of cultured lady of the house and is soon out of her depth with Phil, who treats her abysmally and leads her to take to drink. The son Peter is also ridiculed for his sensitive and effeminate ways and lack of ranching skills. The tension of these relationships builds gradually to the point where it is clear that something has to happen. 

Surprisingly, this takes the form of Phil suddenly adopting a fatherly attitude to Peter, helping him to develop ranching skills and engaging him in conversation.  We find out that Phil had had a similar mentor (Bronco Harry) when he was a teenager and we observe from Phil's behaviour just how deep and intimate that friendship was. Just as the film appears to move relentlessly towards a resolution of the relationship between Peter and Phil, the whole theme takes a sudden dramatic twist that would be a complete spoiler to reveal here. 

This is a splendid piece of work from Campion, who has not directed a major film since her famous The Piano in 2010.  I see this as a better film. The music for The Piano, by Michael Nyman became very popular, but for me it spoiled the film.  Campion this time has found a brilliant and thoughtful score by Jonny Greenwood. ❤❤❤❤❤

Young Man with a Horn, a film (1950) by Michael Curtiz at the Barbican Cinema, London

This was screened as part of the London Jazz Festival. Based very loosely on the life of the jazz cornet player Bix Beiderbecke, it tells the story of a motherless boy (Rick Martin, played as an adult by Kirk Douglas) who becomes obsessed with the sound of jazz and eventually saves enough money to buy a trumpet and teach himself to play in an unique impromptu way. He tours with a jazz band, where he refines his skills, but to make any money has to compromise his individual style to play in a dance band orchestra. 

The love interest is provided by Doris Day (wonderfully accomplished singing) as the faithful spurned girlfriend and Lauren Bacall, the femme fatale, whom he finally marries and ultimately divorces. His life is progressively ruined by addiction to alcohol and he ends up on the streets in New York city.  

Bix Beiderbecke's life followed a similar trajectory and he died in poverty from alcohol poisoning in 1931 at the age of 28.  Rick Martin, for Hollywood purposes, recovered from his alchohol dependence just in time to have a happy ending where he recognises his love for the ever-faithful Doris Day. 

The real treats of the film are the wonderful live shots of New York in the 1950s and some great music from the jazz bands of that period. ❤❤❤❤

Footfalls and Rockaby, two plays by Samuel Beckett, directed by Richard Beecham, at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London

More live Samuel Beckett -- four plays in two weeks! -- and again two less well known works. This time the very intimate venue was perfect for the nature of the material.  

In Footfalls, we see a woman (played by Charlotte Emmerson) who questions her own age, but is in her 40s perhaps, engaged in obsessive behaviour. This takes the form of continuously pacing 9 steps back and forth across the tiny stage. We sense that her behaviour and her unkempt appearance are a consequence of a troubled relationship with her mother, whom she addresses as she paces.  The mother (played by Siân Phillips entirely offstage) responds in a seemigly unsympathetic way to her child's plight, although we still sense that she cares deeply about her circumstances.

In Rockaby, Siân Phillips conducts a dialogue with her own (again offstage) recorded voice as she sits in a rocking chair in a darkened enclosed space. She re-engages with aspects of her life as she drifts into sleep -- or death? -- but is continually wakened by the sound of a bell only to drift again into the same reminiscences.  The one live aspect of Phillips' performance is her childlike call of "more" each time the bell rings, as she asks for her consciousness (or her life) to be allowed to continue that little bit longer.

The full poetry of these works is brought beautifully to the fore by these fine performances. ❤❤❤❤❤

Beckett in Birkenhead: two plays by Samuel Beckett, directed by Pauline Fleming at Christ Church, Oxton, Birkenhead

Pauline Fleming had directed Harold Pinter very successfully in Birkenhead Priory last year; so I was looking forward to this performance even closer to home. 

Both plays had three characters, played by Pauline Fleming, Paula Simms and Phil Perez, who made an excellent attempt to present the sometimes complex text. The first play Play had each of the three characters immersed in funeral urns where they engaged in very rapid, seemingly indpendent, conversations about an affair that had affected them in some unclear way. The whole dialogue was recorded and then played back with the actors lip-synching their parts, or so it appeared. 

In the second play Catastrophe, a man on a pedestal is being prepared for an unidentified event.  The assistant undertaking this task, who clearly lacks confidence, is continually being aggressively criticised by a supposed supervisor, who performs partly off stage. 

Two interesting plays by Beckett, well performed. But there was a serious problem with  the venue. The dialogue in Play was arguably not meant to be fully audible or comprehensible -- it referred to an obscure and complex series of events that the characters had experienced --  but the acoustics of the church made the dialogue in both plays very difficult to hear, except perhaps from the front four rows. Similarly, the question and answer session with the audience, cast and production team was barely audible and no attempt was made, at least at this first of three performances, to give any thought to this.  

I was introduced to Beckett as a teenager in the 1960s and read them enthusiastically.  What relevance do Beckett plays still have to today's audience? That was a good question posed to the cast from the audience and it was frustrating to note that it was simply turned back to the audience to decide what each of us wanted to make of them. 

A very valuable and interesting idea, though, to bring these classic 20th-century plays to a local audience.  I hope there will be more. Just, please, change the venue.❤❤❤

Night, Mother: a play by Marsha Norman at Hampstead Theatre, London

Imagine yourself in this situation: your son or daughter tells you that they intend to commit suicide and, moreover, that they are going to do it tonight in your house.  How should you react? What can you do to prevent it, when no amount of argument can persuade your child that they have anything to continue living for and, in a sense, you agree with them? 

That is the theme of this revival of a 1985 play.  As the two characters --  mother Thelma played by Stockard Channing and daughter Jessie, particularly well played by Rebecca Night -- deal with this decision, you learn about the tragedies of the lives of both mother and daughter, their failures as parents and lovers and their failure to form a meaningful relationship with each other.  The daughter cares for her mother, but at the level of ensuring that she is able to deal with the practical matters once she has gone, while, superficially at least, oblivious to the emotional consequences of her action. The actors' responses to this bizarre situation are totally credible, with the script building up a sense of tension from the start.  This is not a comic scenario, of course, but the dialogue manages to contain the right amount of humour as the practical and, in many case, absurd aspects of the lives of the two characters are revealed.

I'll avoid a spoiler by not revealing any more of the plot. Worth seeing. ❤❤❤❤❤

Opera double bill by Guildhall Opera, Silk Street Theatre, London

Two one-act operas: Le Docteur Miracle by Georges Bizet and Cendrillon by Pauline Viardot

Both were splendidly performed, with fine singing, acting, stage set and production. Some of the cast appeared in both productions. 

Le Docteur Miracle is an early work by Bizet, a comic opera with a typical facical plot of false identities and ultimate happy ending.  The cast (only four) played it for maximum comic effect, including a beautifully sung quartet in praise of an omelette. Look out for the future career of the young tenor Florian Panzieri. 

Cendrillon is a very late work, from 1904, of Viardot and was originally scored only for piano accompaniment, but has been orchestrated specifically for this performance by Guildhall composer Amy Crankshaw.  The tale is presented with a lighthearted operetta-style score and affords some opportunity for some virtuosic arias from the soloists. Great performances from Florian Panzieri again, this time as Prince Charming and from Erin Gwyn Rossington as one of the ugly sisters. Difficult to stage effectively without smoke and mirrors and a huge budget, but it was produced tastefully and to good comic effect. ❤❤❤❤❤/❤❤❤❤

The Invisible Live of Euridice Gusmão, a film by Karim Aïnouz at the Barbican Cinema, London

A Cannes Film Festival winner, this Brazilian film is set in 1950s Rio de Janiero and tells the story of a strongly patriarchal middle class family with two teenage daughters. The two girls are close and find themselves separated when one of them runs off with a no-good Greek sailor and, returning pregnant and unmarried, is barred from the family home.  The other sister, who has ambitions to study piano at the Vienna Conservatoire, is forced to  marry the uninspiring son of a family friend and give up her career.  Both sisters wrongly believe the other has achieved her ambition and the parents deliberately fail to inform them of the true situations or reveal their whereabouts to the other one. In fact they continue to live apart in the same city. To avoid a spoiler, I won't say whether they finally meet again, but all is revealed in the final scenes.  

The film is long but continues to retain interest as the lives of the two sisters unfold over time. As is often the case, the simulation of the piano virtuosity of the musical sister is weak and lacks credibility. Most notable for her acting, though,is the sister seen 60 years later as a mildly demented grandmother dealing with the film's final revelation.❤❤❤❤ 

Wild Swans concert by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

First (for me) live concert of the Liverpool season and first full-length without social distancing etc., for better or worse. What a difference from a streamed version, however valuable it was to keep the orchestra active during the lockdown periods. 

Andrew Manze's conducting was a treat, as always. A fantastic first performance of Anders Hillborg's Viola Concerto with Lawrence Power as soloist -- superb playing of an interesting and exciting new piece. The Dag Viren Serenade for Strings was played with precision and delicacy and the oboe solo in Strauss's Don Juan got a very well deserved round of applause. The concert finished wth a competent 5th Symphony by Sibelius. 

Great to be back. ❤❤❤❤❤

Siân Dicker (soprano) and Krystal Tunnicliffe (piano), a lunchtime recital at The Great Hall, St. Bartholomew"s Hospital, London

An interesting programme in which short insights into the relationships between the represented composers and their partners were provided by the musicians and their page-turning colleague. Included in the programme were relevant songs by Mozart, Hugo Wolf, Lili Boulanger, Jan Sibelius and Gerald Finzi, all on similar themes. Siân Dicker has a lovely  voice, at once powerful (enhanced by the amazing acoustics of the 17th century building) and delicate and she was very sensitively accompanied. In future recitals of this sort, with a narrative attached, it should be made clear when the audience is expected to applaud; in this case, the audience seemed very inhibited and there was some embarrassment.  But she got the acclaim she deserved at the end. ❤❤❤❤

Leopoldstadt, a play by Tom Stoppard at Wyndham's Theatre, London

At the age of 84 Stoppard has written a play that is a reflection of, although not a direct account of, his extraordinary upbringing.  He was a very young child at the time of the Nazi occupation of Vienna, where we see his equivalent character as a member of a large prosperous professional family of mixed Jewish and Christian backgrounds. We see the members of this family in four tableaux: in 1899, in 1924, then in 1938 and finally in the 1990s.  That was when Stoppard found out not just more details of his Czech family but that he was Jewish, a fact that his mother, who emigrated with him to England, had never revealed. 

The four scenes show how the fictional Austrian family dealt with the attitude to being Jewish in Vienna and how persecution increased to the point of their having to seek to flee Europe, in many cases too late to avoid being imprisoned and killed. The Holocaust story line here is never trivialised, as it can sometimes be, and we feel a real sense of connection with the characters (there are over 20 of them) as they age and deal with the way that history has overtaken them. 

The end of the play is the climax, when one of the characters, the one who ended up as an Englishman and was oblivious to his background, returns to Vienna and meets a cousin who suffered as a child in the concentration camps but was not murdered as, through a trick of fate, he was not in fact Jewish. As he asks about the members of the family that he never knew, but all of whom we in the audience know, he finds out their fate, one by one:  Auschwitz, suicide, suicide, Auschwitz, Auschwitz, suicide, Auschwitz, Auschwitz,  ..........

❤❤❤❤❤

Anything Goes, a musical by Cole Porter at the Barbican Theatre, London

I can count on one hand the number of live musicals I have seen, but the reviews I had read of this were so adulatory that I was happy to take up an invitation to go along with friends. 

It was spectacular: the acting, the set, the singing, the dancing and, of course the familiar songs with PG Wodehouse's witty texts.  A completely daft plot, inevitably, taking place on board a transatlantic liner in 1934, when it was written, and involving gangsters, mistaken identity, unrequited love affairs, etc. Particularly good was Rachel York as the principal character, belting out the familiar numbers at the same time as keeping up with the acrobatic dancing; also, Robert Lindsay, who showed an ability to sing and dance that I had not associated with him.  The performance has been filmed; it will not be as good as the live version, but will definitely be worth seeing. I can't imagine a better production.❤❤❤❤❤ 

Invisible Demons, a film by Rahul Jain at the London Film Festival ICA Cinema

New Delhi and many other Indian cities have become environmental disasters.  The documentary film shows in a straighforward way how unregulated industrialisation has de-oxygenated the rivers. polluted the air that people breathe and, led to changes in climate that frequently make the city all but uninhabitable -- it was 50 degrees C at one point when the film was being made. He speaks from the point of view of a privileged professional who survives thanks to air-con, which, of course further contributes to global warming. He contrasts his life with that of homeless families with young children living in the open air in the middle of severe traffic pollution. However, the director fails to follow through his observations with any clear prediction of how the story will progress. We are left shocked by what we see but get no sense of how the problem is being tackled, or ignored, by the political system in India. ❤❤

All About My Sisters, a film by Qiong Wang at the London Film Festival, BFI South Bank

Only after booking this film did we notice that it was 3 hours long. The argument for the length was that it required that time to tell the story. That was pretty much correct and I didn't feel that the length was a problem as the story became progressively more interesting towards the end. 

This was a documentary made by a member of a Chinese family that consisted of parents, two daughters and one son. The filmmaker is one of the daughters.  The narrative centres round the one-child policy of the Chinese government in the 1990s and the fact that Qiong's sister Jin, who was the second child, was abandoned in order to conform with government policy.  She was left on a doorstep and, fortunately, taken in and looked after by another couple.  

The policy was ultimately changed. Qiong's parents had another daughter and a much longed-for son and then was re-united with the abandoned daughter.  But she seriously resented what had happened to her and struggled to integrate, particularly resenting the younger brother for whom she felt she had been sacrificed.  The director interviews all the members of the family in depth about the emotional consequences of the parents' action and the government policy.  Particularly moving is the interview with the director's uncle, who abandoned two of his sons as newborns by leaving them in the woods to die, as happened to many children who were born at that time to families who already had one child.  He narrated his experience initially apparently without emotion and then finished by saying that there is not one night in his life when he does not shed tears thinking about his babies and what he was forced to do to them. 

We follow other aspects of the sisters' lives over a couple of years as they get married and have babies of their own and in a final scene see Lin attempting to save her marriage by leaving home and ironically abandoning her own son to the care of his grandparents. 

A fascinating insight into the contemporary life of an ordinary Chinese family in an ordinary Chinese city. ❤❤❤❤❤

Wallbrook Music Trust at St. Stephen Wallbrook, City of London

Part of the regular Tuesday lunchtime recitals. Gwyneth Nelmes (violin), Cara Doyle (clarinet) and May Kershaw (piano) gave a very nicely co-ordinated programme of Stravinsky's the Soldier's Tale and Khatchaturian's Trio, for all three instruments, along with Two Pieces for violin and piano by Silvestrov and Lied by Berio for solo clarinet.  All played with professional expertise. The Stravinsky and Berio were the highlights. ❤❤❤❤

Monday Piano Recital at St. Lawrence Jewry, City of London

Mikhail Shilyaev gave a competent recital of Beethoven Sonata Op. 81a and Chopin Mazurkas, Nocturne and Polonaise-Fantaisie. Unless the pianist was playing with the Sustaining pedal applied throughout --unlikely--, the acoustics of the building must have been to blame for him sounding as if he was inside a biscuit tin; odd, since they take place every Monday. I'll see if it's the same another week. ❤❤