Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera House
My original review of Rosenkavalier was sent on 21 December and there is no further addition to the production, but there are 2 significant changes to the cast, namely the new Marschallin of Rachel Willis-Sorensen and the Octavian of Anna Stephany.
Both are young prize winners in the early throws of their career, with an English Octavian and American Marschallin, who blend very well together. Rachel Willis-Sorensen has a substantial voice and sings the role with ease and confidence. However, she lacks some of the ease and subtlety that Renee Fleming brought to the role and does not yet possess the maturity for the portrayal of the Marschallin, which will only come with time. Anna Stephany however really is quite perfect for the role. It is of benefit that she has sung the role before at other European houses and it showed. Her voice is substantial when required and she combines a mixture of vocal and facial expressions to good use. Her mezzo soprano is warm and focused and with her short cut hair and uniform she was a believable 17 year old.
The rest of the cast performed admirably and both Matthew Rose as Barron Ochs and Jochen Schmeckenbecher as von Faninal were outstanding in their roles. A final note as well for the Latvian conductor, Andris Nelsons, who’s great conducting showed an immense rapport with both the orchestra and singers, guiding the evening to an outstanding climax.
With kind regards,
David
David Blucher
Tuesday, 17 January 2016
