Your chance to hear Berthold Goldschmidt’s Beatrice Cenci
mainBritish opera houses won’t put it on.
But we’ve got the broadcast from Bregenz.
Click here (starts at 19.35).
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This ORF link will only work for 5 more days. Enjoy while you can.
Sony released a recording some years ago. It is still readily available on Amazon.
I was there on Wednesday, and was very satisfied. The production was good. Of course some Regietheater stupidty (people in renaissance costumes sporting modern pistols), Tosca act 3 played on a wind-up gramophone before the music of act 3 proper started, but the opera worked very well both musically and dramatically, and is well worth staging. It is a compact opera, about two hours of running time (excluding the interval), which should make it even more attractive to modern opera houses.
Gal james was masterly dramatically, but a bit shrill to my taste. The best performer in my opinion was Christoph Pohl as Francesco Cenci – probably the least likable villain in all opera. Pohl played him very slickly, and sang beautifully, which made him even more evil.
Well I do not agree – do not see the opera go on to many houses. The critics have been ap. 70% not so enchanted. I was there too. The libretto and music quite boring. Though I guess that Mr. Debus should have got out more of the score.
It is one of those stories where the opera will appear understated. Like English Jacobean drama based on Italian events, usually far more extreme than anything on stage.