The Beggar’s Opera
Linbury Studio
The Magic Flute
Coliseum
Is there any good reason for reviving The Beggar’s Opera now? None of the mercifully few productions I have seen has given any reason for answering yes (I don’t count The Threepenny Opera). The new production at the Royal Opera’s Linbury Studio emphatically doesn’t. Originally to have been conducted by Richard Hickox, the City of London Sinfonia was in the hands of Christian Curnyn, and on the musical side things went smoothly. It was done in Britten’s realisation, which has points in its favour, but several against, too. While his touch as an arranger was always sure, though more so in the wonderful folk songs than here, he didn’t get the measure of the work’s satirical content: the 12-piece orchestra makes delightful but genteel contributions to the proceedings.
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