Winning way

Two of the most popular operas in the repertoire, works which I adore, but which I’m almost always disappointed by productions of; yet on two consecutive evenings in the Wales Millennium Centre I gained intense pleasure from each of them.

Two of the most popular operas in the repertoire, works which I adore, but which I’m almost always disappointed by productions of; yet on two consecutive evenings in the Wales Millennium Centre I gained intense pleasure from each of them. What went right?

Both Il Trovatore and Die Fledermaus are works of overflowing tunefulness, with almost inscrutable plots. The first duty of the producer — once it was considered to be his only duty — is to ensure that the audience is fully involved in the action, which it can only be if it’s clear what the action is; and thus that for all the abundance of familiar melodies these pieces aren’t treated as costume concerts.