<<  -- 6 --  Robert Hugill    GRIPPING STUFF

Peter Rose made a strong King of Scotland, successfully managing the character's transitions between outraged monarch and grieving father. Sometimes, this character's arias can seem to hold up the action but there was never a danger of this with Rose's singing.

Christopher Moulds and the ENO Orchestra, playing on modern instruments, gave us a fine, period-style performance. The orchestra was reduced in size which leant the accompaniment incisiveness and leanness which was entirely appropriate to the production. Moulds encourages crisp, bouncy playing from the orchestra but there were times when I wondered whether he was too content to let things take their course whereas a conductor like Sir Charles Mackerras would have been more controlling and shaping. But we should judge by the overall results, which were excellent.

This was a riveting evening of musical theatre. With a running time of nearly four hours there was plenty of scope for boredom if things did not go well, but Alden, Moulds and their talented cast of singing actors held our attention from the first to the last. Only towards the end of Act 3 did I have the unworthy thought that perhaps Handel could have reached his denouement just a little earlier. With such fine singing on offer it was a pity that a record company such as Chandos could not have been at hand to record it for posterity.