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Article: Mackerras makes the most of a masked ball.(Opera Review)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 18, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: FIONA MADDOCKS
OPERA Un Ballo in Maschera Covent Garden THE warm ovation that greeted Sir Charles Mackerras established the mood of the evening. This was the 80th birthday of one of the finest and best loved conductors alive. We would enjoy ourselves, whatever the shortcomings of this first revival of the ROH's Un Ballo in Maschera in the Boston version. With Mackerras, all would be well, musically at least.
And so it proved. Mario Martone's leaden staging, designed by Sergio Tramonti, grows no more persuasive on second encounter. Stiff, mid-19th century realism jostles uneasily with moments of abstraction. As before, however, the masked ball ...