Having read so many negative reports of English National Opera in the press over the past couple of years, I was in two minds as to whether I should accept an invitation to go to their recent production of Partenope. Apart from anything else, this was the first time I’d ever been to a staged Handel opera, and I was concerned that this would be an inauspicious introduction. I needn’t have worried. I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the opera – as good as anything I’ve experienced on the international scene. Christopher Alden’s production was clever and stylish, with the updating to 1920s West Coast America entirely appropriate for a story with glamour, flirting and brittle wit at its heart. I should also add that while the Coliseum is often cited as a ‘problem theatre’ for singers, in this case I could hear every word sung by an excellent cast. I usually play safe with opera and go to the Royal Opera House, but on this evidence, I’ll be heading to ENO much more often.
Sean Byrne, via email
Lucy Hayward’s letter in your last edition of Opera Now (Feedback, page 6) is yet another example of feminism shooting itself in the foot. Why does Ms Hayward think that young and (heaven forbid) attractive women are less worthy of being celebrated for their talent and achievements than their older counterparts? Does she immediately dismiss youth and beauty as superficial and inane – it’s the same sort of insulting stereotyping that characterises all blondes as dumb.