When the girls discovered that the ROH was promoting a competition to review the opera, they were keen to enter. The organisers said that they had received some really vivid and convincing pieces of work so it was quite a task to make a shortlist!
However, they succeeded and, together with Richard Fairman, music critic for the Financial Times, they selected a winner.
We are delighted to announce that Asha Bakhai from 5P wrote the winning review. The letter telling of her success said, ‘Her response was beautifully descriptive and Richard commented on the way she had managed to give a personal, atmospheric account of the opera as well as important factual details.'
Asha will receive a goodie bag, including a CD of the show. Her review will also appear on the ROH website. In the meantime, you can read it here first!
OPERA REVIEW
Bellini's La Sonnambula was an unforgettable Italian opera. When the long, rich, velvet curtains slowly opened I was struck by the beautiful, intricate designs of elaborate hotel set in the snow covered mountains of the Swiss Alps. We were so lucky to be able to see all the delicious details of the scene from our front row seats and to be able to hear the voices so clearly. The prima donna projected an amazing range of notes as she played the main character of Amina who filled the auditorium with high and low notes in her role of the Mezzo Soprano. I was also impressed by the other ladies parts including Lisa's brilliant acting of jealously and Teresa's dazzling expressions of support for Amina, her daughter's innocence. Amina, the sleepwalker was the convincing victim of misunderstandings, fuelled by Lisa's desire over her fiancée Elvino. It was shocking, how Amina gets into trouble as the mysterious ghost that walks the streets of the village at night and finds herself in the count's room just before her marriage.
The two leading men didn't hold my attention as well as the ladies, but I could sense their passion when singing. The anger of Elvino, came through and he sang realistically and made me sense how he felt when he thought Amina had betrayed him. Count Rodolfo, the long lost returning nobleman, played a wise and honest admirer of Amina and had a low rich tone which matched his personality.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever opera, which was a feast for my ears and musical places of my mind. In particular, the acting was as strong as the singing and maybe more because I didn't understand the words. The atmosphere captivated the audience, painting vivid images in our minds of all the emotions of sadness, love, betrayal and jealousy and tensions created by Amina's unusual habit. The love between Amina and Elvino eventually won through. For me, this was a "wow" performance, which will be etched in my mind and I gladly recommend La Sonnambula, presented by the Taylor family, to others.
BY ASHA BAKHAI Year 5