Royal Opera House, London
Kirill Petrenko was to have conducted this revival of J�rgen Flimm's production of Beethoven's opera, but his departure at a late stage because of back problems brings Mark Elder to the rescue, at least for the first four performances. It's probably too late for Elder to stamp his authority on the music-making, which is untidy, with too many notes tumbling over the footlights, rather than precisely synchronised with the pit. The crucial dungeon scene lacks electricity, the final hymn to marital love lacks elation.
The sometimes wilful staging sells the piece short, and the contemporary setting is unexceptionable. But Flimm turns Steven Ebel's nicely sung Jacquino into a gun-toting bully, pushing a secondary character into the foreground, while much of the detail of the main characters remains smudgy.
At least there is some remarkable singing, most of all from Nina Stemme as Leonore, who claims another dramatic soprano role as her natural territory; even the most awkwardly written passages are managed with strength and refinement. She also convinces in male disguise ? a frank impossibility for most exponents. Endrik Wottrich matches her note for note as a brave and accomplished Florestan, while Elizabeth Watts's Marzelline is unfailingly skilful.
John Wegner blazes his way through Pizarro, no cardboard villain but a chillingly dark presence. Kurt Rydl's Rocco is even more interesting. As the most morally ambiguous figure, his discomfort in his own skin is obvious, and surprisingly well encompassed by the compromised stability of a voice that has seen better days; he carries authority nevertheless. So does Willard White's generously sung Don Fernando, who brings benign solidity to the final scene, despite Pizarro making a reappearance not scheduled in the original.
Rachel McAdams Kristin Cavallari Brittany Murphy Britney Spears Amanda Swisten
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