Peter Sellars' Lasso, London, May 2019

[Mandryka]

Lagrime di San Pietro

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/lasso-lagrime-di-san-pietro

[Ken B]

I confess I am in two minds about this. I think it's terrific that Sellars is getting people interested in such music. And it does indeed seem an interesting idea. But I have seen enough of Sellars's work to fear this will be dreadful.

[Mandryka]

I've seen quite a bit of Sellars over the years, mostly opera, but also a Bach passion, and I know where you're coming from. In my experience, he's only terrible when he can't convince the performers - like when he asks opera singers to do stylised dance gestures while singing arias etc. It's only round the corner and so not a great imposition for me to go and take a look.

I've seen amazing things from him, some fabulous Wagner (Parsifal) for example.

[Mandryka]

Beautifully sung: light, expressive, fluid, varying textures, very well judged blend of voices, harmonies just dissonant enough to make it tangy.

The movement was almost child like in its realism, makaton like gestures reflecting the narrative of the poems. But it was masterful the way it was done, perfect.

Lighting also was really simple, just occasional colour changes to reflect a mood.

And it's very good to have the subtitles, as with opera.

[Ken B]

Cool. Sounds like it's worth seeing if I get a chance.
Sellars left it to his understudy I suppose ... 

[Mandryka]

No he toddled on with a big wide grin at the end to take a bow.