Gloriana, Covent Garden - opera review

Richard Jones's richly imaginative revival of Britten's Gloriana strips away the Tudorbethan veneer, taking us back to 1953
7 July 2013

Benjamin Britten wrote Gloriana for the Queen's 1953 coronation but at its Covent Garden premiere the nobs and toffs present took against it.

The opera soon disappeared from the Royal Opera's repertoire, no doubt because Britten and his librettist William Plomer had provided not an empty celebration but a nuanced drama about the public duties and private affections of Elizabeth I.

Still, there are problems. Plomer's quasi-archaic text is often cumbersome while Britten's music, with its courtly dances, masques and bardic ballads, has its share of hey-nonny-nonnery. Richard Jones's new production strips away the Tudorbethan veneer, taking us back to 1953. Within Ultz’s witty sets, a village hall pageant unfolds. At its centre are Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex, whose relationship deteriorates from teasing affection to bitter enmity.

To begin with, Britten observes their interplay with sly amusement, which Jones echoes. Then Elizabeth, no longer an Alice-in-Wonderland queen, becomes a fully tragic figure. As Elizabeth, Susan Bullock finds her emotional range, while Toby Spence’s Essex suggests the mix of vulnerability and naked ambition that sends him to the scaffold. Paul Daniel ensures the orchestra provides solid support. For all its faults, Gloriana deserves this richly imaginative revival.

Until July 6 (020 7304 4000, roh.org.uk)

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in