# Les Troyens: ROH London 2012



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

A few of us are meeting up in London next year for _Les Troyens_ at ROH and I thought I'd post some details.

Details of the production:

Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Director: David McVicar
Orchestra & chorus of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden

Cassandra: Anna Caterina Antonacci
Chorèbe: Fabio Capitanucci
Enée: Jonas Kaufmann
Didon: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Anna: Kristine Jepson
Narbal: Brindley Sherratt

New production. Co-production with Vienna State Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Milan & San Francisco Opera. The performance lasts approximately 5½ hours with two intervals. Sung in French with English sur-titles.

Above information from ROH but I also understand that this production will be set in the time of the Crimean War.

Dates:

25 June
28 June
01 July (matinée)
05 July
08 July (matinée)
11 July

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Mamascarlatti (Natalie), Mr & Mrs Almaviva & I are planning on seeing the 01 July performance assuming I can get tickets.

According to ROH, this is going to be a huge event & tickets will be scarce. I'm speculating, but I don't think I'll be able to get any more than the allocation for my level of 'Friend' i.e. membership. Numbers of tickets available for the general public may be similarly restricted.

I think there are some members who hope to see the opera & it would be fantastic if you were there for the 01 July performance.

We're hoping that anyone who can't attend will join us for a meal or even just a coffee. I have booked a hotel near Covent Garden for three nights 29 June, 30 June & 01 July & it would be lovely to meet up. We could even find the soprano singing _Nessum Dorma_ especially for _operafocus_.

For anyone coming from outside London, I don't know the city that well & people's tastes are very different so I would prefer not to recommend a hotel.

As more details about booking dates etc become available I'll update the thread.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Would that I could.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Sounds like important event for this opera. At least three really big names in the cast. I don't remember when that Gardiner thing was made, didn't Antonacci get much older since then? Will she sing as good as there? Kaufmann as Enee is big deal, will he beat young Jon Vickers? Probably not but he still may be good no. 2.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I hope you all have a fantastic time - Les Troyens is truly a great piece of art and Pappano is a fine opera conductor.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I'll certainly keep my eye on this for information about booking tickets and will see if I can get my hands on some. Regardless of whether or not I will be able to make the performance, I'm certain that I'll be joining you folks on one of the days anyway.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Really hope that this production is eventually released in DVD format!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Aramis said:


> Sounds like important event for this opera. At least three really big names in the cast. I don't remember when that Gardiner thing was made, didn't Antonacci get much older since then? Will she sing as good as there? Kaufmann as Enee is big deal, will he beat young Jon Vickers? Probably not but he still may be good no. 2.


Antonacci is still a fine-looking, fine-singing lady.


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## AnaMendoza (Jul 29, 2011)

Does the ROH still have standing room? From 20 years ago, I remember it as the most painful physical experience of my life--the first time I'd realized what people meant when they said their feet were killing them.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

AnaMendoza said:


> Does the ROH still have standing room?


:lol:

Oh yes.



AnaMendoza said:


> From 20 years ago, I remember it as the most painful physical experience of my life--the first time I'd realized what people meant when they said their feet were killing them.


You get a padded back rest though!


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## Elgarian (Jul 30, 2008)

29 June, 30 June & 01 July

Dates noted, thanks. I can't be certain of anything at this stage, but if I _can_ be in London then, I'll try to clear a path as we get nearer the event.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> Antonacci is still a fine-looking, fine-singing lady.


The question is not if she is still but if she will be in june HO HO HO

Any ideas about how it may look? At least if the whole thing will be reasonable (read: traditional)?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

AnaMendoza said:


> Does the ROH still have standing room? From 20 years ago, I remember it as the most painful physical experience of my life--the first time I'd realized what people meant when they said their feet were killing them.


Bearing in mind that Les Troyens is 5 acts , really two operas rolled into one!!


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Aramis said:


> Any ideas about how it may look? At least if the whole thing will be reasonable (read: traditional)?


As I put in the details above, I understand it will be set during the Crimean War.

The reason I'm saying this is because when I was on my Macbeth Marathon, I went to an Insight Forum & the ROH armourer came in to chat about swords & replica guns etc. All the weapons are made in house & it was him who said Les Troyens would be set in the period of the Crimean War & that he had a lot of work to do.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

It's absolutely illogical idea.

But early/middle XIXth century military uniforms were most beautiful things that humans ever came to wear. If they will make them properly then I may even forgive them.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

McVicar is capable of updating an opera very successfully--witness his British Empire _Giulio Cesare_ at Glyndebourne. Interesting to see if the Crimean War setting will be as persuasive for _Les Troyens_.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I have already made plans to attend this and have asked my friend in London to get us tickets. However, since the ROH went to online booking she has not been successful and indeed is quite frustrated with the ROH ticket situation (she's been a friend since the time before they had 'categories')

I am hoping that there will always be 'money no object' tickets available, although the folks queuing up overnight for Tosca tickets had me quite worried.

Whatever, I won't worry about this until the booking period opens--I think it is December?


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## ooopera (Jul 27, 2011)

Thanks Annie.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

FragendeFrau said:


> I have already made plans to attend this and have asked my friend in London to get us tickets. However, since the ROH went to online booking she has not been successful and indeed is quite frustrated with the ROH ticket situation (she's been a friend since the time before they had 'categories')


The on-line booking system isn't robust enough to cope with lots of people trying to book at the same time & it nearly always crashes. 



FragendeFrau said:


> I am hoping that there will always be 'money no object' tickets available, although the folks queuing up overnight for Tosca tickets had me quite worried.


ROH sell a certain number of tickets on the day & that's what people queue up for. I think the tickets are 'returns' which haven't been re-sold so the seats could be anywhere.



FragendeFrau said:


> Whatever, I won't worry about this until the booking period opens--I think it is December?


The booking for the next period (quarter) opens at the end of November so I'm assuming for the period after that, the booking will open in January/February. I might give them a call next week & see if they know.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

The one date out of the whole run I certainly cannot do is 1 July 2011 as it is my son's 6th birthday. Therefore there is no way I can negotiate with Fricka to get out of that one and I would obviously want to be there as well. 

I am a 'friend' of the ROH and I suspect that if you get online early enough and are organised you will get the seats you want. I always go for tickets in the first five rows of the amphitheatre on the sides as they are generally the best value tickets in the house.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I think Annie and I are pretty much committed to 1st July - certainly for me it has involved juggling around with other commitments and booking hotels, flights etc.

But even if TC members don't all end up going on the same day, we can still perhaps meet up for coffee or a meal over that weekend, particularly with London/UK based people.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Anyway, once I get to London, I'll make a point of meeting not only Natalie and Annie, but other British members for a coffee, if they feel like meeting me.

It could be our mini-Convention... a preview.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

OK, so who's also on for ENO's Billy Budd at the Coliseum on Saturday 30 June? Starts at 6pm so not too late. And as it's written in English we'd still be seeing it in the original.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Hmmm... I don't know... an opera with mostly male characters... no cute soprano for me?


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I'm at work looking at my calendar and am feeling really stuck again. The last week in June there is a meeting that I don't attend but will have to organize for the person who does attend. Then the second week in July will probably be a week of meetings at work that I must attend (although I skipped 2 years ago). *sigh* So frustrating. I suspect that Billy Budd is probably out for me, as well as July 1st, but I will think about it. ARGH.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> Hmmm... I don't know... an opera with mostly male characters... no cute soprano for me?


It's one of my favourite operas with brilliant music, and a genuinely interesting story with a moral dilemma at its centre. Vere is being sung by Tony Spence who I have liked in other DVDs. The tickets, being ENO, are not all that expensive compared with ROH. I'm definitely going, as I won't have the opportunity to hear this live very often.

Go on Alma, I've been working on appreciating Troyens for you.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

sospiro said:


> The on-line booking system isn't robust enough to cope with lots of people trying to book at the same time & it nearly always crashes.


Yupper. It's an international disgrace(!)


sospiro said:


> The booking for the next period (quarter) opens at the end of November so I'm assuming for the period after that, the booking will open in January/February. I might give them a call next week & see if they know.


I guess this means we have at least three weeks to make up our minds about this one(?)


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Hear ye, Yedward, if I tarry at home and go not, I’ll hang you for going.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> I guess this means we have at least three weeks to make up our minds about this one(?)[/COLOR]


Apologies, I didn't make it clear.

The ROH season is divided into four periods (quarters) & Les Troyens is being shown during the fourth period.

The public booking for the third period isn't open yet & I think the public booking for Les Troyens will open mid February. But the dates have not been published yet.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

sospiro said:


> Apologies, I didn't make it clear.
> 
> The ROH season is divided into four periods (quarters) & Les Troyens is being shown during the fourth period.
> 
> The public booking for the third period isn't open yet & I think the public booking for Les Troyens will open mid February. But the dates have not been published yet.


Does this objectively mean that we may end up without tickets?


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

Alma, I doubt that. It just means that Annie and the others can't book until February. They all sound very experienced at using the ROH system and have clearly gotten tickets in the past. So I am sure you are good to go!

I've been more of the mindset that I won't decide when to go until I see if my friend can get any tickets at all--I will ask her to try for any of the dates in hopes that she will be able to snag one. She has been unsuccessful in the past, but Annie & co have had great success--witness their reports on ROH performances!


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Apologies for the long post but I'll explain the booking system as best I can. It's complicated. 

The current booking status applies to the following operas on the calendar.

_Miss Fortune

Rigoletto

La Fille du régiment

La bohème

Falstaff_

Current booking status, I've bolded my level.



> *BOOKING DATES - PERIOD 3- SPRING 2011/12*
> 
> Please note that from now on the Box Office will always open at 10 am not 8 am as previously.
> 
> ...


------------------------------------------------​
Operas in the fourth period

_Salome

Les Troyens

Otello_

I don't know when the tickets for the fourth period go on sale. As soon as I get notification I'll let everyone know, and especially about availability.

*NB - availability will always depend on the anticipated demand for a particular opera.*

Maybe _Les Troyens_ will not be very popular & they'll start giving tickets away - but maybe not.


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## ooopera (Jul 27, 2011)

sospiro said:


> Maybe _Les Troyens_ will not be very popular & they'll start giving tickets away - but maybe not.


yep! I'm sure about that.


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