The Gambler, Royal Opera House | reviews, news & interviews
The Gambler, Royal Opera House
The Gambler, Royal Opera House
The human zoo of Prokofiev's Dostoyevskian casino is viewed with sharp compassion
Friday, 12 February 2010
Gamblers anon: Prokofiev's Dostoevsky staged by Richard JonesClive Barda
Fasten your seatbelts; it's a bumpy ride to the casino. In Prokofiev's wilful but uncompromising take on Dostoyevsky's tale of obsession, all the private paths of love, lust and greed lead to the gambling tables - eventually. The composer saves up one of the most adrenalin-charged scenes in 20th-century opera for the last act, giving director and conductor some headaches in generating interest and comprehensibility along the way. With a dedication we can only imagine, Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano have solved Prokofiev the chess master's conundrum better than in any previous production I've seen.
Fasten your seatbelts; it's a bumpy ride to the casino. In Prokofiev's wilful but uncompromising take on Dostoyevsky's tale of obsession, all the private paths of love, lust and greed lead to the gambling tables - eventually. The composer saves up one of the most adrenalin-charged scenes in 20th-century opera for the last act, giving director and conductor some headaches in generating interest and comprehensibility along the way. With a dedication we can only imagine, Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano have solved Prokofiev the chess master's conundrum better than in any previous production I've seen.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Opera
L'Olimpiade, Irish National Opera review - Vivaldi's long-distance run sustained by perfect teamwork
Sporting confusions and star-crossed lovers clarified by vivacious singing and playing
Remembering conductor Andrew Davis (1944-2024)
Fellow conductors, singers, instrumentalists and administrators recall a true Mensch
Götterdämmerung, LPO, Jurowski, RFH review - outside looking and listening in, always with fascination
Every orchestral phrase and colour perfect, vocal drama often a notch below
Simon Boccanegra, Hallé, Elder, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - thrilling, magnificent exploration
Verdi’s original version of the opera brought to exciting life
Aci by the River, London Handel Festival, Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse review - myths for the #MeToo age
Star singers shine in a Handel rarity
Carmen, Royal Opera review - strong women, no sexual chemistry and little stage focus
Damiano Michieletto's new production of Bizet’s masterpiece is surprisingly invertebrate
La scala di seta, RNCM review - going heavy on the absinthe?
Rossini’s one-acter helps young performers find their talents to amuse
Death In Venice, Welsh National Opera review - breathtaking Britten
Sublime Olivia Fuchs production of a great operatic swansong
Salome, Irish National Opera review - imaginatively charted journey to the abyss
Sinéad Campbell Wallace's corrupted princess stuns in Bruno Ravella's production
Jenůfa, English National Opera review - searing new cast in precise revival
Jennifer Davis and Susan Bullock pull out all the stops in Janáček's moving masterpiece
theartsdesk in Strasbourg: crossing the frontiers
'Lohengrin' marks a remarkable singer's arrival on Planet Wagner
Giant, Linbury Theatre review - a vision fully realised
Sarah Angliss serves a haunting meditation on the strange meeting of giant and surgeon
Add comment