The Gambler, Royal Opera House

The Gambler, Royal Opera House | reviews, news & interviews

The Gambler, Royal Opera House

The human zoo of Prokofiev's Dostoyevskian casino is viewed with sharp compassion

by David NiceFriday, 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.

If you've seen Jones's ENO production of Berg's Lulu, you'll get the reference to the human menagerie

Explore topics

Share this article

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

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

Help to give theartsdesk a future! Support our GoFundMe appeal

The Elixir of Love, English National Opera review - a tale of two halves Flat first act, livelier second, singers not always helped by conductor and director

The Sound Voice Project, Linbury Theatre review - an art installation that has strayed into an opera house A worthy project fails to ignite as art

The Tales of Hoffmann, Royal Opera review - three-headed monster feels baggier than ever Offenbach left multiple choices for his swansong, but this production lacks the key

Rigoletto, English National Opera review - another hit for Miller's Mob More tragic than gimmicky, this classic staging can still succeed

theartsdesk at Wexford Festival Opera - let's make three operas Donizetti triumphs, with help from Bernstein, Rossini, two stars and director Orpha Phelan

Albert Herring, Scottish Opera review - fun, frivolity, and fine music-making A witty production of Britten's clever comedy that's bound to leave you smiling

Le nozze di Figaro, The Mozartists, Page, Cadogan Hall review - cogency, intelligence and reverence A celebration of Mozart from the supreme stylists

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opera North review - one of the best and funniest Perspex and bubblewrap for a Sixties take on Britten's Shakespeare

The Turn of the Screw, English National Opera review - Jamesian ambiguities chillingly preserved Pity and terror in Ailish Tynan’s anguished Governess and Isabella Bywater’s production

Trouble in Tahiti/A Quiet Place, Linbury Theatre review - top cast plays unhappy families Mini-masterpiece and splashy sequel carried off with as much conviction as they can take

Blond Eckbert, English Touring Opera review - dark deeds afoot in the woods Judith Weir’s chamber opera explores Freudian themes through a modern lens

Follow @theartsdesk