Live from Covent Garden: part 2

Forlorn spirits and empty seats leave us longing for the return of the good times

★★★★★

There’s been no shortage of live music broadcast online during the lockdown, much of it of a high standard. But it has been somewhat short on high spirits and visual appeal. Listening to these austere concerts has somehow magnified the unhappiness of our situation, reinforcing its enveloping weirdness, rather than offering some relief from it.

One might have hoped the Royal Opera and Ballet would break the mould and give us a good time. But thus far it’s been serious stuff, with not a tutu or showy gown in sight. Last night’s concert, the second of a series of three, was even more dark-toned than the first. After the jarringly gushing introduction from host Anita Rani, the camera panned to the dimly lit stage, where principal dancer Vadim Muntagirov could be seen advancing towards us. His performance was advertised as the “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice, as choreographed by Frederick Ashton. But the low light made it feel more Hades than Elysian Fields; the spirit more anguished than blessed. As ever, Muntagirov made every movement tell, his face as expressive of forlorn abandon as those long, flexible limbs. It was a sublime six minutes.

Then came another sort of farewell: Mahler’s Song of the Earth. It was performed in a masterly arrangement for a reduced orchestra of only 16 players, which allowed the voices of tenor David Butt Philip and mezzosoprano Sarah Connolly to cut through without strain.

Conductor Antonio Pappano’s reading of the piece was questing and urgent rather than spacious. It meant Connolly’s heartfelt performance of the final farewell was moving in a more intimate way.

The final image was of the starkly empty, silent hall, which reminded us that there are few things more pathetic than an empty theatre. Perhaps this was deliberate, because it demonstrated the point so many in the performing arts are making. They need real audiences, not virtual ones, and they need them now.

This concert is available on demand for 14 days for £4.99 per household, via roh.org.uk or the Royal Opera House’s Youtube channel.