Richard Bratby

Wow, this is good: Grange Park Opera’s Ivan the Terrible reviewed

Plus: a production of Rossini at The Grange Festival that is more conducive to the consumption of Waitrose fizz

So good I thought he must be Russian: Carl Tanner as Tucha the rebel rallying the people to defend Pskov in Rimsky- Korsakov’s Ivan the Terrible at Grange Park Opera. Image: Marc Brenner 
issue 03 July 2021

There are worse inconveniences than having to wear a face mask to the opera. But there’s one consequence that hadn’t really struck home until an hour into Rimsky-Korsakov’s Ivan the Terrible. The citizens of Pskov are massing in the streets. The Tsar’s army is approaching, and Rimsky is building one of those surging Russian crowd scenes: bass-heavy chorus blazing away while ominous bell sounds — basses, horns and rasping gong — shake the orchestra to its bones.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY A MONTH FREE
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Try a month of Britain’s best writing, absolutely free.

Comments

Join the debate, free for a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.

Already a subscriber? Log in