Michael Tanner

Colour and energy

Love and Other Demons<br /> <em>Glyndebourne</em>

issue 06 September 2008

Love and Other Demons
Glyndebourne

I only caught up with Glyndebourne’s newly commissioned opera at its penultimate performance. It was a courageous thing to put on a work by a composer as little known in this country as Peter Eötvös, and was rewarded at the seventh performance with a respectably full house. It isn’t a difficult opera to follow or grasp, and though I was not especially impressed by it, in fact find it a weak piece, I have nothing but admiration for the élan with which it was presented, with the conductor Vladimir Jurowski giving a very strong lead.

The long programme note by Edward Kemp helps to explain what the central pre-occupation of the work is supposed to be, though that is already indicated by the title. The only trouble is that it might be, if not the name, then the subtitle of most operas in and out of the repertoire.

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