I’ve always been happy to splash out on attending all sorts of events – £80 on tickets for run-of-the-mill Premiership football matches; £120 for the ghastly experience of watching rugby in Twickenham’s concrete jungle; £60 to attend a concert by ancient rockers who’ve seen better days. As an English teacher, I’m also an avid theatre-goer – despite the fact that the last time I went to the theatre, to see a woke version of Henry V full of gratuitous swearing and cheap jibes at Brexit, it cost £55 for a restricted view.
But I’d always avoided opera, put off by its somewhat elitist image. And I’m not the only one – a survey for Classic FM revealed that many of us have never considered going, dismissing it as ‘too posh’ or too expensive.
Now, though, I’ve seen the light. I’ve learned that opera is better value than most other cultural and sporting activities – and much more of a spectacle. Recently I went to the last night of Verdi’s Aida at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden – a genuinely world-class venue. The posters on the London Underground promised this would be ‘an outstanding new take on Verdi’, and I thought: why not try it? My ticket cost £11. The experience was priceless.
For a start, I defy anyone to step into the Royal Opera House for the first time without feeling awestruck by the setting. It’s magnificent – a superb blend of old and new. And whether you’re paying £11 for the cheapest ticket, as I was, or £1,000 for a box, it’s the same stunning entrance for everyone. The vast Paul Hamlyn Hall, reopened in 2018 and full of glittering glass and light, is jaw-dropping in its impact. As one helpful attendant said to me: ‘You’d never believe it used to be a fruit and veg market.’
You could travel the world and pay through the nose for the mundane. Yet here, in the heart of London, is a world-beating cultural venue which can be accessed at an affordable price
Already, an hour before the actual performance, the place was humming and had a sense of effortless style. You felt right in the centre of cultural Europe here, with crowds of all ages, classes and accents gathering for an Italian opera. Admittedly there was an aura of money and I carefully avoided the Veuve Clicquot Bar, where a 125ml glass of fizz cost £17, making my way up the swish escalator to the main Level 5 Piazza instead. This too was buzzing and its spectacular 80m Terrace Bar was full. With superb views over Covent Garden and the London skyline, it was the perfect place to see and be seen. I must have been inspired, as after a glass of free iced water I ditched the frugal approach to buy a bottle of Curious Brew craft beer (£6) and a generous plateful of roast beef sandwiches (£12.50) and settled down to enjoy the view.
Twenty minutes later, I strolled to the ‘Amphitheatre Lower Slips’, along corridors lined with vintage posters of past Royal Opera House performances. ‘Stunning,’ someone next to me remarked. As was my first sight of the Victorian Opera House itself, with its plush crimson seats, candelabra-style lighting and ornate gold facades and ceilings. The black-tie orchestra tuning up added a final touch of finesse.
As for the performance, given the grandiosity of the setting, this was never going to disappoint. Aida lasted three-and-a-quarter hours (great value for money), including a 25-minute interval (during which I reverted to free water), and featured a huge cast. Christina Nilsson played the lead role, in a time-honoured tale of love, betrayal and bitter jealousy, as the ancient dynasties of Egypt and Ethiopia battled for supremacy in the Nile Delta.
My standing-only ticket proved better than expected too. Yes, there was a vertiginous drop, but a reassuringly solid wooden rail proved perfect to lean on and a lot more comfortable than the football terraces of my youth. There were only ten of us standing, old and young, neatly spaced on orderly squares, so there was plenty of room to fidget or stretch. As for the wider audience? Again stereotypes were inverted. No one was in black tie, apart from the orchestra; plenty of people were in T-shirts and jeans (even shorts: this was a warm June evening), with others looking smarter in shirts, chinos or jackets. Everyone had one thing in common: they looked like they were enjoying the occasion.
You could travel the world and pay through the nose for the mundane. Yet here, in the heart of London, is a world-beating cultural venue which can be accessed at an affordable price. Perhaps more of us should kick our preconceptions about opera into touch – or better still, down the soulless concrete corridors of Twickenham or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and give it a try?
The total cost of my evening out was £29.50 – and I can’t wait to go to the Royal Opera House again. Perhaps next up will be Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, which opens on 8 July.
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