Page 46 - FINAL_Theatre of Sound Coverage Book

be half a dozen instruments. But it promises to have impact because the space, now called

Stone Nest, is intimate (as well as atmospheric); the six players are virtuosi from the London
Sinfonietta; and the changing cast has star singers like Gerald Finley and Susan Bullock who
know how to deliver. That said, don’t expect the usual Bluebeard stage effects of castle walls
dripping with blood. According to conductor Stephen Higgins who co-founded Theatre of
Sound, it’s going to be “a horror story for our own time”, reinterpreting the locked doors as
the blocked memories of a man with dementia, in a care home, struggling to make sense of
his predicament.
“It’s hard to find goodness in the character of Bluebeard”, admits Higgins, “but his music is so
beautiful it compels you to try; and this reading, which comes out of my own experience of

having family with dementia, is a possible way”. Sounds fascinating.
Details: theatreofsound.org

• Whatever your feelings about Philip Glass (mine are equivocal), English National Opera did
well with the visually stunning revival of his opera Satyagraha that re-launched the company
for post-pandemic business the other week. And with that under its belt, it’s now, finally,
delivering a new production – of a piece by Gilbert & Sullivan I’d also feel equivocal about if
the staging wasn’t by Cal McCrystal, who has a genius for rescuing G&S from the brink of
tedium.
The piece is HMS Pinafore. It has the novelty of TV comedian Les Dennis (who may or may not
be able to sing) in the cast. And if McCrystal can do for it what he did a few years ago on the
Coliseum stage with Iolanthe, it could even be funny – which, God knows, is something we all
need. Running at the London Coliseum October 29-December 11, it promises to be a good
pre-Christmas entertainment. Booking: eno.org

• Ever since it managed to produce a Pope, in John Paul II, Poland has positioned itself as a
country with a hotline to God. And with that goes a strong tradition of sacred choral music

which gets exported to London next week with a festival at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Called Joy
& Devotion, it features leading British vocal groups like Tenebrae and the Gesualdo Six
singing entirely Polish repertoire: Gorecki, Penderecki, and the suddenly prominent Pawel
Lukaszewski whose music has proved popular over here with recent releases on the Hyperion
label. Lukaszewski will be present to curate the festival. It runs November 2-5.
Details: stmartin-in-the-fields.org