The Consul

Menotti's most famous and perhaps most performed work is Amahl and the Night Visitors. This 1960 production shows why The Consul deserves to be performed more, the music is so beautiful and there is a real emotional wallop, so much so that the predictability of the story can be totally ignored. And this performance is astounding. The black and white is crisp, the first act finale shows some great filming(though the whole production is very well shot) and the production values are similarly handsome and kept nice and simple without feeling too simplistic. The staging is intense and poignant, the ending is so moving that it's enough to shatter the heart. The orchestra perform with lovely tone and there is a real sense that they love the score while the conducting accommodates both the drama and the singers. And you cannot complain about the performances, Patricia Neway may sound a tad thin at times but she was simply born for the role of Magda, so expressive, so powerful and so emotion-shattering. Another standout is the formidable and quite icy secretary of Regina Sarfaty, who also manages the odd touch of humanity like her delicate-sounding Hello? Oh It's You. Leon Lishner is chilling as the Secret Police Agent, Maria Marlo is a tender foreign woman, Chester Ludgin's voice is rich and authoritative which is perfect for John and Evelyn Sachs is a noble mother figure. All in all, astoundingly well-done Menotti, see especially for Neway's peerless Magda. 10/10 Bethany Cox