The Midsummer Marriage

The very old VHS copy that I had of the production was on its very last legs, very blurry, faded and with muffled sound and the actual picture looking as though the video would be chewed up any minute. Now it's impossible to watch, and that is a real shame as this performance of The Midsummer Marriage is splendid that is highly deserving of a DVD release that does it proper justice. Really for a production as well done as this, it isn't fair to have a poor-quality and completely obscure VHS. The opera itself is definitely going to have divisive opinions, personally there are close friends and university lecturers that have shown appreciation, indifference or vehemence of love and hate, with me it's the appreciation camp. The story is not the easiest to follow and may not make sense to some, but the music- Tippett's style is not going to appeal to all- is very cleverly constructed and at times prettier and less sparse-sounding to the ears than King Priam(very similar reception to that opera too). The production does look good, beautiful and colourful, and the charming and witty staging is some of Elijah Moshinsky's best. The music is performed by the orchestra with a lovely sound and orchestral colours, great musicality and articulation, incisive rhythm and a good sense of drama. David Atherton shows that he is as comfortable in Tippett as he is in Britten, he keeps things alive but sympathetic to the demands of the performers. Phillip Langridge is in glowing voice, his diction is crystal clear and he has great authority in his acting whenever he appears. Lucy Shelton is a youthful and vocally radiant Jenifer and Sarah Walker is every bit as impressive as she was in King Priam, she sings very strongly and also very good at commanding the stage. All the roles are filled well, and there is even the bonus of Janet Suzman's speaking role appearance. To conclude, a splendid production, sadly it's hard to find anywhere and it is one of those productions that deserves a good DVD in the future. 10/10 Bethany Cox