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Opera

Not a repertory piece but in its dignity it earns respect: Royal Opera’s Oedipe reviewed

The music lacks memorability, the staging evokes a sigh and the performances are mildly uneven – but I wasn’t bored for a moment

28 May 2016

9:00 AM

28 May 2016

9:00 AM

Oedipe

Royal Opera House, in rep until 8 June

For years I have been telling people that they should listen to, in the absence of staged performances, Enescu’s opera Oedipe, preferably in the marvellous EMI recording from 1990, still available. It only occurred to me when I was preparing to go to the Royal Opera’s new production that I haven’t actually listened to a recording for many years — it seems to belong with its contemporary Busoni’s Doktor Faust as something more admired in the breach than the observance.

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