British Youth Opera has always been ambitious, and with fruitful results; many successful singers have passed through its ranks early in their careers, working with established directors and conductors and coached by some of the most experienced singers in the business.
However, with Handel's Semele, the BYO may have taken that ambition just a bit too far. Not quite a comedy but not quite anything else either, this story of a self-regarding nymphet abducted by a randy Jupiter and brought down by a jealous Juno is a tricky one to bring off. While the score makes an attempt unarguably worthwhile, it is far from being easy on the singers.
Annilese Miskimmon's response to the problem of how to stage the work is to take it very seriously. Things start light-heartedly at Semele's abortive wedding to the drippy Athamas, but soon darken when we reach Jupiter's realm, a dreary backstage area peopled by caretakers. The god himself is a moustachioed cad of an impresario, who stages the heavenly glades of Arcadia only when he needs to keep up appearances. While he's away, the bored Semele is kept in drugged compliance by an unusually sinister Cupid.
As an interpretation it is intriguing, but it weighs heavily on the frothy original. However, Miskimmon's detailed direction means nobody is left standing, and there are some nice touches: the arrival of an overbearing troupe of wedding guests sets the scene snappily and the ensuing storm is conjured up with stylish efficiency.
The cast is full of conviction. Elizabeth Watts is stretched by Semele's most athletic arias, but sings the more reflective Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me? beautifully; her bright, rounded soprano is very promising. There are strong performances, too, from Julia Riley as Ino, Tim Mead as Athamas and Ed Lyon as Jupiter. And the arrival of Anna Stéphany's neurotic Juno, eyes flashing, gets things going. They all have to compete at times with the South Bank Sinfonia, but the conductor, Christian Curnyn, never lets the pace flag.
· Repeated tonight. Box office: 0870 401 8181.
