.....went to this fabulous event yesterday....what a way to spend a drizzly Saturday afternoon. On the way, we were reminded how the other half do it when we sat motionless in the traffic queuing for the football at Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex Stadium.. My heart bled at the thought we might be late because of such barbarism....
Arriving at Glyndebourne, thankfully in good time to find the programme was actually free [something unheard if in modern theatre!], we took our seats wondering if we might actually freeze to death during the performance, but once the doors were shut and the orchestra struck up, all that was quickly forgotten. The action was fast moving and exciting - a nation, Orientis, was split by it's populist benign(?) dictator's decree that only those actually born therein would henceforth be allowed to live in it. This edict was widely lauded by those who passed the residence test but caused native's of nearby Aquila, including the leader's own mother to be exiled. And little does he know his daughter is carrying on with an outlander. You can no doubt imagine the resulting operatic hoo-ha which arises as the family and national issues resove themselves.... or not!
I've been to a handful of operas in the past 20 or so years and would say that 'Agreed' is up there with the best I've seen in terms of quality of both music and libretto (helpfully in English and sur-titled to boot!). also the performance by a mixture of fully professional and amateur adult and teenage actors, singers and dancers was sublime, The storyline was surprisingly credible and acceptable to even the cynical such as yours truly. It was easily seen as allegorical for any number of real life political situations, dare I say even Brexit?... And above all it succeeded in making me cry!
If you get the chance to see Agreed either in a local repertory or maybe on the internet, I'd say leap at it with arms, eyes and ears open - it's a great addition to modern operatunities!
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