For those who weren't there - the entire opera was staged behind the proscenium arch - in other words, ignoring the front 8ft or so of stage. This front section is the only part of the stage which all seats (apart from restricted view) can see clearly. It's also the best place to produce good vocal resonance - if you've ever wondered why old hands like JDF and Roberto park themselves there, that's why. To add to the problems, both the beginning and end of the show employed high-level platforms, which restrict visibility and audibility even further, especially with the 'letterbox' effect at the back of the stalls circle (and not just in the cheap seats). It beggars belief that ROH management cleared the production designs. They're as much to blame as the director, who may have genuinely misunderstood the issues. He looked quite shocked (as well as upset) at the boos

You need to submit your email address where it says 'submit' and wait for the voucher code to appear in your inbox, as it says.

I am incredibly busy these days, working all day and out most nights, and generally just don't have time. It's not just a question of knocking out a few words - there are facts to be checked, photos to be sourced, edited and uploaded, and it all takes longer than you might think. There are several on my backburner (including this Rosenkavalier) that I'd like to get round to, but probably won't.

You mean Abba?

First time I've heard anyone call Rene Pape a pervert.

You can listen to the interview on the BBC iPlayer using the link in the post above. The iPlayer is generally available to UK IP addresses only. IP addresses are generally linked to your location. So if you are in the UK, your device almost certainly has a UK IP address, and you won't have any problems accessing the audio. If you are outside the UK and the iPlayer doesn't work, you need to change your IP address to a UK one. You can do this using a proxy switching tool. There are paid ones, which usually work well, or free ones, which can be flaky. You could try 'ProxySwitcher' plug-in, which is a free add on from Mozilla for Firefox users. You will need a specific UK IP address: free-proxy-list.net has some. If the suggested options don't work for you there are plenty of similar ones available.

Perhaps Tcherniakov wasn't told the budget was limited. If the WSJ info is complete, he wasn't told about the dimensions of the stage or the set transportation issues. It appears time is being wasted as well as money.

Read my previous comment.

The hands of a stuffed baboon. I leave you to consider its pertinence.