Le Roi de Lahore review – voluptuous drama in a fantasy orient

The third of Massenet’s operas to be staged, Le Roi de Lahore put the composer on the international map, with a clutch of follow-up productions in several countries in the wake of its successful 1877 Parisian premiere. But it soon dropped from the repertoire, and Simon Bainbridge’s programme note for this concert revival by Chelsea Opera Group suggested that this was the first London performance since 1880.

In any event, the piece deserves the occasional hearing. Even this early in his career, Massenet was a thorough master of his craft, and this accomplished piece inhabits the characteristically lavish French grand opera model with conviction. In the plot, based on a story in the Mahabharata, Alim, the King of Lahore, is treacherously attacked in battle by his own minister, Scindia, who is his rival for the love of the priestess Sitâ; Alim dies, but in a scene set in Indra’s paradise, the god restores him to life – though he is sent back to earth as the lowliest of men.

With the exception of the scene in paradise (where an expendable ballet sequence takes the score over the border into the land of kitsch), Massenet comes up with solid and individual musical ideas to clothe this voluptuous drama set in a fantasy orient. The piece is on the long side, but otherwise eminently viable.

COG’s cast was a strong one. As Alim, Michael Spyres’s fluid tenor rose to all challenges, and he hit Massenet’s style spot-on. Anush Hovhannisyan’s vibrant soprano gave Sitâ dramatic urgency, though she had a few problems with intonation. William Dazeley’s focused baritone helped him define a suitably villainous Scindia, and there were notable contributions from Justina Gringyte, Jihoon Kim and Joshua Bloom. The orchestra made a positive impression under conductor Renato Balsadonna, though it occasionally overwhelmed the chorus.