War and Peace
Millennium Centre, Cardiff

THE EAGERLY awaited Welsh National Opera’s autumn season got off to an uncertain start with Sergei Prokofiev’s operatic adaptation of Tolstoy’s epic novel War and Peace.

A beast of an opera, it's spread over almost four long, buttock-aching hours.

The original productions of War and Peace were performed over two evenings with peace preceding war. To be honest, if WNO had done this I am not sure that many of the audience would have returned.

Ultimately, this production fails because of its unconvincing performances by the principals — Lauren Michelle as Natasha, Jonathan McGovern as Andrei and Mark Le Brocq’s Pierre.

The love duets are mundane and performed with such a lack of passion that it's a surprise that any of these characters could fall in love. And old Prince Bolkonsky is hammed up by Jonathan May in a toe-curling performance.

The singers have to labour along, with few stand-out arias and a libretto which on occasion is banal and would sound clunky in a third-rate soap opera.

But, despite the criticism of the production itself, the company chorus is as masterful as ever and the musical honours go to conductor Tomas Hanus for extracting a wonderful performance from the orchestra of Prokofiev’s score.

Director David Pountney has put together an epic production but what a shame that it is so anaemic.

At the Millennium Centre and touring until November 24, details: wno.org.uk