Arctic chill

Lifted up and smashed right down. I'm drained, shaken and stirred. Taken to sublime levels by the music, emotionally depleted by the singing and wrenched apart by the story, this new adaptation of an old favourite commanded my attention throughout.

The ordinariness of the situation, the starkness of the setup, the cold that chilled every body from the start, the frivolity and the humour melding with tragedy made this a performance to remember. Her tiny hands were frozen and cinema audiences far removed from Covent Garden felt the same.

The Royal Opera did it again. Bravo! Cool! Extremely cool! Arctic!