Morgen und Abend, Royal Opera House **

George Friedrich Haas' new opera has had it's premiere at the Royal Opera House and it has fallen into a problem many directors find in the space. This opera, an intimate piece about life and death, feels lost in the 2000 seat venue. The music is a sweeping soundscape which at times is chilling and emotionally led yet it could be scaled down to fit in a studio space. Graham Vick's staging would also adapt better in the Linbury but minimalism doesn't work well in a space where small expressions are lost by the 6th or 7th row back. The amplification of speech also loses some emotionally intensity, despite Klaus Maria Brandauer's best efforts. Performances from the singers are competent but not as emotionally rich as one might wish for in a piece about death. The piece finished with two thirds of the audience still there which is some achievement yet I don't think it has succeeded in bringing anything particularly powerful to the stage.