War and Peace
Royal Opera House, London
****

Seasoned opera fans still go misty-eyed at the memory of the British premiere of Prokofiev's epic, staged at Sadler's Wells in 1972. They have had to wait a long time to see another production. The Kirov's staging, the last show in its triumphant Covent Garden season, was unveiled in the Maryinsky Theatre in March, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky in eye-catching designs by George Tsypin.

Peace and War would be a better title for this treatment of Tolstoy's teeming masterpiece. Interwoven in the novel, the twin threads of Russian life and the battles against Napoleon's invading armies are teased out in 13 scenes of the libretto. The first part deals with the ill-starred romance between Natasha and Andrei, and the second plunges into the conflict. The bulk of the score was composed in the middle of the second world war, and the patriotic theme of the work is deliberately emphasised. The way in which individuals are subordinated to the over-arching theme of Russian resolve makes the work more like a pageant than an opera, a series of tableaux peopled by two-dimensional characters.

A more finely detailed production might have brought the protagonists into sharper focus, but with such huge forces to muster, so many named characters and such a massive chorus, it would have been a difficult task. War and Peace is a work for special occasions and even if Prokofiev's music is uneven - much of the love music is sentimental, while the great battle set pieces are film music of a superior kind - the impact is massive. Conducted by Valery Gergiev with blazing conviction, it is hard to resist.

In St Petersburg, Gergiev made several cuts. Some of these, including the crucial monologue for Field Marshal Kutuzov, the dramatic linchpin of the second part, have been restored for London. Gennady Bezzubenkov's uneven singing of the role was, however, one of the few vocal disappointments. There were good contributions from Anna Netrebko (Natasha), Vladimir Moroz (Andrei) and Alexei Steblianko (Pierre). The chorus, sturdy, spectacularly rich-toned, were untiring. A better demonstration of the strength and depth of this extraordinary company is hard to imagine.

Further performances on Friday and Saturday. Box office: 020-7304 4000.

***** Unmissable **** Recommended *** Enjoyable ** Mediocre * Terrible