Why not just listen and stop criticising...this gives me goose bumps even though I can hardly understand a word of the English...you dont have to understand to appreciate the sound.....
Pavarotti didn't hit the high Cs when they weren't in the piece, either. :). And he couldn't hit them when he was older - I watched him bury several of them in his singing partner's shoulder while the violins carried the note. And I loved Pavarotti to distraction. Alfie Boe has an equally glorious voice.
Have you ever looked at something and you can't quite state what's out of whack? why do the costumes look like they're from two different centuries? AB looks great; MM looks like a time traveler. or else the ENO is the time traveler =]
