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The whole experience of hearing the great Terfel singing Sweeney Todd in the newly refurbished Festival Hall was and is the great excitement of the occasion. But the Festival Hall itself is the disappointment. After spending millions of pounds, the acoustics are no better than before. In addition, the orchestra placed downstage at times out-sounds and over-shadows the singing which bounces back in echoes in that expansive hall. The seats and flooring may look new and spotless but the width of that enormous hall is still a trap for singers unless it is Terfel whose powerful voice can be heard over hurricanes or tornadoes. He can withstand all the elements.
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The remaining cast all had appealing operatic voices that brought out the lyricism of Sondheim's masterpiece which allows the overlapping of opera and musical theatre. Terfel's entrance immediately sets up Sweeney's depth of rage, the means of terror. Philip Quast, who could be a disturbing Sweeney with his acting and singing skills, has his important song 'Mea Culpa' cut, still he sings so beautifully his duet with Terfel in 'Pretty Women'. Who else could compose such musical romanticism for a throat-cutting scene but Sondheim.
