Reviews
The Mozartists at the Wigmore Hall
For their opening concert, at the Wigmore Hall, they were joined by one of Classical Opera’s Associate Artists, soprano Louise Alder. Six months ago, one might have described Alder as a ‘rising star’ but recent accolades - including ‘Young Singer of the Year’ at the...
Pagliacci, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges review – Opera North’s ‘Little Greats’ series looks to be well named
Grand Theatre, Leeds The company’s season of short operas is less adventurous than its previous iteration, but there is little to fault in the execution For its autumn season, Opera North is reverting to a format first used in 2004 with a programme of “Little Greats”...
Mansfield Park at The Grange
I’m not sure how many of the audience at The Grange for the first of two performances of Jonathan Dove’s opera were Austen aficionados but the foot-stamping reception that the full house gave the composer’s newly orchestrated opera suggested that they thought he’d...
Figaro Getting Hitched on the Big Screen at Opera Philadelphia’s “Festival O 17”
Opera Philadelphia’s “Festival O 17” (September 14 to 25) – including a free reprise of the company’s recent production of The Marriage of Figaro, to be shown in HD on Freedom Mall Jumbo Screens, September 23, 2017. Opera Philadelphia is going out on the town this...
Turandot in San Francisco
The hype surrounding the Hockney retrospective just now in Paris, last year in London and soon to arrive at New York’s Met (November 27), and certainly the 2013 Hockney exhibition at SF’s De Young have kept this now 80 year-old icon of canvas painting at the center of...
The School of Jealousy: Bampton Classical Opera bring Salieri to London
Second, summer downpours having necessitated removal into the Church of St Mary’s, the nave of which was too small to accommodate BCO’s set, this performance at SJSS provided an opportunity to see the opera as envisaged by director/designer Jeremy Gray, in a simple...
Richard Jones’ new La bohème opens ROH season
Even before curtain-up, the gently falling snow was sparkling against the black night sky of late-nineteenth century Paris. This is a production which strives to balance ‘realism’ with romance: exquisite design details create verisimilitude, while the visible...
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: Composer Moto Osada’s New Opera at the Japan Society
It is such stuff as dreams are made on. This week, the Japan Society in New York City plays host to the North American premiere of eminent Japanese composer Moto Osada’s opera Four Nights of Dream. Ironically, given the title, the run is for only three nights –...
La Bohème, Royal Opera House review – efficient but antiseptic production generates passion only in the pit
Royal Opera House, London Richard Jones’s new staging of Puccini’s opera is uncontroversial and precise, but Nicole Car is a touching Mimi and Antonio Pappano’s conducting is superb By the time it was finally retired in 2015, the Royal Opera’s previous production of...
The Vanishing Bridegroom review – Judith Weir’s ingenious folk opera in concise BYO revival
Peacock theatre, London British Youth Opera’s compact revival showcases a strong ensemble cast Judith Weir’s second opera has hardly been seen in the UK since Scottish Opera commissioned it and gave the first performances in 1990. British Youth Opera’s resourceful and...
Robin Tritschler and Julius Drake open Wigmore Hall’s 2017/18 season
In fact, John Gilhooly, the Director of the Wigmore Hall, looked surprisingly relaxed on Saturday evening at the opening recital of the 2017/18 season - but, then, well he might since he had been fortunate in having Irish tenor Robin Tritschler available and willing...
The Opera Box at the Brunel Museum
In fact, Brunel’s Grade II* listed Grand Entrance Hall has rung with the sounds of serenades before: as Brunel Museum director Robert Hulse explained during his interval talk, it was the venue for the world’s first underground concert party in 1827. Though its...