Author: Mike Smith
Four new productions at Grange Festival 2023 plus evenings of jazz
The Grange Festival is presenting four new productions (Così fan tutte, Orfeo ed Euridice / Dido and Aeneas and The Queen of Spades) combining new and established singers, including Dame Josephine Barstow as the Countess in The Queen of Spades. The Festival will have three conductors – Kirill Karabits, Harry Christophers and Paul Daniel –…
Longborough Festival Opera announces 2023 programme, including final part of Ring Cycle
Wagner Götterdämmerung29 May – 6 June 2023 Götterdämmerung marks the epic conclusion to Longborough’s new Ring cycle. All productions in the cycle are created especially for Longborough by Amy Lane, Artistic Director of Copenhagen Opera Festival, and Longborough Music Director and eminent Wagnerian Anthony Negus. The Götterdammerung cast includes the talents of Lee Bisset (Brünnhilde),…
Carmélites to premiere in Glyndebourne Festival’s 2023 season
Barrie Kosky’s highly anticipated new production of Poulenc’s devastatingly powerful operaDialogues des Carmélites will premiere at the 2023 Glyndebourne Festival. It wasoriginally scheduled to appear at the event in 2020 before the season was cancelled due tothe COVID-19 pandemic. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Dialogues des Carmélites tells acompelling true story of…
WNO Blaze of Glory! mines a deep musical seam
I have to confess to not really looking forward to an opera about Welsh choirs and coal mines. What next, a contemporary dance about rugby? Oh, we’ve had that. I was very pleasantly surprised by Blaze of Glory!, although I think the name and the supporting artwork really does not do this entertaining musical justice….
Opera North appoints new executive director
Leeds-based opera company Opera North has appointed Henry Filloux-Bennett Executive Director. Henry is currently Executive Director and Deputy CEO of HOME in Manchester. Prior to this, he was the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and previously the Head of Marketing at The Lowry and Head of Marketing &…
Welsh singers make Royal Opera history
Operatic history has been made this week with two Welsh singers taking the leading roles in Puccini’s Tosca at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, for the first time. Gwyn Hughes Jones, from Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey and Natalya Romaniw, from Swansea, sang the doomed lovers Mario Cavaradossi and Floria Tosca in the ever popular opera. The run…
A glorious debut, Tosca, Royal Opera
With the first pairing of British singers as Tosca and Cavaradossi in this Puccini opera at the Royal Opera since 1954 and the soprano’s debut, this promised to be a special Royal Opera evening. Then add the popular Erwin Schrott to this trio alongside Freddie De Tommaso and Natalya Romaniw in Jonathan Kent’s attractive, no-nonsense…
Bhekizizwe from Opera’r Ddraig
The strength of Bhekizizwe from Opera’r Ddraig, described as an operatic monodrama, is the performance by Themba Mvuta in the title role. I was going to say the only role, as this is a one person singing role, but the talented singer actually performs several characters in this story of a young person from a…
Natalya Romaniw to make Royal Opera debut
Natalya Romaniw makes her Royal Opera debut in the title role of Tosca this coming week. It may be a daunting prospect for any singer but the Swansea-born soprano feels the time is right and says she is more excited than nervous. “I used to watch performances at Covent Garden when I was a student…
WNO boss explains why Liverpool has been immediately axed – and more cuts will follow
November 24, 2022 by Mike Smith Welsh National Opera general director Aidan Lang has explained why the company has immediately pulled out of touring to Liverpool – and raised concerns further venue cancellations will follow. The move follows Arts Council of England announced a more than a third of its funding to the Cardiff-based touring company was…