Reviews
Marriage of Figaro, Welsh National Opera
The beautiful thing about The Marriage of Figaro is that, a couple centuries after it was written, it still holds up. Indeed – and differently from many other opera comedies, whose hijinks can feel forced and outdated to a contemporary audience – it can easily read as commentary on a number of topics our modern sensitivities are…
Opera Favourites At The Movies, Welsh National Opera
Opera Favourites At The Movies, WNO It is time for a concert showcase at the WNO – an excellent opportunity to leave to the side any concerns with how to visually narrate a storyline or express the deeper themes of a work through staging, and simply entertain the audience with a pure display of technical…
I Pagliacci, Mid Wales Opera
Abergavenny Borough Theatre Mid Wales Opera is like many other touring companies in scaling down for relatively small venues those works written to fill out bigger ones; but, unlike most of them, it has made an art and a virtue of miniaturisation. Given reasonable parameters, most operas can be reduced to basics: with a few…
The Abduction from the Seraglio
Mozart Süreyya Opera Sahnesi, Istanbul There is something special seeing a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio” in Istanbul, which is, of course, where the opera is set. However, the venue is not the Topkapi but a gorgeous 1920s theatre. This absolute jewel of a theatre is in the Kadiköy…
Genuinely funny and beautifully sung, Il turco in Italia, Glyndebourne Autumn Season 2024
Il turco in Italia, Gioachino Rossini For the first time revived at Glyndebourne, the 2001 production by French director Mariame Clément is truly entertaining and very enjoyable. The concept of the piece revolves around a contemporary writer, Prosdocimo, suffering from writer’s block, who flips through a travel magazine and creates all sorts of characters and…
New cast members delight in Il triticco, Puccini, Welsh National Opera
This production of Il trittico belonged to the new cast members, who brought even more energy and vibrancy to the stage. While the original cast was impressive, the new lineup delivered unforgettable performances across all three operas. The entire cast was superb, but there were definitely standout performances that made this revival really shine. Andrés…
Welsh National Opera, Rigoletto: Latex, knickers and lots of wigs. Thankfully some very fine singing.
It is quite an achievement, making the womanising Duke of Mantua the only likeable character in Rigoletto. This was despite Raffaele Abete not giving the finest of the vocal performances of the evening. They belonged to the Rigoletto of Daniel Luis de Vicente and Gilda from Soraya Mafi. Admittedly Abete was not the originally cast…
Pergolesi’s L’Olimpiade, Vache Baroque
Vache Baroque is now established as a late summer treat, with its combination of interesting and well-performed operatic choices and fun associated events in the grand house’s grounds. This year’s choice is Pergolesi’s L’Olimpiade and the setting of the 17th-century Buckinghamshire elegant building provides a suitable backdrop for this piece of baroque brightness – and…
Tosca, Choregies d’Orange, Théâtre Antique. Bryn Terfel, Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak
The Chorégies d’Orange closed triumphantly on July 22, with a semi-staged version of Giacomo Puccini ‘s masterpiece Tosca, to which the festival wanted to pay tribute in this centenary year. The venue was full, especially since the cast assembled in the Provençal city by Jean-Louis Grinda had enough to make lyrical art aficionados from all…
Waterperry Opera Festival 2024
Waterperry Opera Festival made the most of the glorious Waterperry Gardens and the elegant Georgian house for a veritable musical feast of summer lushness. This young, dynamic festival has developed into a real summer highlight. The Festival makes excellent use of the different spaces available for performance with the elegant period house that edges the…