Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Macbeths triumph at The Met: Netrebko and Lučić reign in New York

Verdi: Macbeth ***** Metropolitan Opera, 24th September 2014 On a triumphant opening night of Verdi’s Macbeth at the Metropolitan Opera, a smattering of boos resounded. The intended recipient? Adrian Noble, returning to direct this second revival of his 2007 staging. The reason? … Continue reading

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Unsuk Chin première and bruising Mahler open New York Philharmonic’s subscription season

Chin/Mahler: New York PO/ Gilbert *** Avery Fisher Hall, New York, 23rd September 2014 Sounds of nature rustling magically to life are evoked in the opening pages of Mahler’s First Symphony, with its dawn chorus of bird calls. Ornithologists in … Continue reading

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Farcical elements to the fore in Eyre’s witty new Figaro as Met Opera season opens

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro **** Metropolitan Opera, 22nd September 2014 Le nozze di Figaro is often cited as the most perfect opera ever composed – a claim against which I find it difficult to argue. Based on Beaumarchais’ revolutionary La folle … Continue reading

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A beguiling Scheherazade from Istanbul

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Sascha Goetzel/ Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (Onyx) Peter Oundjian/ Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Chandos) Full of Eastern promise, Scheherazade weaves her sinuous way into my affections once again, with new recordings from Istanbul and Toronto. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Arabian Nights-inspired orchestral … Continue reading

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