Monthly Archives: October 2015

Defiant tales: a Scheherazade for our times from John Adams

Adams, Ravel: LSO/Adams **** Barbican Hall, 29th October 2015 The green-eyed monster clambers onto my shoulder when I’m editing, salivating over concerts my reviewers attend. Rebecca Lentjes described the première of John Adams’ Scheherazade.2 so vividly in her New York … Continue reading

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Biblical spectacle: an eye-popping, heart-stopping Saul for Glyndebourne’s Tour

Handel: Saul **** Glyndebourne on Tour, 27th October 2015 I admit to having been one of the doubters. When the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival programme was announced, my eyebrows drifted heavenward at the inclusion of Handel’s Saul. Why stage an oratorio when … Continue reading

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Parisian sparkle in the meadow: Le Pré aux clercs charms Wexford

Hérold: Le Pré aux clercs **** Wexford Festival Opera, 23rd October 2015 Rarity and variety are Wexford watchwords. From the ivory designs and rip-snorting passions of Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff we moved on to the vivid colours and effervescent joy of Ferdinand … Continue reading

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Ivory Gothic madness: a visceral Guglielmo Ratcliff in Wexford

Mascagni: Guglielmo Ratcliff ***** Wexford Festival Opera, 22nd October 2015 Craziness is part of the territory with tenors. Opportunities to see Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff come few and far between, mainly because the title role is an absolute killer for any tenor … Continue reading

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Slavery and Voodoo: Delius’ Koanga opens the 64th Wexford Festival

Delius: Koanga *** Wexford Festival Opera, 21st October 2015 If Waterford is famous for crystal, Wexford is renowned for opera. Sadly, Waterford Crystal was a victim of the recession but, along Ireland’s south-east coast, Wexford Festival Opera continues to trade, … Continue reading

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