Monthly Archives: June 2017

John Copley directs a peach of an Albert Herring for Grange Festival

Britten: Albert Herring **** Grange Festival, 25th June 2017 With a combined age of 161 years, John Copley and Steuart Bedford certainly bring ample experience to Grange Festival’s new production of Britten’s Albert Herring. As a youngster, Copley played the apprentice in Peter Grimes, while his … Continue reading

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A bronze-toned lion of Venice: Kaufmann debuts as Otello at Covent Garden

Verdi: Otello **** The Royal Opera, 21st June 2017 After all the hype, he sang. Speculation about whether Jonas Kaufmann would even turn up for rehearsals to sing his first Otello have kept both press and social media frenzied for months. Even … Continue reading

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Rewriting Rimsky: Daniel Kramer directs a dismal Sadko in Ghent

Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko ** Opera Vlaanderen, Ghent, 20th June 2017 Opera is capable of great ironic timing. On Monday, the hapless David Davis trooped into Brussels to begin Brexit negotiations with the European Union. The next day, half an hour northwest … Continue reading

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Ekaterina Bakanova a touchingly fragile Violetta in Covent Garden Traviata

Verdi: La traviata *** The Royal Opera, 14th June 2017 Kasper Holten was right. The affable former Director of Opera always defended yet another run of Verdi’s La traviata at Covent Garden by arguing that for every regular operagoer jaded by seeing … Continue reading

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A silvery Dream lost among the shadows: Britten at the Aldeburgh Festival

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream **** Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival, 12th June 2017 Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an opera swathed in a sensual, yet sinister score, conjured from a tiny ensemble where Oberon’s fairy kingdom is evoked by glistening glockenspiel, … Continue reading

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