Monthly Archives: July 2017

One for sorrow: Claus Guth directs a taut, dark Clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito *** Glyndebourne, 26th July 2017 A single magpie settles on a branch beside a lake. Two boys stalk through the long reeds. The older one hands the younger, fair-haired lad a slingshot and watches as … Continue reading

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Tereshkina and Kim add fire to the Mariinsky Ballet’s dusty Don Quixote

Minkus: Don Quixote *** Mariinsky Ballet, Royal Opera House, 24th July 2017 The fireworks – when they came – were explosive, Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim igniting the Royal Opera House stage in a frenzy of effervescent footwork. Tereshkina whipped out her fouettés and Kim’s double tours … Continue reading

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Sumptuous Strauss from Louise Alder in Wigmore jump-in

Louise Alder & Gary Matthewman **** Wigmore Hall, 22nd July 2017 We anticipated a Ukrainian barihunk singing Tchaikovsky, but ended up with an English rose singing Strauss. “Travel problems” detained Andrei Bondarenko from making his Wigmore Hall recital, his place taken at … Continue reading

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A love letter from Berlin as Barenboim and the Staatskapelle make Elgar their own

Prom 2: Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin **** Nobilmente (It.). Nobly, in a noble style. As a musical term, it’s almost exclusively associated with the works of Sir Edward Elgar, who first employed it in his piano transcription of the Enigma Variations. The score to his Symphony no. … Continue reading

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From Auber to Halévy: El-Khoury and Spyres celebrate a pair of French stars in style

Opera Rara: Joyce El-Khoury & Michael Spyres **** Cadogan Hall, 14th July 2017 Opera Rara celebrated Bastille Day with a tribute to two great French singers, Julie Dorus-Gras and Gilbert Duprez. Dorus-Gras was a leading soprano in Paris in the … Continue reading

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