Category Archives: DVD/Blu-ray

A poster paint Tsar Saltan from the Mariinsky

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan  I well remember this production of The Tale of Tsar Saltan. In 2008, for the centenary of Rimsky-Korsakov’s death, the Mariinsky Opera brought the opera to Sadler’s Wells under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev. It’s … Continue reading →

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Interpretations on Disc: Verdi’s Don Carlos

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

‘I’ve just come from Don Carlos. It is very bad… No melody, no accent. It aims at a style – but only aims.’ Critical reaction was mixed, but Georges Bizet wasn’t alone in his negative response to the première of … Continue reading →

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On with the motley: Clowns, ruffs and a bullet with Ferrando’s name on it

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Mark Pullinger

Verdi: Il trovatore: DG*** BelAir*** To adopt sporting jargon, Il trovatore comes in for a ‘bit of stick’ in operatic circles. Its plot is frequently held up as an example of how ridiculous opera plots can be and it has … Continue reading →

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Netrebko’s Tatyana the main draw in new Met Opera Onegin

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin Metropolitan Opera/Valery Gergiev (DG) Anna Netrebko’s Tatyana has been a long time coming. Ever since I first saw her, with her elfin, Audrey Hepburn looks, perched on a balcony as Natasha in Prokofiev’s War and Peace, she … Continue reading →

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A cold, distant Pelléas et Mélisande from Paris (Naïve)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Mark Pullinger

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande ** (Naïve DR2159) “Ne me touchez pas, ne me touchez pas,” protests Mélisande when Golaud discovers her in the forest in the opening scene of Debussy’s opera. I declared early on in my viewing that Mélisande … Continue reading →

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