Category Archives: Opera

С днём рождения, Rimsky-Korsakov!

Think Rimsky-Korsakov and your mind is probably drawn to Scheherazade or the equally colourful works written either side of it: Capriccio espagnol and the Russian Easter Festival Overture. Primarily, Rimsky considered himself an opera composer, composing sixteen of them between … Continue reading

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The Wild Man stumbles into Hackney in ETO’s rare Donizetti revival

Donizetti: Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo *** English Touring Opera, Hackney Empire, 12th March 2015 It’s a rare bel canto opera indeed where the central character in the grip of madness isn’t a soprano, but a baritone! Donizetti’s Il … Continue reading

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To Paradise and back: a thrilling Le Roi de Lahore from Chelsea Opera Group

Massenet: Le Roi de Lahore **** Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1st March 2015 This is what Chelsea Opera Group was put on this earth for! Take an obscure grand opera that Covent Garden wouldn’t touch with a barge pole, prune it … Continue reading

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Crushed: Exquisite Madam Butterfly suffers in the RAH

Puccini: Madam Butterfly *** Royal Albert Hall, 26th February 2015 Take an exquisite production of a Puccini tearjerker, cast it attractively… then crush its fragile wings under the weight of the Albert Hall’s vastness. Madama Butterfly is a perfect opera … Continue reading

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Strongly cast revival of McVicar’s Enlightenment production of Die Zauberflöte at Covent Garden

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte **** Royal Opera, 23rd February 2015 Two key ingredients are required for a successful operatic revival: a production of sufficient interest to withstand repeated viewing and a strong cast to make it come alive. With its latest … Continue reading

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