Tag Archives: Asmik Grigorian

Pushing the limits: Asmik Grigorian

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Mark Pullinger

Interview: Asmik Grigorian Really proud of this cover story for Gramophone – a soprano I greatly admire, but who hasn’t always seemed to enjoy doing interviews. We had a blast! And that cover must surely be the coolest Gramo has … Continue reading →

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In Vienna, a Turandot without the clichés

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Mark Pullinger

Puccini: Turandot Wiener Staatsoper, 7th December 2023 Who is Turandot? An ice princess from Chinese fairytale? Forget that in Claus Guth’s outstanding new staging for the Wiener Staatsoper. Never one to deal in kitsch or cliché, Guth has no place … Continue reading →

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A bloodless Salome at Staatsoper Hamburg

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Mark Pullinger

Strauss: Salome Staatsoper Hamburg, 29th October “I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.” Dmitri Tcherniakov seems to have taken a leaf from Starveling’s book in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His Salome for Staatsoper Hamburg is … Continue reading →

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Top ten operas 2022

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Mark Pullinger

This was the year that opera houses got back to something approaching “normality” post-pandemic. It’s easy to forget that at the start of 2022, Covid restrictions were still very much in place: visiting Vienna in January, one needed proof of … Continue reading →

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A granitic Beethoven 9 from Muti in Salzburg

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Mark Pullinger

Muti/ Vienna Philharmonic Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, 17th August 2020 The last time I heard Beethoven’s Ninth was in February, the triumphant culmination of the Barbican’s Beethoven Weekender, where all nine symphonies were shared between five UK orchestras. Back then, we feared … Continue reading →

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