Tag Archives: Christian Schmidt

Outrageous fortune: stellar opening night for Forza del destino at Covent Garden

Verdi: La forza del destino Royal Opera House, 21st March 2019 Nights at the opera like this come along once in a blue moon. A Verdi score packed with great music, populated by big names, big voices and big personalities. … Continue reading

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Jansons and the Vienna Phil trump Neuenfels’ tame Pique Dame in Salzburg

Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame *** Salzburg Festival, 10th August 2018 Tomsky taunts the obsessive gambler in Hermann with his Ballad of the Three Cards. The Countess recounts singing for the king in Versailles. But it is arguably the orchestra itself which … Continue reading

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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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