Tag Archives: David Soar

“Esultate!” Kunde’s Otello impresses at Covent Garden

Verdi: Otello Royal Opera, 9th December 2019 It’s good to have expectations confounded. For much of his career, American tenor Gregory Kunde specialised in bel canto repertoire, his light, flexible voice ideal for Rossini with easy top notes that also … Continue reading

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Billy Budd finally drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

Britten: Billy Budd Royal Opera, 23rd April 2019 It was time Billy came home. The Flying Dutchman puts in to shore every seven years, but the HMS Indomitable hasn’t dropped anchor at Covent Garden in nearly two decades. The Royal … Continue reading

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All that glitters: Miskimmon’s hyperactive Semele opens Garsington’s season

Handel: Semele *** Garsington Opera, 1st June 2017 “Endless pleasure” could almost be the anthem of opera festivals up and down the country, accompanied by images of long interval picnics and rolling lawns basking beneath golden late afternoon sun. Garsington … Continue reading

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Enchanted Wood: dream of a Dream at Glyndebourne

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream ***** Glyndebourne, 11th August 2016 “Out of this wood do not desire to go!” Tytania orders Bottom. Glyndebourne’s revival of Peter Hall’s classic production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is eerily enchanting, weaving its spell right … Continue reading

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Shorn of excess exoticism: Ailyn Bozok’s Lakmé at Holland Park

Delibes: Lakmé *** Opera Holland Park, 9th July 2015 Ailyn Bozok is used to working on limited means. Her Grimeborn Werther last summer – done with a piano, a handful of singers and a few drapes – was a model of minimalism yet … Continue reading

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