Tag Archives: Gareth Brynmor John

Welsh National Opera tackles Les Vêpres siciliennes but the vocal fireworks fail to ignite

Verdi: Les Vêpres siciliennes  Welsh National Opera, Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 8th February 2020 “Enough work to kill a bull!” was Verdi’s complaint about the effort of writing for the Paris Opéra. Les Vêpres siciliennes was the composer’s first original work … Continue reading

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Paper lanterns and origami wings: a ghostly Madama Butterfly at Grimeborn

Puccini: Madama Butterfly **** Grimeborn Festival, Arcola Theatre, 26th August 2015 It’s dangerous when a production is touted as “revelatory”. We were promised a “haunting psychological rendering” of Madama Butterfly by director Julia Burbach, “radically reframed” and inspired by Japanese … Continue reading

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