Tag Archives: Gianluca Buratto

Political power games in Kosky’s Agrippina at Covent Garden

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Mark Pullinger

Handel: Agrippina Royal Opera, 23rd September 2019 We were promised Agrippina as House of Cards, full of intrigue and political machinations, yet Barrie Kosky plays his joker frequently in a staging which borders on farce. On an austere set, he … Continue reading →

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Semele crashes and burns, but Louise Alder soars up at Ally Pally

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Mark Pullinger

Handel: Semele Alexandra Palace, 2nd May 2019 “Behold a new-erected palace rise!” Iris tells Juno in Act 2 of Semele. Alexandra Palace wasn’t even built when Handel’s “bawdy opera” was premiered in Covent Garden in 1744, but its theatre is … Continue reading →

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A feast of Rossini as Albina Shagimuratova dazzles in Semiramide

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Rossini: Semiramide **** Opera Rara, Royal Albert Hall, 4th September 2016 Complete performances of Semiramide are as rare as hen’s teeth. Even at La Fenice – where the opera was given 28 times following its 1823 première, sometimes four nights in … Continue reading →

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Beyond Egmont: a semi-revival for Donizetti’s Le Duc d’Albe

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Donizetti: Le Duc d’Albe (Opera Rara) European wrangles in Brussels are nothing new. In Donizetti’s Le Duc d’Albe, Brussels is under Spanish rule, Count Egmont has just been beheaded and his daughter, Hélène, is inciting a Flemish revolt. The hot-headed … Continue reading →

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Ivory Gothic madness: a visceral Guglielmo Ratcliff in Wexford

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Mascagni: Guglielmo Ratcliff ***** Wexford Festival Opera, 22nd October 2015 Craziness is part of the territory with tenors. Opportunities to see Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff come few and far between, mainly because the title role is an absolute killer for any tenor … Continue reading →

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