Tag Archives: Graeme Danby

Revolutionary jungle fever: Verdi’s Alzira staged at the Buxton Festival

Verdi: Alzira **** Buxton Festival, 7th July 2018 It’s not just Paddington Bear and Juan Diego Flórez who hail from darkest Peru. Alzira, Verdi’s eighth opera, is set amongst Incas and Spanish invaders in a plot very loosely based on Voltaire’s Alzire, ou … Continue reading

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hot ice and strange snow: an unseasonal return for Carsen’s bed-hopping Dream

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream **** English National Opera, 1st March 2018 Heading to the Coliseum for A Midsummer Night’s Dream amid snow and ice is a disconcerting prospect – “hot ice and strange snow” indeed. Forget wild thyme blowing and substitute … Continue reading

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jonathan Miller’s stylish, spirited Mikado revived once again at ENO

Sullivan: The Mikado *** ENO, 21st November 2015 “I am an acquired taste – only the educated palate can appreciate me,” Katisha explains to Ko-Ko towards the end of The Mikado, just after the Lord High Executioner has declared his … Continue reading

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jonathan Miller’s stylish, spirited Mikado revived once again at ENO