Tag Archives: Offenbach

Riotous journey to the Underworld: Royal Academy’s Orphée in Hackney

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Offenbach: Orphée aux enfers **** Royal Academy Opera, Hackney Empire, 3rd February 2017 “Folies Bergère does Greek gods” is how director Martin Duncan describes Offenbach’s Orphée aux enfers, his satirical opéra bouffe which pokes fun at mythology and its traditional … Continue reading →

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

Diamonds and rust: Schlesinger’s Hoffmann bows out at Covent Garden

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann The Royal Opera, 28th November 2016 A return visit to John Schlesinger’s vintage production of The Tales of Hoffmann did little to alter my opinion from the first night of this final revival. For good or … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A final outing for the Royal Opera’s lavish but fusty Tales of Hoffmann

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann *** Royal Opera, 7th November 2016 When an enormous black gondola creaks and shudders its way across the stage in the “Giulietta” act of the Royal Opera’s The Tales of Hoffmann, it acts as a metaphor … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sonya Yoncheva: A ravishing portrait of Paris

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Sonya Yoncheva: Paris, mon amour (Sony) “A last minute sensation!” screamed The New York Times about Sonya Yoncheva, stepping in at short notice as Mimì in The Metropolitan Opera’s La bohème last autumn. “She is the real deal.” London and … Continue reading →

Posted in CD | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A tale of two Carmens: Ruxandra Donose’s Rosenblatt Recital

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Mark Pullinger

Ruxandra Donose: Rosenblatt Recital *** Wigmore Hall, 6th October 2014 Stepping in for an indisposed Carmen Giannattasio, Romanian mezzo Ruxandra Donose opened (and closed) her Rosenblatt Recital with… Carmen. “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”, with its intoxicating habanera rhythm, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A tale of two Carmens: Ruxandra Donose’s Rosenblatt Recital