Tag Archives: Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris

Netrebko in majestic form as Tatyana in Paris Onegin

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin *** Opéra de Paris, Bastille, 16th May 2017 The operatic merry-go-round is a strange beast. In April, Peter Mattei and Anna Netrebko were starring together in Deborah Warner’s production of Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera, the final … Continue reading

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Rites of Spring: Tcherniakov embraces Rimsky-Korsakov’s hymn to nature at the Bastille

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden **** Opéra Bastille, 15th April 2017 There’s a wonderful painting by Ilya Repin of an aged Leo Tolstoy in peasant clothing. Having renounced his aristocratic lifestyle, the great writer didn’t just adopt peasant dress, but lived … Continue reading

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Tcherniakov triumphs with Iolanta, but hobbles Nutcracker at the Garnier

Tchaikovsky: Iolanta/ The Nutcracker *** Opéra de Paris, Palais Garnier, 11th March 2016 At the 1892 première of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and The Nutcracker, it was the opera which scored the bigger hit with the critics, even though it’s the ballet which … Continue reading

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Burning bright: a vocally superb Trovatore ignites the Bastille

Verdi: Il trovatore **** Opéra Bastille, 31st January 2016 According to legendary tenor Enrico Caruso, the recipe for success in Il trovatore is disarmingly simple: “All it takes is the four greatest singers in the world.” An impossible task, perhaps, but … Continue reading

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