Tag Archives: Puccini

Pushing the limits: Asmik Grigorian

Interview: Asmik Grigorian Really proud of this cover story for Gramophone – a soprano I greatly admire, but who hasn’t always seemed to enjoy doing interviews. We had a blast! And that cover must surely be the coolest Gramo has … Continue reading

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In Vienna, a Turandot without the clichés

Puccini: Turandot Wiener Staatsoper, 7th December 2023 Who is Turandot? An ice princess from Chinese fairytale? Forget that in Claus Guth’s outstanding new staging for the Wiener Staatsoper. Never one to deal in kitsch or cliché, Guth has no place … Continue reading

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Musical gifts from Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Canellakis/ Netherlands Radio Philharmonic TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, 19th June 2020 Bouquets are usually given at the end of a performance, but Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra began their concert in TivoliVredenburg with a floral offering, Puccini’s Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums). This closing event in the Avrotros … Continue reading

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Heart’s desire: a gallery of new roles from Aleksandra Kurzak

Desire: Aleksandra Kurzak Morphing Chamber Orchestra, Vienna/ Frédéric Chaslin (Sony) The last operatic performance I saw before lockdown was La traviata at Covent Garden, the first time Aleksandra Kurzak sang Violetta in Richard Eyre’s celebrated London production. And, as it … Continue reading

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Scarpia stabbed, Tosca smothered by Livermore’s La Scala staging

Puccini: Tosca Teatro alla Scala, 7th December 2019 A stone lion pins down its prey in Scarpia’s study, symbolic, no doubt, of the cat-and-mouse game the Chief of Police plays with Tosca in Act 2. But it could also represent … Continue reading

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