Tag Archives: Puccini

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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“Ecco un artista!”: melodrama aplenty in ROH Tosca revival

Puccini: Tosca Royal Opera, 27th May 2019 “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” Like Norma Desmond, Tosca is no shrinking violet. Forget small screen acting. It’s an opera that requires big performances, singers able to depict larger-than-life … Continue reading

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Pappano and the LSO bring the Italians out of the opera pit

Pappano/ London Symphony Orchestra Barbican, 3rd March 2019 Verdi, Puccini and Ponchielli don’t exactly get out of the pit much, Italian composers famed almost exclusively for their operatic output. Sir Antonio Pappano doesn’t get out of the pit much either, … Continue reading

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Last Rites: Puccini meets Stravinsky in Leeds

The Rite of Spring/ Gianni Schicchi Phoenix Dance Theatre, Opera North, Leeds Grand Theatre, 16th February 2019 Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring famously caused a riot at its 1913 premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Demonstrations disrupted the performance, … Continue reading

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La Divina resurrected: Callas on stage at the Coli

Callas in Concert – The Hologram Tour London Coliseum, 25th November 2018 Maria Callas performed 33 times on the stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden: Norma, Aida, Leonora (Trovatore), Violetta, Medea and, most famously, her legendary Tosca with … Continue reading

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