Tag Archives: Simon Butteriss

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

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A silvery Dream lost among the shadows: Britten at the Aldeburgh Festival

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream **** Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival, 12th June 2017 Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an opera swathed in a sensual, yet sinister score, conjured from a tiny ensemble where Oberon’s fairy kingdom is evoked by glistening glockenspiel, … Continue reading

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A heroine on heroin: ENO’s cold Bohème lacks heart

Puccini: La bohème ** English National Opera, 16th October 2015 Did anyone hear sobbing? La bohème is one of the great operatic tear-jerkers, yet Benedict Andrews’ new production for English National Opera, previously seen in Amsterdam, left me dry-eyed. Judging by the … Continue reading

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