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Twerp it.

Review – Salome (English National Opera, Friday 28 September 2018) 

 Salome – Allison Cook Jokanaan – David Soar Herod – Michael Colvin Herodias – Susan Bickley Narraboth – Stuart Jackson Page – Clare Presland Jews – Daniel Norman, Christopher Turner, Amar Muchhala, Alun Rhys-Jenkins and Jonathan Lemalu Nazarenes – Robert Winslade Anderson and Adam Sullivan Soldiers – Simon Shibambu and Ronald…

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“Music, moody food of us that trade in love”

Review – Regula Mühlemann (Prinzeregententheater, Monday 15 January 2018) Regula Mühlemann (Soprano) La Folia Barockorchester Robin Peter Müller (Director) Hello. It’s been a while. Perhaps for some too long, for others not long enough. The last couple of years have not been filled with as much music as I would have liked. That’s not to say that the last two years have been completely bereft.…

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A Darker Rose

Review - A Darker Rose - De Rosenkavalier at Covent Garden.

BirminghamRinaldoReview – Der Rosenkavalier (Royal Opera House, Thursday 22 December 2016) The Marschallin – Rachel Willis-Sörensön Octavian – Anna Stéphany Sophie – Sophie Bevan Baron Ochs auf Lerchanau – Matthew Rose Herr von Faninal – Jochen Schmeckenbecher Marianne Leitmetzerin & Noble Widow – Miranda Keys Valzacchi –Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperhacke Annina – Helene Schneiderman Italian Singer –…

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Misero, dove son?

Review – Ezio (Oper Frankfurt, Saturday 17 December 2016) Valentiniano – Rupert Enticknap Ezio – Max Emanuel Cencic Fulvia – Cecelia Hall Massimo – Theo Lebow Onoria – Sydney Mancasola Varo – Michael Porter Director – Vincent Boussard Assistant Director – Carerina Panti Liberovicí Staging – Kaspar Glarner Costume – Christian Lacroix Lighting – Joachim Klein Video – Bibi Abel Dramaturg – Zsolt…

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Drama Queen

Joyce DiDonato (Mezzo soprano & executive producer) Director – Ralf Pleger Lighting Designer – Henning Blum Dancer/Choreographer – Manuel Palazzo Video Designer – Yousef Iskandar Il Pomo d’Oro Maxim Emelyanychev (Director) The idea of concept albums and recitals are not new. Cecilia Bartoli is probably the foremost exponent although there was the ill-advised Prom concert last year featuring Alice…

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Semi-detached bravura

Review – Max Emanuel Cencic (Wigmore Hall, Thursday 29 September 2016)  Max Emanuel Cencic (Countertenor) Il Pomod’Oro  Maxim Emelyanchev  Max Emmanuel Cencic repeated the same successes and failures of his last recital at Wigmore Hall two years ago. Whereas in 2014 he focused on Venice, on this occasion Naples was the epicentre. Composers included Porpora – every countertenor’s repertoire staple…

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Stormin' Norma

Stormin’ Norma

Review – Norma (Royal Opera House, Monday 12 September 2016) Norma – Sonya Yoncheva Pollione – Joseph Calleja Adalgisa – Sonia Ganassi Oroveso – Brindley Sherratt Flavio – David Junghoon Kim Clotilde – Vlada Borovko Director – Àlex Ollé Associate Director – Valentina Carrasco Set Designer – Alfons Flores Costume Designer – Lluc Castells Lighting Designer – Marco Filibeck Royal Opera Chorus…

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Arts about tit.

Why can’t the BBC ever get their commitment to classical music right?The latest blunder in quite a long line of missteps is their dedication of Saturday nights to the arts. Laudable. To an extent. Landing it on a Saturday night, a veritable ratings graveyard for BBC Two is simply an admission that they should stop competing. If they’d made a commitment to a midweek arts night, it would actually…

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Perfectly Don

Review – Don Giovanni (Classical Opera, Cadogan Opera, Friday 17 June 2016) Don Giovanni – Jacques Imbrailo Leporello – David Soar Donna Anna – Ana Maria Labin Don Ottavio – Stuart Jackson Donna Elvira – Helen Sharman Zerlina – Ellie Laugharne Masetto – Bradley Travis Commendatore – David Shipley The Philharmonia Chorus The Orchestra of Classical Opera Ian Page (Conductor) It’s sometimes easy to…

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Deathly Hollow

Review – Tristan and Isolde (English National Opera, Thursday 9 June 2016) Tristan – Stuart Skelton Isolde – Heidi Melton Brangäne – Karen Cargill Kurwenal – Craig Colcough King Marke – Matthew Rose Melot – Stephen Rooke Young Sailor – David Webb A Shepherd – Peter Van Hulle A Helmsman – Paul Sheehan Director – Daniel Kramer Set Designer – Anish Kapoor Justin Nardella – Associate Set Designer…

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Son-King

Review – Oedipe (Royal Opera House, Thursday 26 May 2016) Oedipe – Johan Reuter Jocasta – Sarah Connolly Tirésias – John Tomlinson Theban High Priest – Nicolas Courjal Créon – Samuel Youn Antigone – Sophie Bevan Sphinx – Marie-Nicole Lemieux Merope – Claudia Huckle Phorbas – In Sung Sim Shepherd – Alan Oke Laios – Hubert Francis Thésée – Samuel Dale Johnson Directors – Àlan Ollé (La Fura dels…

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All Hail, Hallenberg

Review – Che puro ciel (Wigmore Hall, Monday 23 May 2016) Ann Hallenberg (Mezzosoprano) The Orchestra of Classical Opera Ian Page (Conductor) Ms Hallenberg has a thrilling bottom. Don’t get me wrong, she has a most magnificent instrument – her voice gleams at the top, she can deliver the most beautifully sustained singing and her technique, especially in terms of her coloratura, is second to…

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Brexit Stage Left

Review – Mitridate, re di Ponto (La Monnaie, Brussels, Sunday 15 May 2016) Mitridate – Michael Spyres Sifare – Myrtò Papatanasiu Farnace – David Hansen Aspasia – Lenneke Ruiten Ismeme – Simona Šaturová Arbate – Yves Saelens Marzio – Sergey Romanovsky Director and Costumes – Olivier Deloeuil Lighting – Rick Martin Video – Jean-Baptiste Beïs Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie Christophe Rousset…

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Jolly Good Jommelli

Review – Il Vologeso (Cadogan Hall, Thursday 28 April 2016) Vologeso – Rachel Kelly Berenice – Gemma Summerfield Lucio Vero – Stuart Jackson Lucilla – Angela Simkin Flavio – Jennifer France Aniceto – Tom Verney The Orchestra of Classical Opera Ian Page Conductor) Classical Opera’s Mozart 250 project continued apace with the first London performance of Niccolo Jomelli’s Il Vologeso. Jommelli will…

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Elektra-fied

  Review – Elektra (Metropolitan Opera HD Live Broadcast, Saturday 30 April 2016) Elektra – Nina Stemme Chrysothemis – Adrienne Pieczonka Klytmänestra – Waltraud Meier Orest – Eric Owens Aegisth – Burkhard Ulrich Fifth Maid – Roberta Alexander Director – Patrice Chereau/Vincent Huguet Set Designer – Richard Peduzzi Costume Designer – Caroline de Vivaise Lighting Designer– Dominique Bruguière…

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Bruckner and Me.

I’m hoping that everyone has a composer that, when they see his music listed in concerts, thinks “Hmmm, perhaps not”. For me, it’s Anton Bruckner. Or at least his symphonies. I grew up singing his choral music as a choirboy but his orchesrtal music remains almost impenetrable to me. I’ve been to concerts of his symphones, bought recordings and entire box sets. And in the past, sat down –…

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Four Play – Strauss in Berlin

Four Play – Strauss in Berlin

Four days of exceptional singing. Four days of brilliant orchestral playing. Four days and a full range of emotions. Four days in Berlin for Elektra, Die Äegyptische Helena, Die Liebe der Danae and Der Rosenkavalier. The standard of each performance was remarkably high. At times, incomparable. It began and ended with two remarkable performances – Evelyn Herlitzius as Elektra and the Marschallin…

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