Mignon and Saul at Buxton Opera Festival

Buxton, like Wexford, makes a point of offering its clientele the opportunity to sample works that are unjustly neglected by the major houses, and for his final festival as director, Andrew Greenwood served up a typical feast of operatic rarities reflecting the increasingly ambitious approach which has characterised his musical stewardship.

Sciarrino: Luci Mie Traditrici

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/21/sciarrino-luci-traditrici-tarandek-review

Inside a Master Class: Breathe, Punctuate, Forget Led Zeppelin

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/theater/master-classes-with-masters-like-raul-esparza.html

Opera in Contract Spat

http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303661904576454450184575890.html?mod=WSJ_ArtsEnt_LifestyleArtEnt_4&mg=reno-secaucus-wsj

Havergal Brian’s “Gothic” Symphony

The BBC Proms has given Havergal Brian’s Symphony no. 1 the best and most
extensive exposure the composer has ever enjoyed.

Tosca, Royal Opera House/La Rondine, Opera Holland Park

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/8645993/Tosca-Royal-Opera-HouseLa-Rondine-Opera-Holland-Park-review.html

Guillaume Tell, BBC Proms

Operatic fashions are fickle and, more to the point, often plain wrong. We all have our grievance lists of works that are ‘scandalously neglected’.

Glimmerglass’s Annie Get Your Gun: Deborah Voigt descends from Valhalla and makes a hit on Broadway

http://blog.cnycafemomus.com/2011/07/17/july-16-glimmerglass-festival-annie-get-your-gun.aspx

First Night of the 2011 BBC Proms

The First Night of the Proms seems to be edging back, if a little hesitantly, from the strange, unsatisfying ‘tasting menu’ approach adopted for a few years.

Aix-en-Provence Festival

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/8640504/Aix-en-Provence-Festival-Seven-magazine-review.html