An empty stage enclosing grey walls of a concrete bunker. This is the initial impression we have of Robert Carsen’s Aida, presented at the Royal Opera House in a first revival by Gilles…
Year: 2025
Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco in Parma
The least performed of the Verdi oeuvre, not included in the Verdi canon, Giovanna d’arco (Joan of Arc) was given another chance just now on one of Italy’s famed Verdi…
L’Amant Anonyme in Philadelphia
Among classical composers, Joseph Bologne’s biography is unique. Born in 1745 in the French Caribbean colony of Guadeloupe as the illegitimate son of a wealthy planter and a 19-year-old creole…
La Fanciulla del West in Bologna
Banished for the moment from its historic 1763 theater (closed for the renovation of its public areas) the prestigious Teatro Comunale di Bologna finds itself at the Comunale Nouveau [sic],…
A disconcerting new Ariadne auf Naxos at Hamburg State Opera
The problem with all myths is that there is no such thing as an Urtext. They’re handed down from one generation to the next, and it’s a very long stretch from…
The Opéra de Marseille [2013]
Marseille woke up this past January 11 [2013] stunned to find itself number two on the New York Times list of 46 places you should visit in 2013 (Rio was…
Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Marseille
Like the city itself, this Marseille Requiem reveled in expansive personality. It was a performance that can only be described as exuberant. Taking over from the aged Lawrence Foster as…
A memorable Mahler 3 from The Simón Bolívar and Gustavo Dudamel in London
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela has certainly been in the news of late, with pianist Gabriela Montero particularly vocal in the wake of the recent election. But they…
The Nash Ensemble celebrate 60 years in and with style
There are few composers with an innate ability to write so captivatingly for the human voice as Richard Strauss. Towards the very end of his career, in 1947, he offered…
Georgian born and Italian-trained singer George Andguladze debuts at the Royal Opera House
David Truslove talks to the operatic bass George Andguladze who makes his Covent Garden debut as the King of Egypt in Verdi’s Aida. Conducted by Daniel Oren, this is the…