At the Wigmore Hall, London, Matthias Goerne and Lief Ove Andsnes performed Mahler in a unique programme built around Shostakovich’s Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, op 145 (1974).
Author: Anne Ozorio
Jihoon Kim, Royal Opera House, London
Jihoon Kim is shining proof that the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, London, develops singers into complete artists.
Early Opera Company: Acis and Galatea
Acis and Galatea was one of Handel’s most popular works, frequently revived in his life time and beyond.
Werner G¸ra Lieder recital, Wigmore Hall
German tenor Werner G¸ra, who has made a speciality of the German lieder repertoire, opened this recital at the Wigmore Hall with Beethoven’s An Die Ferne Geliebte, the composer’s only song cycle and the first significant example of the form.
Britten’s Atmospheric War Requiem, London
On Remembrance Sunday, Semyon Bychkov conducted Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall with Roderick Williams, Allan Clayton, Sabrina Cvilak, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus, Crouch End Festival Chorus and choristers of Westminster Abbey.
The Magic Flute, ENO, London
Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Coliseum could give the ENO a welcome boost.
Britten, Danced.
Many, many thanks to the Barbican Centre for commissioning Britten’s Phaedra choreographed by Richard Alston Dance Company at the Barbican Theatre. Of the numerous Britten homages this centenary year, this is one of the most inventive. Absolutely, it makes sense to dance Britten, to find new ways into his music through physical, non-verbal expression.The worlds of dance and music don’t mesh nearly as often as they should. so this was stimulating for everyone, though it was by far a better dance performance than a musical experience. But Richard Alston’s danced Phaedra is something that will last, long after this centenary year has passed.
Robert Schumann: A Life in Song
Miah Persson and Florian Boesch sang Schumann with Malcolm Martineau at the Wigmore Hall for the latest of his Songlives series.
Anna Bolena, Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera’s new production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena is the first part of their trilogy of Donizetti’s Tudor operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux.
Matthew Polenzani — Des Grieux, Manon, Royal Opera House
Matthew Polenzani reprises the role of the Chevalier des Grieux in Jules Massenet’s Manon at the Royal Opera House. “I love coming back to London”, he says, “It’s a very good house and they take care of you as a singer. And the level of music making is unbelievably high”.