Category: Commentary

A new opera from the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

She’ll always have Paris

Sexual icon, dark temptress or a smutty comedienne? Helen of Troy has fascinated writers and composers for centuries.

The Royal Opera House is publicly funded – so why does it charge more than £100 per seat, asks Rosie Millard

I met with Iestyn Davies at 1330 hours precisely, on the steps of the Hippodrome theatre, Bristol, England, where he was singing the role of Hamor in Welsh National Operaís riveting production of Handelís ìJephthaî.

Ian Bostridge sings Benjamin Britten.

Rupert Christiansen laments the lost art of the castrato

He’s a terrible old rogue – but to opera composers, he’s irresistible. Tim Ashley on the deathless appeal of Falstaff

Conservatism is once more on the rise in the orchestral world but the starchy old Met, under new boss Peter Gelb, is trying to buck the trend.

First she was forced to sing mezzo roles. Then she was invited to be president of Lithuania. Violeta Urmana tells Tim Ashley why she prefers life as a soprano

According to Charles K. Moss, “Robert Schumann was one of the driving forces of the young Romantic movement in Germany. And like many in his generation, Schumann did not seem destined to become a composer, let alone one who would be so influential in the development of a new style. But music became all-important to Schumann, and he displayed multiple talents as a performer, composer, and literary exponent of Romanticism, championing new composers and their works and influencing the musical tastes of a generation.” This year marks the 150th anniversary of Schumann’s death.