“This isn‘t our sort of thing, you know”, was the remarkable response by Glyndebourne’s founder John Christie to Benjamin Britten’s second chamber opera at its premiere in 1947. No less…
Category: Reviews
The Trees are Alive with the Sound of Music in Glyndebourne’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Glyndebourne’s programming of Britten’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for its autumn season might seem somewhat eccentric. But with summer now a fading memory and as October wears on,…
Arvo Pärt at 90 with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tallin Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican
Since the first recording of his music in 1984 on the German label ECM, Arvo Pärt has attracted a huge following and an international reputation. With a significant birthday for…
Britten and Mahler From the Concertgebouw’s Crack Chamber Ensemble
Death is the great leveller, affecting all individuals irrespective of nationality, ethnicity or creed. It comes to us all, each and every one of us, and the most prescient of…
Forthright musical ebullience makes up for an uninspiring production of Handel’s Giustino
The Royal Opera House continues its series of Handel’s operas and oratorios premiered at the theatre which once stood on the same site with Giustino (1737). Coming from the end…
It’s all in the telling: Jennifer France, Edward Gardner and the LPO
Music encompasses many different kinds of storytelling, with and without overt narration. In the world of fictional narratives, there are often heroes or victors, villains or antagonists, stereotypical characters, and…
Welsh National Opera’s Frothy Candide Showcases Its Pythonesque Humour
Welsh National Opera’s Candide has returned as part of its autumn season and, due to stringent Arts Council cuts, it’s one of only two productions, neither of which are new.…
Shocking Twist On A Biblical Tale: INseries’ St John the Baptist
Premiered in 1675 as a concert work, until now, Alessandro Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista has never been staged. Cue INseries, always striving to do something new and daring, starting their…
Youthful flair in Paisiello’s Don Quixote at Naples
Paisiello was one of the composers closely associated with the important operatic tradition of 18th century Naples. By the time he came to study in the city in the mid-1750s,…
Opera Singers Bring A Beautiful Addition to Cherrydale UMC’s Concert Series
Started by pianist Mark Irchai last year, Cherrydale United Methodist Church’s concert series has twice so far featured a group of up-and-coming opera singers under the banner of “The Passion…