Almost always, criticism of Wagner and his work says more about the critic (and as often as not, his or her shortcomings) than about the composer’s legacy itself. To my…
Category: Reviews
Heart and Soul in Britten and Schumann at the Wigmore Hall
Two months from now, on 4 December 2026, the world will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Benjamin Britten. The Wigmore Hall, which saw so many premieres…
Mary, Queen of Scots in San Francisco
A 1977 opera by Thea Musgrave, not to be confused with Gaetano Donizetti’s 1835 Maria Stuarda. Unlike the bel canto execution of Mary (b. 1542, d. 1567), it is a…
Montana’s River Is Awash with Superlative Talent
It is cause for nationwide rejoicing that Opera Montana has commissioned and produced a nigh unto flawless World Premiere of a soulful, spirited and soaring operatic treatment of A River Runs…
Britten’s War Requiem Given a Searing Intensity from Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall
Among the composers of the last hundred years for whom writing a Requiem has been a significant ambition there stands one name whose work has been considered a masterpiece –…
Simon Boccanegra in San Francisco
The famed German stage director Claus Guth’s 2006 Hamburg State Opera production of Simon Boccanegra is the destruction by cosmic weight of 14th century Genoese doge Simon Boccanegra’s hopeless love…
I Fagiolini Creates a Stunning Feast for the Senses in Monteverdi’s Vespers at King’s Place
Coinciding with the release of I Fagiolini’s latest Monteverdi CD this September, it made perfect sense for the specialist ensemble, along with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, to present…
Beautiful Face Meets Beautiful Soul: Bampton Classical Opera Does Grétry’s Zemira e Azor Proud
You don’t have to be among the cognoscenti of the writings of Carl Gustav Jung to be familiar with two of his most important concepts: the collective unconscious with its layering of…
Hamburg State Opera’s New Production of Verdi’s Macbeth Plays Mind Games
Verdi knew what he was talking about. Writing to his librettist Francesco Piave about Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, he declared: “This tragedy is one of the greatest creations of Man. If…
PROMS 2026: Strauss’s ‘Four Last Songs’
My final prom of the 2026 season is officially labelled “Strauss’s Four Last Songs” – that piece the clear intended draw – but held so, so much more, not least my…