The question that puzzled me when attending Esther was Why.
Category: Reviews
Musical Exoticism: Images and Reflections
Ralph Locke’s recent book on Musical Exoticism is both an historical survey of aspects of the exotic in Western musical culture and a discussion of paradigms of the exotic and their relevance for musicological understanding.
CosÏ fan tutte, Opera Australia
Like most opera companies, the Mozart/da Ponte trifecta of Figaro,
Don Giovanni and CosÏ fan tutte are central to Opera
Australia’s repertoire.
Iestyn Davies at Wigmore Hall
There was a certain inevitability about the build-up to Iestyn Davies’ recital at the Wigmore Hall in London last Wednesday.
Lorin Maazel conducts Verdi and Puccini at La Scala
In the mid-1980s (just before the Riccardo Muti era began), Lorin Maazel often ruled the conductor’s roost at La Scala.
From the House of the Dead at the MET
Leoš Jan·ček’s From the House of the Dead is a
very odd duck to find on the stage of a grand opera house.
Die Rheinnixen by New Sussex Opera
London has long been spoiled in the operatic rarity department, thanks to companies like Opera Rara, Chelsea Opera Group and University College Opera populating various areas of the Venn diagram that is obscure repertoire.
Hindemith’s Das Marienleben — Soile Isokoski
Hindemith’s Das Marienleben has a formidable reputation, but is rarely heard. Soile Isokoski could change all that. This cycle is a tour de force, but tours de force need singers capable of achieving them.
Schubert: Fierrabras
The worlds of lieder and opera seem to share the same galaxy, while being countless light years apart.
Lohengrin in Houston: A long-awaited return
Wagner was last on stage in Houston’s Wortham Theater Center in 2001, when the Houston Grand Opera staged Tannh‰user.