“They are boys, and they sing, but don’t call them choirboys. ‘Libera’ prefer to be called a vocal group ó a real boy band, if you like.”
Category: Reviews
ROSSINI: Torvaldo e Dorliska
Between the efforts of recording companies Naxos and Opera Rara, Rossini-philes have been living in a golden age.
Portraits of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Olga Borodina
Philips decided some time ago that it no longer needed to be the audio representative for two fine contemporary singers of Russian origin, mezzo Olga Borodina and baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Aida at ENO
After the marketing gimmickry of Sally Potter’s production of Carmen, and a dance-based Poppea set at the bottom of the sea, it did not bode well when the advertising for ENO’s latest
production included an interactive dress-up doll circulated by email.
Macbeth in Istanbul
Attending the opera may not be the first thing you think of when visiting Istanbul, but opera is to be found (if less well advertised than the local Bach Festival) at the Ataturk Cultural Center on Taksim Square, the heart of modern Istanbul.
ìThe Sacrificeî ñ Welsh National World Premiere Tour
Welsh National Operaís new opera ìThe Sacrificeî, composed by James MacMillan with libretto by Michael Symmons Roberts, and directed by Katie Mitchell, is an emotionally raw and compelling study of the nature of conflict, and how humans are changed by it.
Macbeth at the Met
Verdi, a born skeptic where the supernatural is concerned, did not seem to know quite what to do with the witches in Macbeth and was far too loyal to Shakespeare to reduce their role ñ he knew how closely the play was bound to them, famous for them.
Le Nozze di Figaro ñ Metropolitan Opera
Le Nozze di Figaro, in 1786, was the longest and most elaborate opera buffa ever composed and (though it is seldom given complete) is still the longest you are likely to see in the regular repertory.
Armida
As its name suggests, the selections on this wonderful new CD are all excerpted from five different versions of the tale of the beautiful enchantress ìArmida.î
BEETHOVEN: Fidelio
Recorded on 29 January 1978, this performance preserves a classic production of Beethovenís Fidelio, which involved a gifted cast.