Fairy tales have always been a deep source of inspiration for the creative arts. In the German context they tie in with an age-old fascination for and involvement with the…
Category: Performances
Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène with the LPO and Karina Canellakis
Lili Boulanger was one of the most fascinating – and tragic – of female twentieth-century composers. The first woman to win the Prix de Rome in 1912, for the work…
Historic Philadelphia Recital Comes To Rural Virginia with Loudoun Lyric Opera
One hundred years after its original performance in 1915, Dorothy Leona Jewell’s recital in Philadelphia received a reenactment this past weekend at Faith Chapel Gathering Place in Lucketts, VA. Jewell’s…
Delius’s Problematic Conception in The Magic Fountain Not Overcome in Wexford’s Production
The inspiration for Delius’s The Magic Fountain (1895) stems from his time in Florida, when he ran an orange plantation for his father. It was the first in a trilogy…
An all-British line-up with the Sinfonia of London
These days it’s comparatively rare to come across a concert programme consisting entirely of works by different British composers, performed by an orchestra made up of mostly British-born musicians, with…
Opera Baltimore and OperaDelaware’s Tosca: Viva To The Diva
It’s been said that opera companies program Tosca as an “easy” way to end their season. It is, after all, an opera that focuses on only three principal characters, and…
Wexford’s Riveting Blend of Comedy and Tragedy in Handel’s Last Italian Opera
In the last three or so of his operas, Handel demonstrated a fascinating move towards mixing elements of comedy within the format of opera seria that he had worked with…
Verdi’s Il trovatore Becomes Subdued in its French Version at Wexford
Famous for presenting rare operatic repertoire, it might come as a surprise to find Il trovatore programmed to open this year’s Wexford Festival. Presented in its French version, however, this…
Manchester Camerata at Wigmore Hall
It’s amazing what can change in three-quarters of an hour. This short lunchtime concert at Wigmore Hall presented some remarkable music in superb performances: the known, the lesser-known and the…
Annapolis Opera’s Don Giovanni: Vocal Performances Worthy Of A Sold-Out House
Who can resist a well-done classic? No one, apparently, as Maryland Hall was sold out for the second performance of Annapolis Opera’s Don Giovanni this past weekend. From the moment…