The U.S. premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s Phaedra at the Opera Company of Philadelphia may well be the most important and ambitious new work presented by any American company this season.
Category: Performances
Brahms Liebesliederwalzer, Wigmore Hall, London
Any performance of Brahms and Schumann four part songs is an occasion.
Ian Bostridge, Wigmore Hall
“Music, music for a while/ Shall all your cares beguile,” vowed Ian Bostridge at the opening of this recital with his regular accompanist, Julius Drake.
Les Noces de Figaro in Paris
This is the one by Giorgio Strehler that opened at Versailles in 1973 and since has endured twenty-three incarnations, first at the Garnier and later at the Bastille.
James Bowman, The Last London Recital
It’s easy to slip into platitudes when eulogising the last London
recital performance of a singer commonly lauded as the outstanding countertenor
of his generation.
I Compagnacci and Il Re, Teatro Grattacielo
Teatro Grattacielo gives concert performances of Verismo operas that range from the obscure to the unheard-of.
Macbeth, Royal Opera
Phyllida Lloyd’s reading of Verdi’s Macbeth –
first seen in 2002 and here revived for the second time – could certainly
not be described as ‘subtle’, either dramatically or visually.
Die Meistersinger von N¸rnberg, Glyndebourne
Glorious sunshine for Glyndebourne Opera’s Die Meistersinger von N¸rnberg on the eve of Richard Wagner’s birthday.
Richard Coeur-de-Lion, New York
AndrÈ-Modeste GrÈtry, the greatest opera composer ever to come from Belgium, made his way to Paris in 1767 at the age of 26.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ENO
On my travels, I often hear occasional opera-goers complain about having wasted time and money on a production that, on the night, bears no relation to their expectations.