Bostridge trades fey for Kray

Bostridge traded his fey haircut for slicked back Kray brothers look, complete with wrap round dark glasses in this Dreigroschenoper at the Barbican, London.

Andreas Scholl at Wigmore Hall

Strikes on the London Underground system may have made this a particularly exhausting and exasperating week for Londoners, but despite these wearing adversities Friday evening saw an eager crowd flock to the Wigmore Hall, in excited anticipation of an inspiring and invigorating blend of the familiar and the unfamiliar — and they were not disappointed.

Die schˆne M¸llerin at Wigmore Hall

Matthias Goerne and Christoph Eschenbach unite in a Schˆne M¸llerin of searing intensity.

Haydn’s Bicentenary : 20 Capitals Salute “The Creation” With Standing Ovations

The Austrian Ministry of Culture and the Committee for the Celebrations of
Haydn’s Bicentenary had a brilliant idea: on May 31st , the day of the
composer’s death, 20 symphony orchestras and/or opera houses performed
one of his greatest and best known oratorios Die Schˆpfung (The
Creation) .

Berlin: City of Three Operas

Where else in the world does one have three opera houses, all playing almost nightly for 10 months of the year? It’s one of the things that makes Berlin paradise for opera buffs.

Tosca in San Francisco

Like Carmen, Tosca is a constant presence in our operatic lives, frequently revisited like it or not.

CosÏ fan tutte, English National Opera

ENO’s latest new production of CosÏ — their third this decade — made the arts headlines from the start of its rehearsal period when director Abbas Kiarostami found himself unable to secure a UK visa and was forced to withdraw his direct involvement, leaving colleague Elaine Tyler-Hall to deputise.

A shockingly different Lulu at the Royal Opera House, London

The buzz was right — this new Lulu at the Royal Opera House, London is shockingly different. Christof Loy’s production is what minimalism should be.

Schubert : Winterreise — Middle Temple Hall, London

Julius Drake’s Temple song series is almost a cult secret -not known to the mass market but highly regarded among those who know, much like the Lieder genre itself.

Haydn’s “Il Ritorno Di Tobia” , Oratorio Or Opera Seria?

Joseph Haydn’s place in the history of the oratorio has been secured by his masterpieces The Creation (1798) and The Seasons (1801). His first appearance, however, on the Mount Parnassus of oratorio was a good quarter of a century beforehand with Il ritorno di Tobia.