Der Rosenkavalier at Helsinki

A triumphant ‘Rosenkavalier’ By George Loomis International Herald Tribune Wednesday, December 8, 2004 HELSINKI Far be it from me to foment rivalry between sopranos, but Finland has another who is…

Rigoletto at Amsterdam (and an appraisal of tenor Joseph Calleja)

How does it come about that “modern” productions date so quickly while “traditional” ones can go on for ages ? Probably, because ideas that once were fresh and innovative are…

Los Angeles Philharmonic Tristan Project

I spent a spectacular three days in Walt Disney Concert Hall taking in the magnificent music of Richard Wagner in what has been entitled The Tristan Project. At first, when…

Berlioz in Boston

Not strictly opera, but so full of the usual suspects . . . My experience of Berlioz’s Dramatic Symphony Romeo et Juliette (R&J) came full circle last night at Boston’s…

Anne Sofie von Otter at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris

Troubadour des temps modernes bq. Avec toujours un meme gout pour l’éloquente clarté, Anne Sofie von Otter sait tout faire. Bete de scène inespérée, elle est récitaliste sans appret ni…

Praises for Rodelinda at the Met

Review: ‘Rodelinda’ at Met Is Masterpiece MIKE SILVERMAN Associated Press NEW YORK – George Frideric Handel’s “Rodelinda” was a huge success at its London premiere in 1725, but it soon…

Who Said Wagner Didn’t Have a Sense of Humor?

bq. Australia forges a ‘Ring’ with confidence By Shirley Apthorp Published: November 30 2004 Where do the Valkyries meet between battles? At the Wunder Bar, of course. Schwertleite, Grimgerde and…

Pierre Jourdan Resurrects Haÿdée at Compiègne

OPéRA “Hayedée” à Compiègne Auber sort de l’oubli Jacques Doucelin [Le Figaro] [30 novembre 2004] Et de cinq ! Après Manon Lescaut, Gustave III, Le Domino noir et Les Diamants…

Opera North Presents Kurt Weill’s One Touch of Venus

On the Weill side of Venus Robert Thicknesse Opera North is reviving a “lost” work by the composer THINK of Kurt Weill and what do you get? Cigarettes, dim lights,…

Izvestia Reviews