Verdi knew what he was talking about. Writing to his librettist Francesco Piave about Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, he declared: “This tragedy is one of the greatest creations of Man. If…
PROMS 2026: Strauss’s ‘Four Last Songs’
My final prom of the 2026 season is officially labelled “Strauss’s Four Last Songs” – that piece the clear intended draw – but held so, so much more, not least my…
PROMS 2026: To Hell With You—Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust at the Proms
As his Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem) in Pappano’s LSO performance proved conclusively (August 15), there are fewer if any better spaces to hold Berlioz’s monumental imagination than London’s Royal Albert Hall. …
PROMS 2026: The Met Orchestra Plays Strauss
Despite being married to an American I clearly don’t get to the United States often enough – this was my first encounter with The Metropolitan Orchestra of New York for…
PROMS 2026: The Met Orchestra and Mahler
When Alma and Gustav Mahler arrived in New York just before the Christmas of 1907, they were installed in a lavishly appointed suite at the Hotel Majestic, with views overlooking…
PROMS 2026: Orchestra and Soloists Create a Collective Magic for Mahler’s Das Lied von Der Erde
Compositional stimulus comes in many forms, and for this concert given by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under its principal guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier, impetus derived from an early form of…
Bernstein and Weill on the Shortcomings of the American Dream
In their different musical styles and forms, these two works offer a critique of the American Dream in its endless pursuit of material affluence, and how that impacts upon personal…
PROMS 2026: The Glyndebourne Prom, Richard Strauss’ Ariadne
This was a semi-staged version of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos; Laurent Pelly is the director at Glyndebourne, and, while I enjoyed his Donizetti La fille du régiment, seen at Covent Garden,…
Diva Sings, Lightning Strikes: Tosca at Wolf Trap Opera
Set in 1970s Italy as exposited in the opening recorded monologue, Tonya and Ryan McKinny’s concept for this modern Tosca was a daring choice that, in short, paid off big…
Oakland: American Apollo Gets Sterling West Coast Premiere
Enterprising West Edge Opera recently mounted an engrossing new production of Damian Geter and Lila Palmer’s engaging opus, American Apollo. This is only the second staging since the World Premiere…