Ariodante is surely one of Handel’s most ‘human’ dramas. It’s not just that the libretto –anonymously adapted from Antonio Salvi’s Ginevra, principessa di Scozia, after Ariosto’s Orlando furioso – involves…
Tag: Royal Opera House
Oedipe at Covent Garden
George Enescu’s Oedipe was premiered in Paris 1936 but it has taken 80 years for the opera to reach the stage of Covent Garden. This production by ¿lex OllÈ (a member of the Catalan theatrical group, La Fura Dels Baus) and Valentina Carrasco, which arrives in London via La Monnaie where it was presented in 2011, was eagerly awaited and did not disappoint.
Le nozze di Figaro, Royal Opera House
Although this is their fifth outing, Tanya McCallin’s sets for David McVicar’s Le Nozze di Figaro remain a sumptuous feast for the eyes.
La Rondine, Royal Opera House
La Rondine isn’t Puccini’s finest moment. As drama it’s a retread of La BohËme. The music resembles out-takes from Madama Butterfly. What holds it together is Magda.
Thomas Hampson Simon Boccanegra, Royal Opera House London
Thomas Hampson’s first Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House makes this revival of Verdi’s great opera worthwhile. It’s a role which suits a singer of Hampson’s intelligence.
Michele Mariotti conducts La donna del lago
Rossini’s La donna del Lago at the Royal Opera House boasts a superstar cast. Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego FlÛrez are perhaps the best in these roles in the business at this time. Yet the conductor Michele Mariotti is also hot news.
Superlative singing: Don Carlo, Royal Opera House
Is it possible to upstage Jonas Kaufmann? Kaufmann was brilliant in this Verdi Don Carlo at the Royal Opera House, London, but the rest of the cast was so good that he was but first among equals. Don Carlo is a vehicle for stars, but this time the stars were everyone on stage and in the pit. Even the solo arias, glorious as they are, grow organically out of perfect ensemble. This was a performance that brought out the true beauty of Verdi’s music.
Brindley Sherratt – Sarastro at the Royal Opera House
Brindley Sherratt sings Sarastro in Mozart Die Zauberflˆte at the Royal Opera House, London. All performances are sold out, though returns are possible. The entire run (which ends 9th May) is dedicated to the memory of Sir Colin Davis who conducted this production, by David McVicar, most recently in 2011.
Pl·cido Domingo sings Nabucco – Royal Opera House
Pl·cido Domingo’s London debut as Nabucco at the Royal Opera House was received with rapture. Domingo’s position in opera is immense. His very presence comes over so well that any performance feels like a historic event. He is a marvel. If Domingo was singing Pl·cido Domingo rather than Nabucco, it hardly mattered. He delivered the big areas well, and was particularly impressive in the typically Verdian dialogues between father and daughter. Domingo isn’t a singer who needs Personenregie. He is simply himself and that’s enough.
Ermonela Jaho — Singing and Character
Ermonela Jaho caused a sensation at Covent Garden in London five years ago, when she took over Violetta at short notice from Anna Netrebko.