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REVIEWS November 2014

06.11.2014 | REVIEWS

Reviews vom 30.11.2014

München
A New Puccini Production Offers Explanations for Its Story’s Gaps “Manon Lescaut,’ at Bavarian State Opera in Munich
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Minsk
Belarus has chance to become first in “Grand opera
“The jury includes the legend of opera – People’s Artist of the Soviet Union – Elena Obraztsova, John Holinder, who heads the Vienna State Opera, (…)”
http://www.tvr.by/eng/news.asp?id=30191&cid=17

London
Weitere Review zu “Pelléas” Debussy : Pelléas et Mélisande / Southbank, 27th November 2014
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Injured violinist spent 10 years playing music in her head
The virtuoso Kyung Wha Chung, who lost the use of her finger in 2005, will play her first London concert in a decade at the Royal Festival Hall in December
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Aldebourgh
Britten’s legacy lives on with 10 brand new commissions
Aldeburgh Music has commissioned 10 new songs for communal singing; you can listen to schoolchildren across Europe perform them live tomorrow
read more

Montreal
Montreal Symphony Orchestra like a well-groomed gentleman in Mozart and Saint-Saëns
read more

Feuilleton
In defence of the viola
The viola was the instrument of choice for Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Dvorák and Beethoven; Jimi Hendrix and John Cale both played it; violinists turn to it to improve technique. So why is the viola the butt of jokes? Tabea Zimmermann defends her instrument
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Reviews vom 29.11.2014

Hamburg
Bold Mozart and Daring Bruckner from Park, Eschenbach and NDR SO
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Lucca
La rondine / Teatro del Giglio, 22nd November 2014
 Mehr Info

Pisa
Il ghetto – Varsavia 1943 / Teatro Verdi di Pisa, 23rd November 2014
 read more

Neapel
Salome in Naples: love, lust and death of a scandalous teenager
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-salome-teatro-di-san-carlo-november-2014

London
Opera – when directors rule
The phenomenon known in German as Regietheater should be celebrated, not vilified
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Pelléas et Mélisande review – one of Salonen’s finest achievements Royal Festival Hall, London
An unparalleled cast and exquisite soundscapes made this production spellbinding
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Pelléas et Mélisande, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, review: ‘atmospheric’
The Philharmonia’s City of Light series began with a Pelléas performed with great transparency, says John Allison
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Pelléas et Mélisande /Philharmonia / Salonen, Festival Hall – opera review
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An unforgettable Pelléas et Mélisande at the Southbank
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Birmingham
CBSO/Nelsons/Hough review – as thoughtful and distinctive as ever Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Nelson’s Bruckner was athletic, direct and texturally interesting, while Hough played Schumann’s Piano Concerto with his usual cool brilliance
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Melbourne
Tosca | Opera Australia
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Reviews vom 28.11.2014

London
Don Quixote, Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, review: ‘particularly memorable’
Carlos Acosta’s production of this romantic comedy is nothing if not great fun, says Mark Monahan
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Royal Ballet warms to Carlos Acosta’s fiesty Don Quixote
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Don Quixote, Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta’s sunny romp of a production returns, with improvements http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/don-quixote-royal-ballet-0
Don Quixote, Royal Opera House, London – review
Marianela Nuñez danced with enchanting bravura in Carlos Acosta’s otherwise tedious production http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91c86f96-7562-11e4-b1bf-00144feabdc0.html

 

ENO’s Gospel According to the Other Mary: great music weighed down by a worthy staging Plus:
the Royal Opera’s Elisir as close to Christmas panto as opera can, and is all the better for it
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Review: ‘I have rarely felt so bored by an opera’ The Gospel According To The Other Mary
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Southampton Radu Lupu review
– radiant, inward and bewitching Turner Sims, Southampton Radu Lupu, a rare fixture on the UK concert trail, again proved himself one of the great pianists of our time
read more

 

New York
Metropolitan Opera Review 2014-15 – La Boheme
– Sonya Yoncheva, Francesco DeMuro & Cast Show How Powerful Great Chemistry Can Be
Mehr Info

 

A Last-Minute Sensation
The Soprano Sonya Yoncheva Is Poised for Stardom
 read more

 

Despite another sub, Met’s “Bohème” remains a strong and enjoyable show
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Vermont
Green Mountain Opera Festival Cancels 2015 Season
 read more

 

Toronto
Canadian Opera Company auditions put young talent in the stage’s spotlight
 read more

 

Reviews vom 27.11.2014

München
A nightmare-inducing Hänsel und Gretel in Munich
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Amsterdam
Pathos and horror on The Raft of the Medusa at the Concertgebouw
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London
Oberon review – fascinating and important revival Cadogan Hall, London
This fine semi-staging of Weber’s “problem’ opera, a sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, revealed its magic, messy beaut
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Phoenix Dance Theatre, Royal Opera House, review: ‘bubbles with life’
After a slow start, the Leeds-based company win over the audience with rock music, technological gimmickry and bouncing balls, says Rachel Ward
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Gluck’s Don Juan fails to seduce in the Academy of Ancient Music’s ‘Grand Tour’
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The Gospel According to the Other Mary @ Coliseum, London
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Thomas, Oxley, Bach Choir, Philharmonia, Hill, review: A triumphant celebration of John Tavener
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Thomas Gould: from Mahler to Radiohead, variety is the spice of life
Violinist Thomas Gould is one of a new generation of classical musicians who refuses to be defined by a single genre. He explains why a diverse career enriches his and the audience’s experience
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New York
Tanz Stepping Back (Gracefully)
From a Sculpture to Frame Its Story Reassembling the “Little Dancer’ by Degas as a Musical
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Boston
At Itzhak Perlman’s recital, familiarity breeds content
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Reviews vom 26.11.2014

Barcelona
Strauss’ Arabella: a psychological contemplation of love and life
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-arabella-schwanewilms-liceu-barcelona-november-2014

London
Lohengrin/Christian Wolff review
– terrifying Sciarrino and strange Cage Huddersfield contemporary music festival Petr Kotik conducted a long-lost reworking by John Cage and nyMusikk Bergen performed a retelling of the grail legend with almost indecently intimate music
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Dillon’s Stabat Mater review – beautiful, distant and compelling St Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield
The world premiere of James Dillon’s Stabat Mater Dolorosa was a Huddersfield festival highlight with its powerfully individual music
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The Grand Tour: Vienna and Paris, Academy of Ancient Music, West Road Concert Hall, review
only occasionally caught fire’ The music failed to live up to the hype of the long and scholarly programme notes, says Ivan Hewett
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New York
Despite another sub, Met’s “Bohème” remains a strong and enjoyable show
 read more

Potions and Poisonous Actions A couple finds magical love in the Boston Lyric Opera’s “The Love Potion”;
a housewife finds she has a taste for murder in “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.”
read more

Hopeless Romantics Drink
This Mystery Concoction if You Dare “The Love Potion,’ Staged by the Boston Lyric Opera
read more

Sale of New York City Opera’s Remaining Assets Expected in Early 2015
http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/sale-new-york-city-opera-assets-expected-early-2015/

Tanz
Carmen at the Apollo: One Fateful Night
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Los Angeles
Review: L.A. Opera pays tribute to Daniel Catan with lush “Florencia en al Amazonas’
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San Francisco Post:Ballet celebrates its fifth year
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Feuilleton
Pumeza Matshikiza on soprano megastardom, her township education and why the ANC is a stuck record
 read more

Reviews vom 25.11.2014

Wien / Konzerthaus
experiment “Fridays@7” a sparkling success with Jordan, Buniashtvili and a jazzy after party
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-buniatishvili-jordan-vienna-symphony-november-2014

Kopenhagen
Send in the clowns: Stefan Herheim’s Lulu in Copenhagen
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-lulu-herheim-bundgaard-royal-danish-copenhagen-november-2014

Turin
De Marchi magnificently conducts Giulio Cesare with an ace cast in Turin
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-giulio-cesare-prina-pratt-pelly-turin-november-2014

London
Glare; Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi; Emerson String Quartet – review
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House; Royal Academy of Music, London The dream girl isn’t quite what she seems in the Søren Nils Eichberg’s Glare. And Puccini is in safe hands at the Royal Academy
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Early Opera Company / Agnew @ St John’s, Smith Square, London
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Huddersfield
Contemporary Music Festival, review
Ivan Hewett experiences the wonderful and the weird at this celebration of contemporary music
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Birmingham
Review: William Tell by Welsh National Opera at Birmingham Hippodrome
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New York
BWW Reviews: MET OPERA – IL BARBIERE DE SEVIGLIA,
Cineworld Wandsworth, November 22 2014
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Los Angeles
Review: ‘Florencia en el Amazonas’ a culture clash solved by orchestra
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-la-opera-florencia-review-20141124-column.html

‘Florencia’ makes undemanding return to L.A. Opera
Daniel Catán’s opera is modestly pleasing in its revival but would have benefited from a better production.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/opera-643135-florencia-cat225n.html

Toronto
The National Ballet of Canada Struggles with Nijinsky
 read more

Reviews vom 24.11.2014

London
The Gospel According To The Other Mary: More Must-Hear Than Must-See
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New York
Inside The Metropolitan Opera’s Insane Year
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/23/inside-the-met-opera-s-insane-year.html

Metropolitan Opera’s Barber of Seville bubbles with coloratura and camp
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San Francisco
Arts & Events: A New Production of LA BOHÈME at San Francisco Opera
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Sidney
Opera Australia in hot water after asking students to work for free
read more

Feuilleton
Opera houses in search of cheap singers
http://slippedisc.com/2014/11/opera-houses-in-search-of-cheap-singers/

Roll Over, Mahler: U.S. Orchestras Are Shrinking
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What Do Ballet Dancers Really Eat? Professionals Open Up On Diet, Gruelling Rehearsals And Eating Disorders
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Reviews vom 23.11.2014

London
The Gospel According to the Other Mary, ENO, review: ‘humbling’
John Adams’s new oratorio appears priggish at first but rises to a shattering climax says Rupert Christiansen
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The Gospel According to the Other Mary opera review
John Adams’ triumphant update of the Passion of the Christ English National Opera, London
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The Gospel According to the Other Mary (London Coliseum)
Like El Niño before it, John Adams’s new opera is really a staged concert piece – but it’s a fine one
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A Passion for our times: Adams’ The Gospel According To The Other Mary premières at ENO
 read more

 

Nachtrag zum „Liebestrank“ L’Elisir d’Amore at the Royal Opera House review
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Britten Sinfonia/Ward review – typically self-effacing, but satisfying Milton Court, London
A beautiful, dark-hued meditation marking the veteran composer John Woolrich’s 60th birthday
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New York
Mozart Melts Into Dark Shostakovich New York Philharmonic, Led by Jaap van Zweden
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Boston
Nelsons, BSO, Ma and chorus rove widely in a night of discoveries
 read more

 

Madison
Opera review: Bold, dramatic ‘Fidelio’ shines a light into dark places
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Minneapolis
Minnesota Opera president resigns after 2.5-year stint
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/283540791.html

 

San Francisco
Cinderella: San Francisco Opera’s Whipped Cream Atop a Delightful Season
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Montreal
Miah Persson transforms OSM
Romantic Lieder concert into one of transfigured beauty
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-persson-nagano-montreal-november-2014

 

Reviews vom 22.11.2014

Prag
Review: Salome at the State Opera
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Eastbourne
Oberon, New Sussex Opera, review: ‘an unsinkable shipwreck’
This brave production of Weber’s Oberon is honourably executed, says Rupert Christiansen
read more

New York Metropolitan Opera’s Deficit Swells to $22 Million
read more

A Figaro on a Big Stage, Another in Your Lap “Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ From the Met and LoftOpera
Mehr Info

Chances to shine: the Mikhailovsky in New York
 Mehr Info

Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony off their stride in an erratic Mahler Seventh
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Melbourne
Pasquale takes a Roman Holiday
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Ton- und Bildträger
Anna Prohaska and Eric Schneider: “Behind the Lines”
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Reviews vom 21.11.2014

Wien
Khovanshchina at the Staatsoper: A musical feast, but a directorial debacle
 read more

Prag Vorschau
La Bayadère at the State Opera
http://www.praguepost.com/night-day/42757-la-bayadere-at-the-state-opera

London
Peter Sellars: “The United States is coming close to censorship’
He’s notorious for directing the controversial opera Klinghoffer, but Peter Sellars has no regrets about the outrage it provoked. Will The Gospel According to the Other Mary, his modern Passion inspired by censorship, poverty and slave labour, cause a new storm? read more

Les Arts Florissants/Christie review
– immaculately judged Barbican, London William Christie’s Rameau tribute was musically exquisite, but the pastoral rusticity verged on the saccharine and the choreography was too eclectic
read more

A fine tribute to German Romanticism from Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the LPO
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-vogt-nezet-seguin-lpo-november-2014

New York
Met Opera: A Fun-Filled “Barbiere di Siviglia” With Leonard and Maltman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wilborn-hampton/barbiere-di-siviglia_b_6185538.html

Led by a charismatic Isabel Leonard, Met’s “Barber” makes the cut
 read more

Interview Isabel Leonard on Met’s ‘Figaro,’ ‘Barber of Seville’ & Dr. Seuss’ Gertrude McFuzz
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Chicago
Pianist Denis Kozhukhin searches for harmony in a wide range of music
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Denver Opera Colorado’s “Butterfly” suffers in all the right way
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Houston
Heights’ pared-down opera gets to heart of ‘Hänsel and Gretel’
 read more

Melbourne
Opera review: Don Pasquale, Opera Australia, Arts Centre Melbourne
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 20.11.2014

Oslo
Eventually there was light: Haydn’s The Creation with the Oslo Philharmonic and Harry Bicket
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-creation-bicket-oslo-philharmonic-november-2014

London
L’elisir d’amore, Royal Opera House, review: Vittorio Grigolo and Lucy Crowe triumph
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L’Elisir d’Amore, Royal Opera House, review: ‘real emotion’
This jolly revival of Donizetti’s comedy is guaranteed to send audiences home smiling, says Rupert Christiansen
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L’elisir d’amore (Royal Opera House)
Grigolo and Terfel headline a classy revival of this Covent Garden favourite
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L’Elisir d’Amore, Royal Opera House – opera review: ‘Bryn Terfel relishes his appearance as a greasy spiv’
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Grigolo’s Nemorino intoxicates Covent Garden in L’elisir d’amore
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-elisir-grigolo-terfel-royal-opera-november-2014

New York
Philharmonic’s new music program makes intermittent
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Chicago
Lyric Opera has plenty of something with a moving, vocally resplendent “Porgy and Bess
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Photo Flash: First Look at Lyric Opera of Chicago’s PORGY AND BESS
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Los Angeles
At 50, Music Center’s ‘backward’ orientation may see a turnaround
read more

Durch die Blume
Reseden, Rosen, Lilien müssen’s richten: Die Klavierlieder von Richard Strauss in einer Gesamtausgabe
http://www.zeit.de/2014/44/richard-strauss-klavierlieder

Staatskapelle Berlin
Keine weiteren Fragen
Paavo Järvi dirigiert die Staatskapelle
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Berlin/ Theater des Westens
Der Frauenflüsterer verrät sein Geheimnis
Schauspieler Cusch Jung ist im Theater des Westens wieder als Harry im Musical “Mamma Mia!” zu erleben. Er liebt die Frauen nicht nur auf der Bühne, sondern auch privat. Ein Gespräch.
Mehr Inf

Reviews vom 19.11.2014

Berlin/ Staatsoper
Als wär’s ein Film von Stephen King
„The Turn of the Screw” in der Inszenierung von Claus Guth an der Berliner Staatsoper
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Berlin
In Berlin Claus Guth’s Screw turns differently
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-turn-screw-guth-berlin-november-2014

Fiona Shaw brings theatre into the opera house in The Rape of Lucretia
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-rape-lucretia-shaw-berlin-november-2014

Rom
Rome Opera signs deal to save musicians’ jobs
http://www.thelocal.it/20141118/rome-opera-deal-to-save-musicians-jobs

Paris
William Forsythe/ Benjamin Millepied, Lyon Opera Ballet, Théâtre de la Ville, Paris – review
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41afd5cc-6f12-11e4-8d86-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JReuMGyQ

London
Star of the future: Haobin Wang entertains as Gianni Schicchi at Royal Academy
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Blaise Bellville: reinventing classical concerts
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New York
How Peter Gelb is duping singers out of seven percent
http://slippedisc.com/2014/11/how-peter-gelb-is-duping-singers-out-of-seven-percent/

BWW Reviews: LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK is ‘Opera Noir’ and Utterly Wonderful at the Met
Mehr Info

The Opera Stalin Hated
Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/nov/17/opera-stalin-hated/?insrc=wbll

Reflections on the Metropolitan Opera’s staging of The Death of Klinghoffer
http://blog.oup.com/2014/11/metropolitan-operas-staging/

Miami
Madama Butterfly’Florida Grand Opera’s is grand
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article3995544.html

San Francisco
S.F. Opera ‘Bohème’ does double duty
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Berlin/ Konzerthaus
Feuer und Alarm
Nachwuchsliedsänger mit Schubert und Strauss Feuer und Alarm
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Frankfurt/ English Theatre
Auf Erden die Hölle heiß machen
Quicklebendig: Das English Theatre Frankfurt zeigt „Ghost”, ein Musical mit einem unerschütterlich liebenden Geist.
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 18.11.2014

München
A near-perfect Manon Lescaut in Munich
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Warschau
Home of Polish National Opera Shines Again
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Prag
A euphoric Ninth in Prague commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall
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London
Glare (Royal Opera House)
A new sci-fi opera rescued from bathos by its musical excellence
read more
Glare at the Royal Opera House
Theatre review
http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2014/11/17/glare-at-the-royal-opera-house-theatre-review/

Albert Herring, Hampstead Garden Opera – opera review
The atmosphere of small town prurience is well-conjured and Legomanlike Tom Morss is a close to perfect Albert
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Manchester
BBC Philharmonic/Mena review -monumental and authoritative Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Garrick Ohlsson’s towering account of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto was followed by a ferocious rendition of Elgar’s Second Symphony
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New York
Parachuting Into a Garret, and Feeling Right at Home
Sonya Yoncheva as Mimì in the Met’s “La Bohème’
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Home dishes prove ideal menu for Czech Philharmonic
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Berlin/ Philharmonie
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester: Hingabe, sagt sie
Tugan Sokhiev und das DSO lassen sich von Janine Jansen Beine machen, beim französisch-russischen Abend in der Philharmonie
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München/ Michaelskirche
Loblied auf den Tanz und das Leben
Ballett “Lauda” in der Michaelskirche
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 17.11.2014

London
Mild palpitations only in Eichberg’s “operatic thriller’Glare
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-glare-eichberg-royal-opera-november-2014

Aurora Orchestra, Milton Court Concert Hall, review: ‘delightful’
This fun and mysterious programme by the Aurora Orchestra featured works about the different rooms in a house, says Ivan Hewett
read more

New York
A Boyish Patriarch Leaps Over Boundaries
Michael Tilson Thomas Seeks Musical Adventure as He Nears 70
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After 20 years, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony are still coloring outside the lines
read more

Phoenix
Arizona Opera’s ‘Rigoletto’: Ridiculous, glorious
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Houston
Hansel und Gretel: A Folk Tale Spun Into Operatic Gold at Opera in the Heights
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San Francisco
Review: Fresh talent revitalizes S.F. Opera’s ‘Bohème’
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Feuilleton
The Nazi war criminal, the Nuremberg prosecution expert… and a shared love of Bach
A new collaboration between human rights lawyer Philippe Sands and opera director Nina Brazier sheds light on the parallels between Hans Frank, a key player in the Holocaust, and Hersch Lauterpacht, one of the prosecution team at his trial
read more

Reviews vom 16.11.2014

Liverpool
RLPO/Petrenko review – the Tchaikovsky was a triumph Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
For their first concert back in their hall, the RLPO delivered a high-voltage performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, alongside Debussy and rhapsodic James Horner
 read more

Bristol
WNO’s Chorus leads Carmen at the Bristol Hippodrome
 read more

Edinburgh
Leonskaja, SCO, Kamu, Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Magisterial partnership triumphantly encompasses two Brahms concertos in one concert
 read more

New York
A Maestro Returns, First There, Now Here
Jiri Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Tour the U.S.
read more

Met’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk a musical and visual triumph
read more

Boston
On a heroic night, Hardenberger and Nelsons let the trumpet sound in BSO premiere
read more

Feuilleton
Colin Currie: new works, new instruments – the amazing story of percussion is not yet told
The percussionist, whose Metal Wood Skin festival continues in London, explains how music became a lifelong inspiration
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Reviews vom 15.11.2014

Starpianist macht Schule
Lang Langs Material für Klavierschüler überzeugt mit viel Fantasie
 read more

Zürich
Best of Britten: Resident evil inThe Turn of the Screw
 read more

London
Cullberg Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, review: ‘Strangely beautiful and transfixing’
‘Plateau Effect’, by Swedish company Cullberg Ballet, brings Sadler’s Wells’ ‘Northern Lights’ season to a riveting close, says Sarah Crompton
read more

Edinburgh
BBCSSO/Runnicles review – birthday inspires bold and brilliant Beethoven
The BBCSSO brought due pomp to Donald Runnicles’ 60th-birthday concert, with a powerful Ninth Symphony and a playful performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante
read more

New York
Lincoln Center to Rename Avery Fisher Hall
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New York
Festival of Song gets Freudian, from Mahler to Lehrer
 read more

Atlanta
Review: Atlanta Opera’s “Madama Butterfly” flies on strong singing (and a few clichés)
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Feuilleton
The world’s fastest-playing pianist
Ukrainian Lubomyr Melnyk claims that he plays 19.5 piano notes on each hand every second
read more

Berlin
Der lachende Lulatsch
Choreograf Hermann Heisig mit “Strch”
read more

Mama Soul aus Mannheim
Joy Fleming wird 70
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 14.11.2014

Mord, Inzest und… Komödie? Salome in Dallas
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-salome-voigt-dallas-opera-november-2014

Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik: die Bestenliste 4/2014 ist erschienen
Mehr Info

London
Why have ENO cancelled L’Orfeo?
Rupert Christiansen explains why an ambitious collaboration between English National Opera and the Bristol Old Vic has had to be shelved
read more

Ensemble Intercontemporain review – explosive experimental energy Wigmore Hall, London

Pieces by Mantovani, Schoenberg and Dallapiccola were unsweetened by anything resembling a comfort zone in a bracing, exhilarating evening
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New York
Met Asks Stars to Share Fiscal Pain
Anna Netrebko is among the Met opera stars who have agreed to accept lower fees, the company’s general manager says.
read more

BWW Interviews: Brandon Jovanovich Finds the Humanity in LADY MACBETH’s Bad Boy
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Sidney
Review: Andreas Ottensamer (Utzon Music Series) Austrian virtuoso proves a fitting end to Utzon chamber music recitals
read more

Melbourne
Opera review: John Bell’s reimagined Tosca a rollicking, powerful show
The Tosca was third-time lucky for Opera Australia
First Tamar Iveri was sacked after anti-gay comments on Facebook, then Bulgarian Svetla Vassileva became ill. Austrian soprano Martina Serafin, who was asked to fill in only a week ago last Sunday, showed why she is one of Europe’s outstanding Toscas (performing the role at Rome, Covent Garden, Paris, Vienna, Berlin and La Scala).”
read more

A plausible and wretchedly frightening Tosca opens in Melbourne
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Opera review: Tosca, Opera Australia, Arts Centre Melbourne
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Reviews vom 13.11.2014

Tonträger
Verschiedenheit im Einheitlichen: Mozarts letzte Symphonien mit Harnoncourt, Brüggen und Haenchen
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Amsterdam
Pierre Audi’s abstract Lohengrin at Dutch National Opera
read more

London
Venezuela’s El Sistema music scheme is “model of tyranny’, UK academic says
Supporters rush to defend “beacon of social justice’ as study shows project fails to reach disadvantaged youth
read more

Odaline de la Martinez: The Crossing / Lontano 5th London Festival of American Music , 7th November 2014
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Birmingham
The Mariinsky Ring concludes strongly in Birmingham
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New York
Renée Fleming Says She May Stop Singing in Three Years
read more

How to Cure the Housewife Blues
Met’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ Stars Eva-Maria Westbroek
read more

Met’s “Lady Macbeth” offers a dark and engrossing descent into the bizarre
read more

First Nighter: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Has Her Way at the Met
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-finkle/first-nighter-lady-macbet_b_6140726.html

Chicago
Aimard’s mild-tempered Bach offers mixed rewards
read more

St. Louis
BWW Reviews: Winter Opera St. Louis Opens a Brilliant ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’
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Toronto
Canadian Opera Company faces budget shortfall, but attendance soars
read more

Feuilleton
The world’s most glamorous opera stars
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Reviews vom 12.11.2014

Rom
The Opera in Rome Is a Hotbed of Chaos
Riccardo Muti’s Departure Is a Sign of Rome Opera’s Troubles
read more

London
ENO abandons Bristol staging of Orfeo blaming Arts Council funding cuts
Opera company’s first project outside London in 15 years is pulled
read more

Renaud Capuçon/Frank Braley review – still startlingly stormy after 16 years Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
The long-established duo’s Beethoven sonatas felt alive and risky, beginning with a thrilling opening to the Kreutzer
read more

Birmingham
A mesmerising Siegfried from the Mariinsky in Birmingham
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-siegfried-gergiev-mariinsky-birmingham-november-2014

New York
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Metropolitan Opera, New York – review
The Met revives Graham Vick’s brilliant production of Shostakovich’s murky masterpiece
read more

NYC’s Busy, Buzzy Fall Season
Why a Ballerina on Her Pre-Retirement Tour, a German Orchestra Playing a Centuries-Old Mass and a Firestorm of an Opera Have Become Hot Tickets
http://online.wsj.com/articles/nycs-busy-buzzy-fall-season-1415651002

San Francisco
A delightful and enduring Cinderella at San Francisco Opera
read more

Review: Don’t miss Karine Deshayes in ‘Cinderella’
read more

Ton- und Bildträger
St Petersburg, Cecilia Bartoli (soprano), I Barocchisti, cond Diego Fasolis, review: ‘horrible noise’
Bartoli is at her absolute worst on the disc, singing in high soprano overdrive that veers between droopy-drawers crooning and demented banshee caterwauling, says Rupert Christiansen
read more

Claudio Abbado in Sils Maria beerdigt
Der im Januar verstorbene italienische Dirigent hat laut Angaben seiner Familie seine letzte Ruhestätte in Sils Maria gefunden. Er ist dort am 1. November beigesetzt worden
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 11.11.2014

München
Rigoletto in Munich features good music, but little else
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-rigoletto-ranzani-schilling-munich-november-2014

London
Royal Opera House in dispute with dancers over pay
The world-famous theatre allegedly pays its freelance dance stars less than box office staff
read more

The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera House – review: Marcelino Sambé gives a glowing performance
read more

St Petersburg
Phil/Temirkanov review – it’s hard to imagine Shostakovich’s 10th performed better Royal Festival Hall, London
Vengerov’s Tchaikovsky was scrupulous rather than dramatic, but it was a privilege to hear this orchestra play Shostakovich
read more

Gateshead
Britten in Gateshead: The North East’s War Requiem
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-britten-war-requiem-cross-sage-november-2014

Cardiff
Glass’ The Trial in Cardiff: a new distillation and soundworld
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-trial-glass-music-theatre-wales-november-2014

Pittsburgh
Review: Pittsburgh Opera restores Verdi’s classic ‘Otello’ to grand status
http://triblive.com/aande/theaterarts/7097808-74/otello-act-iago#axzz3IgiQ7wGH

Calgary
Review: Calgary Opera presents powerful First World War drama in Silent Night
read more

Perth
Curtain down, drama begins at WA Opera
When the final curtain went down on the West Australian Opera’s performance of Il Trovatore on Saturday, the backstage drama had just begun in the company’s bid to replace artistic staff.
read more

Reviews vom 10.11.2014

London
Idomeneo; Equal Voices – review
Martin Kušej’s new Idomeneo caused a storm. And the premiere of Sally Beamish’s ambitious Equal Voices impressed
read more

Royal Ballet triple bill review
Liam Scarlett’s Age of Anxiety is swaggering but lightweight Royal Opera House, London Drawing on WH Auden’s meditation on post-second world war upheavals in New York, Liam Scarlett’s latest ballet might have been better woven around our own troubles read more

Aldebourgh
Brundibár, Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, review: ‘astonishing’
An opera for children performed in Theresienstadt concentration camp is a remarkable piece of anti-Nazi satire
read more

Cardiff
BBCNOW/Wigglesworth review – masterly Wagner-infused Elgar St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Conductor Mark Wigglesworth furthered his credentials as a Wagnerian with his excellently mystic interpretation of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/bbcnow-wigglesworth-review

New York
Chelsea Opera makes a worthy case for Mollicone double bill
read more

Chicago
Lyric’s “Ring” designer dies; CSO gathers its tour kudos
read more

Portland
Portland Opera celebrates its 50th anniversary with bubbly Strauss frolic, “Die Fledermaus”
read more

San Francisco
Review: Hidden code of two great composers deciphered
read more

Anchorage
Review: Anchorage Opera’s uncomplicated ‘Madame Butterfly’
 read more

 Wien/ Tanzquartier
Das nackte Leben tanzt den Krieg an die Wand
Unbesiegbare Hoffnung aus dem Nahen Osten: Les Ballets C de la B mit zehn palästinensischen Tänzern und Tänzerinnen im Tanzquartier Wien – ein Zusammenspiel aus vitaler Energie und emotionalem Aufbruch http://derstandard.at/2000007909395/Das-nackte-Leben-tanzt-den-Krieg-an-die-Wand

Reviews vom 9.11.2014

London
Triple bill, Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, review: ‘tremendously beautiful’
The Royal Ballet is breaking with tradition in the fascinating talent of artist-in-residence Liam Scarlett, says Laura Thompson
read more

More Revolutionary than Romantic: Gardiner and Antonacci at the Barbican
read more

New York
New opera finds a fine madness in free-wheeling comed
read more

Atlanta
Atlanta Symphony Musicians and Management Reach Tentative Labor Deal
read more

St. Louis
Winter Opera opens season with sparkling ‘Figaro’
 read more

Los Angeles
L.A. Opera’s daring double bill frustrates Review:
Director Barrie Kosky takes a revisionist look at “Dido and Aeneas’ and “Bluebeard’s Castle.’
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/opera-641257-bluebeard-dido.html

San Francisco
Photos: San Francisco Opera presents Rossini’s “La Cenerentola
read more

Reviews vom 8.11.2014

Amsterdam
At the Concertgebouw, Czarina Cecilia Bartoli reigns
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-cecilia-bartoli-petersburg-concertgebouw-november-2014

London
Donizetti: Les Martyrs, Opera Rara/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, 4th November 2014
read more

Masterful Sibelius from Osmo Vänskä – and not a symphony in sight
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-sibelius-vanska-soumm-lpo-november-2014

Birmingham
Das Rheingold @ Hippodrome, Birmingham
read more

New York
The Hand That Rules the Chorus
Donald Palumbo, a Met Star in the Wings
read more

BAM Season Offers a Mariinsky Residency and More
read more

Dallas
Weitere „Salome”-Review
Subbing for Salome
Lise Lindstrom went on Wednesday for Deborah Voigt in The Dallas Opera’s Salome, and we have a review of the replacement’s performance.
read more

Sidney
La Bayadere Review (Sidney Opera House)
http://dailyreview.crikey.com.au/la-bayadere-review-sydney-opera-house/15260

Feuilleton
Opera in 2014: a year of tectonic shifts
The ground is shifting in the opera world – across Australia as elswhere – but the national review and a touch of showbiz are re-booting the sector beyond Melbourne and Sydney
read more

Britten’s War Requiem still speaks to us as powerfully today as it ever did
The War Requiem challenges us to think about what it is we ask people to do when we send them to war, writes conductor Marin Alsop
read more

Reviews vom 7.11.2014

Amsterdam
Michael Schade seduces and sways in his Concertgebouw song recital
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-schade-zeyen-amsterdam-november-2014

Madrid
Opera star Montserrat Caballé reaches deal to avoid jail for tax evasion
Spanish soprano to pay fine after already returning the €500,000 she withheld in 2010 http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/11/06/inenglish/1415269520_478714.html

London
Noch eine “Idomeneo”-Review:
Martin Kušej’s Idomeneo at the Royal Opera House is baffling and troubling
The production is alienating, and not a in a sexy, Brecht kind of a way.
 read more

Will this Royal Opera House redevelopment be an improvement?
Rupert Christiansen voices his concerns over the £35 million plans to overhaul the Royal Opera House
Mehr Info

The Left-Hander review – finely played and sung, but it’s no masterpiece Barbican, London
A late start left the audience fractious, and striking orchestral and vocal effects were offset by a thinness of melodic and thematic inspiration
 read more

Mariinsky Opera: Levsha (The Left-hander)
The UK premiere of Shchedrin’s comedy opera
http://www.classical-music.com/blog/mariinsky-opera-levsha-left-hander

The Left-hander, Mariinsky Opera, Barbican, review: ‘colourful’
The Mariinsky’s concert performance captured the wit and humour of Shchedrin’s opera, says John Allison
read more

Mussorgsky : Boris Godunov / Mariinsky Opera, Barbican, 3rd November 2014
read more

New York
From a Billowing Sound to an Ornamental
Wisp Joyce DiDonato’s “Journey Through Venice’ at Carnegie Hall
 read more

DiDonato returns to Carnegie with a journey through Venice
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-joyce-didonato-carnegie-hall-november-2014

Dallas Opera review: “Salome’
http://www.dallasvoice.com/opera-review-salome-10183933.html

Sidney
Arts guide: Opera Australia raises curtain on stunning season – from Tosca to Faust
read more

Feuilleton
Ive learned a critical lesson: sugaring the pill makes it taste worse
The Washington Post’s imbroglio with Dejan Lazić is a salutory story for all critics. I won’t make the same kind of mistake
read more

Reviews vom 6.11.2014

London
Weitere “Idomeneo”-Reviews:
Idomeneo, Royal Opera House, review: ‘full of clichés’
Covent Garden’s first staging of Mozart’s Idomeneo in 25 years was a lost opportunity, says John Allison Classical and Opera Reviews
read more
Idomeneo @ Royal Opera House, London
http://www.musicomh.com/classical/reviews-classical/idomeneo-royal-opera-house-london

Idomeneo, Royal Opera House, London – review
Updated to the present day, this is a satisfying, harmonious production of Mozart’s Idomeneo
read more
Idomeneo, Royal Opera House – opera review
Austrian director Martin Kusej has enlisted a superb team of soloists under the stylish baton of Marc Minkowsk
read more

Les Martyrs (Royal Festival Hall)
Donizetti’s Parisian revamp of his earlier Poliuto in a triumphant resurrection by Opera Rara
read more
Les Martyrs, Opera Rara, Royal Festival Hall, review: ‘enthralling conclusion’
Donizetti’s rarely heard grand opera Les Martyrs was well worth performing, says Rupert Christiansen
Mehr Info

The Cunning Peasant review
Dvořák’s “flimsy’ opera transplanted to Hardy’s Wessex Silk Street theatre, London Stephen Medcalf’s Far from the Madding Crowd take on Dvořák’s folk comedy doesn’t always work, but fine conducting and singing save the day
Mehr Info

The lows have it: the Mariinsky’s Boris Godunov at the Barbican

http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-boris-godunov-mariinsky-gergiev-november-2014

New York
Metropolitan Opera Review – ‘Die Zauberflote / The Magic Flute:”
Wondrous Production & Terrific Cast Make for Memorable Evening
Mehr Info

San Francisco
New S.F. Opera Production Manager Named
https://www.sfcv.org/article/new-sf-opera-production-manager-named

Reviews vom 5.11.2014

London
Erste Reviews zum neuen “Idomeneo” am ROH:
Idomeneo (Royal Opera House)
Mozart’s opera seria comes startlingly alive in a controversial new production at Covent Garden
http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/idomeneo-royal-opera-house_36332.html

Idomeneo, Royal Opera House, review: Coarsened by Kusej, but superbly sun
read more
Martin Kušej’s Idomeneo cast as gripping political power struggle
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-idomeneo-kusej-minkowski-royal-opera-november-2014

Idomeneo, Royal Opera
Zero human interest in this power-struggle reduction of Mozart’s great Greek myth
http://www.theartsdesk.com/opera/idomeneo-royal-opera

LSO/Noseda review – pungent immediacy in Beamish’s wartime debut Barbican, London
Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices, on the effects of war, had its first outing, while Nelson Freire delivered a startling Emperor
read more

Cardiff
Betrothal in a Monastery review
– humour survives concert performance Millennium Centre, Cardiff Without staging, it wasn’t easy keeping track of the lovers in Prokofiev’s comic opera, but Gergiev’s cast and orchestra filled in at least some of the gaps
read more

Mariinsky Opera wows Wales with satisfying performance of Betrothal In A Monastery
read more

Betrothal in a Monastery: Mariinsky forces sparkle in Prokofiev’s comedy
read more

New York
The Indestructible Beat of Tamino
A South African “Magic Flute’ at New Victory Theater
read more

Washington
At WNO, a “La Bohème’ that gets the job done
read more

BWW Reviews: Washington National Opera Crafts Gorgeous Production of Puccini’s LA BOHÈME
read more

A new production for ‘La Boheme’ from Washington National Opera
read more

St. Louis
Good financial news for Opera Theatre of St. Louis
read more

 Reviews vom 4.11.2014

München
Die Soldaten in Munich is uncomfortable, ugly, violent… and perfect
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-soldaten-hannigan-petrenko-munich-october-2014

Mailand
Leo Nucci authoritative in La Scala’s murky Simon Boccanegra
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-simon-boccanegra-nucci-la-scala-october-2014

Rom
A gloomy but effective Rigoletto in Rome
http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-rigoletto-rome-muscato-october-2014

London
Arcadi Volodos review – virtuoso spinning heads, still
Royal Festival Hall, London
From fiery passages to moments of sublime quietness, the Russian pianist displayed the full range of his mercurial talent
read more

Wexford
63rd Wexford Festival Opera, Reports Increased Sales and Announces Details of Next Festival
read more

New York
A Verdi Test Where Nuance Is Just One of the Many Demands “Aida’ Revival at the Metropolitan Opera
read more

Indifferent vocalism entombs Met’s “Aida”
http://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2014/10/indifferent-vocalism-entombs-mets-glitzy-aida/

Tiny Secret Opera company scores big with a chilling “Medium
read more

Chicago
Lyric Opera serves up the glitz and glitter in Diamond Anniversary bash
read more

Feuilleton
How much do opera stars get paid?
Rupert Christiansen attempts to solve one of opera’s great mysteries
read more

Enrico Caruso’s love letters have the passion of a Puccini opera
Previously unpublished private papers of Italian tenor chart the singer’s rise to fame and troubled personal life
Mehr Info

Reviews vom 3.11.2014

London
Director Thaddeus Strassberger discusses his work with The Royal Opera
With two projects at the Royal Opera House, this busy director discusses the old and the new.
read more

BBCSO/Gardner review – expressionist whispers and a great Unfinished Barbican, London
Thomas Larcher’s cycle for Mark Padmore was impeccably tailored, while Gardner’s Schubert gave fresh insight
read more

Wexford
Salomé, Wexford festival review – Antoine Mariotte, anyone?
Wexford Opera House, Ireland
The biggest draw at the 63rd Wexford festival was a rarely seen opera by a French naval officer
read more

New York
Sentimental Harmonies
Leonard Slatkin Leads the Philharmonic in Copland and Rouse
read more

Sidney
Sydney Opera House lights up Concert Hall with new lamps after first major upgrade
read more

Perth
West Australian Opera ends year on a high note
read more

Feuilleton
Do negative reviews have a right to be forgotten by Google?
Classical pianist Dejan Lazic’s attempt to have a ‘mean-spirited’ review scrubbed from Google is misguided madness that could have dire consequences for us all
read more

Neue “Don Giovanni”-DVDs: Der Wüstling unter der Lupe

Mehr Info

Reviews vom 2.11.2014

Kairo
Cairo’s first opera house remembered
Ahram Online remembers the opening of Egypt’s first opera house in the 19th century
read more

London
Puccini: La bohème / ENO / 29th October 2014
http://operabritanniauk.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/puccini-la-boheme-eno-29th-october-2014/

Interview Matthew Polenzani, the Royal Opera’s Idomeneo
The American tenor and scion of the New York Met is back in town to sing Mozart
 read more

Pavel Kolesnikov scales Rachmaninov’s Everest with elegance
 read more

New York
10 Graphs To Explain The Metropolitan Opera
read more
Mehr Info

Honoring Lorin Maazel in New York
 read more

Decades Later, a Quintessential Journey Continues to Resonate Martha Graham Studio Celebrates “Appalachian Spring’
read more

Dallas /Weitere “Salome”-Review
At Dallas Opera, Salome’s Twisted Love Story Is a Bucket List Production
read more

Houston
HGO’s Otello Great Sound and Fury Signifying Very Much Indeed
 read more

Passion, deceit and desperation hit a fever pitch in ‘Otello’
read more

Feuilleton
Mrs Bach had too many kids to write the great man’s music, says Julian Lloyd Webber
read more

Five alternatives to Mrs Bach
http://jessicamusic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/five-alternatives-to-mrs-bach.html

Reviews vom 1.11.2014

London
Weitere “Idomeneo”-Reviews:
Idomeneo, Royal Opera House, review: ‘full of clichés’
Covent Garden’s first staging of Mozart’s Idomeneo in 25 years was a lost opportunity, says John Allison Classical and Opera Reviews
read more
Idomeneo @ Royal Opera House, London
http://www.musicomh.com/classical/reviews-classical/idomeneo-royal-opera-house-london

Idomeneo, Royal Opera House, London – review
Updated to the present day, this is a satisfying, harmonious production of Mozart’s Idomeneo
read more
Idomeneo, Royal Opera House – opera review
Austrian director Martin Kusej has enlisted a superb team of soloists under the stylish baton of Marc Minkowsk
read more

Les Martyrs (Royal Festival Hall)
Donizetti’s Parisian revamp of his earlier Poliuto in a triumphant resurrection by Opera Rara
read more
Les Martyrs, Opera Rara, Royal Festival Hall, review: ‘enthralling conclusion’
Donizetti’s rarely heard grand opera Les Martyrs was well worth performing, says Rupert Christiansen
Mehr Info

The Cunning Peasant review
Dvořák’s “flimsy’ opera transplanted to Hardy’s Wessex Silk Street theatre, London Stephen Medcalf’s Far from the Madding Crowd take on Dvořák’s folk comedy doesn’t always work, but fine conducting and singing save the day
Mehr Info

The lows have it: the Mariinsky’s Boris Godunov at the Barbican

http://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-boris-godunov-mariinsky-gergiev-november-2014

New York
Metropolitan Opera Review – ‘Die Zauberflote / The Magic Flute:”
Wondrous Production & Terrific Cast Make for Memorable Evening
Mehr Info

San Francisco
New S.F. Opera Production Manager Named
https://www.sfcv.org/article/new-sf-opera-production-manager-named

 

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