Reading Time: 2 minutesLa Traviata (The Fallen Woman) is Verdi’s 1853 opera about Violetta, a beautiful courtesan, and Alfredo, her devoted admirer, who despite falling madly in love are pulled apart by family, circumstance and general tragedy, reuniting finally as Violetta succumbs to the consumption which shortens her tumultuous life.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt is such a privilege to enjoy a double bill by Pegasus Opera Company with double surprises: two pieces of underrepresented operas by modern composers telling stories of normal people instead of kings, queens, and nobles, performed by musicians from underrepresented racial backgrounds.
Reading Time: 3 minutesStravinsky's The Rake’s Progress is not the typical story of a Rake; the plot was unexpectedly about a man, originally with low funds, in love, who learnt more and more about love throughout the opera.
Reading Time: 2 minutesI think I can comfortably assume that the English Touring Opera’s production of Manson Lescaut at the Oxford Playhouse is vastly different from its first performances in Turin, 1893. Director and librettist Jude Christian’s fascinating biography of recent work had me on tenterhooks for the main event, and her revival of this Puccini classic did not fail to excite the senses and turn the classical world on its head.
Reading Time: 3 minutesHandel's Semele performed by Edinburgh Studio Opera with Edinburgh University Chamber Orchestra at the Pleasance Theatre is a captivating baroque opera where the divine and human realms become exquisitely interwoven.
Reading Time: 3 minutesSIR DAVID MCVICAR’S PRODUCTION OF LA TRAVIATA BY VERDI TOURS TO GLASGOW, INVERNESS, ABERDEEN AND EDINBURGH THIS SUMMER
Reading Time: 2 minutes"Cosi Fan Tutte," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, staged in a traditional setting for a contemporary audience, provokes thought on the nature of fidelity, gender stereotypes, and the complexities of human relationships.
Reading Time: 2 minutesOpera North's double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Aleko by Sergei Rachmaninoff is a captivating exploration of intertwined desires, dramatic contrasts, and thematic reflections. The juxtaposition of these two operas creates a rich tapestry of emotion and narrative, each enhancing the other's impact.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn an uproarious fusion of Rossini's classic opera and Wild West antics, Charles Court Opera's rendition of "The Barber of Seville" at Wilton's Music Hall is a rollicking good time. Directed by the irrepressible John Savournin, this production transports the tale of love and deception from the cobbled streets of Seville to the dusty plains of the late 1800s American frontier, infusing it with a generous dose of English wit and charm.
Reading Time: 4 minutesThis production of Magic Flute, collaborated with ENO, Dutch National Opera, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, is of no exception. The medley of everything – Mozart's music, the ENO orchestra, the cast and ensemble, as well as the video and foley artists – creates a unique and irreplaceable chemistry.