On Small Stage, British ‘Ring’ Cycle Scores Big On Imagination, Quality
MORETON-IN-MARSH, U.K. – The Longborough Festival, an upstart opera company located west of London, has pulled off a seriously professional effort in a 500-seat house. Anthony Negus led a fine, mostly British cast and a 60-piece orchestra.
Puccini Opera Marathon, Romanian Style, Honors Centennial Of His Death
BUCHAREST – While opera companies worldwide have acknowledged this year's centennial of the composer's death, the Bucharest Opera Festival presented eight staged productions and other events with 1,500 vocal and auxiliary participants.
‘Thrill Of A Lifetime’: Critic As Chorister Sings Bach At Leipzig Festival
LEIPZIG – The author, a regular contributor to Classical Voice North America, grew up singing in church choirs. He is a member of the Bach Cantata Choir of Portland, Ore., one of five U.S. choral groups invited to Leipzig's 2024 Bachfest.
In Grotesque ‘Salome,’ Lise Davidsen Leaves Marker For The Ages
PARIS – Even within director Lydia Steier's lurid concept of sensation for sensation's sake, Davidsen's stratospheric performance affirmed her place as the peerless soprano of her time in a diva legacy extending from Callas to Sutherland.
Maestro Takes A Stand With Frenetic Bruckner (Musicians Stand, Too)
BERLIN – With his own orchestra called Utopia, 112 players from 20 countries including Russia and Ukraine, Teodor Currentzis led the mostly standing troupe in an assault on Bruckner's Ninth that left no room for spiritual transcendence.
Focus On Bright Stars, Ambitious Arts Festival Creates A Constellation
ADELAIDE – To offset other risks, the venerable Adelaide Arts Festival offered two shows directed by favorites of the annual event, Robert Lepage's treatment of Stravinsky's The Nightingale and Barrie Kosky's setting of The Threepenny Opera.
Hardly April, But Opera Displays Its Revitalizing Blooms In City Of Light
PARIS – In an era when so many opera companies are struggling to fill seats and dialing back risk, it was salutary to see very fine Paris Opera offerings of Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda (right), Verdi's La traviata, and Handel's Giulio Cesare in one week.
Trip To Greek Homeland Mingles Nostalgia With A Fierce ‘Lady Macbeth’
ATHENS – As a native of Greece who has lived abroad for more than half of his life, this writer always gets a particular feeling being back amid the intimacy of Greek musical institutions, this time to witness Shostakovich's raw satire.
Aussies Around Globe Gather As All-Stars For An Ardent Mahler Ninth
SYDNEY – The Australian World Orchestra consists of Australians from distant points who meet annually in their homeland. This year, founding conductor Alexander Briger presided over a blood-on-the-floor performance of Mahler.
Vocal Fireworks Abound As Visiting Critic Revels In The Glories Of Madrid
MADRID – The Teatro Real lived up to its splendid reputation as an innovative, important company. After a stimulating week, one might even argue the renovated theater has surpassed Barcelona's Gran Teatre de Liceu as Spain's opera showplace.
‘Antony And Cleopatra’ Second Time Around: Love’s More Wonderful
BARCELONA – With Julia Bullock restored to her intended role, John Adams' Shakespearean opera on the ill-starred affair between the Roman general and the Egyptian queen was more gripping here than in the San Francisco premiere.
Ridiculous Virtuosity: Modern-Music Troupe Crackles And Dazzles
AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands' Asko|Schönberg ensemble, a multi-instrumental powerhouse, displayed its stylistic dexterity and exceptional ability to respond to any challenge in a concert featuring a world premiere at the Concertgebouw.
(Re)imagine That! Beloved Musicals Given New Gloss For New Age
LONDON – An exhibition exploring how classic musicals have been adapted, together with three vibrant productions, demonstrated how gifted directors can make familiar favorites fresh again while honoring the original creators' intentions.
Adams’ ‘Short Ride,’ Like Rest Of Sizzling Concert Fare, Gets Short Shrift
SYDNEY – On paper, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra program promised a night of fireworks: John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Wynton Marsalis' Violin Concerto (with Nicola Benedetti), and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. The plan fizzled.
Festival Operas Pegged To Yesteryear; Concerts Come Up To Yesterday
SALZBURG – While the Salzburg Festival included operas from the Baroque through the Romantic eras, concerts and recitals tapped into the past century or so but featured only half a dozen living composers. Diversity was nearly a non-issue.
At The Salzburg Fest, Inspired Concerts And Two Tormented Operas
SALZBURG – While provocative new productions of Martinů and Mozart failed their librettos, uplifting concerts were offered by the Vienna Philharmonic under Riccardo Muti and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim.
On Roads Of Friendship, Muti Encourages Youths Toward Global Harmony
POMPEI – Annual tours by the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, led by Riccardo Muti, aim to build cultural bridges between cities affected by war and to create bonds through music. Venues have ranged from Kyiv to Tokyo and Athens.
‘Turandot,’ Heard Just As Puccini Left It, Was Simply The Bee’s Knees
ZURICH – Dropping Franco Alfano's familiar ending, director Sebastian Baumgarten placed the opera in a beehive, which fit neatly into the social stratification of Imperial China. Queen bee Sondra Radvanovsky wore robes of yellow and black.
Vermeer, Music Offered In A Citadel Of Culture: Vermeer Was Flawless
AMSTERDAM – A prodigious exhibit of Vermeer's paintings was still drawing crowds at 2 in the morning. On the music front, concerts at the Concertgebouw and Rusalka at Dutch National Opera had their moments, but also their issues.
Music Festival Retains Tradition While Honing Fresh, Edgy Relevance
BERGEN – An enduring past-present-future feeling marks Bergen's international festival, where city jewels such as the Philharmonic and Camerata Bergen are on display. This year, the Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen sang the title role in Tosca.
