Jim Pritchard

Ksenija Sidorova’s accordion and much else meant it was not a normal Last Night of the Proms by any means

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Last Night of the Proms 2021: Stuart Skelton (tenor), Ksenija Sidorova (accordion), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sakari Oramo (conductor). Reviewed when broadcast (directed by Marcus Viner) on BBC TV from the Royal Albert Hall, London, 11.9.2021. (JPr)

Sakari Oramo (c) Chris Christodoulou

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ENB’s Emerging Dancer: A Celebration spotlights new talent but was a missed opportunity

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer: A Celebration: Dancers of English National Ballet, English National Ballet Philharmonic / Gavin Sutherland (conductor). Filmed in the Holloway Production Studio at the ENB’s Mulryan Centre for Dance, London, and streamed from 9.9.2020. (JPr)

Alison McWhinney and Junor Souza in No Man’s Land

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Superb performances are a feature of National Theatre’s lockdown Romeo & Juliet as it comes to the big screen

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom National Theatre Live (p)review – Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet: Filmed (directed by Simon Godwin) in the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre in December 2020 and reviewed on Sky Arts. (JPr)

(l-r) Jessie Buckley, Lucian Msamati & Josh O’Connor (c) Rob Youngson

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Socially distanced, semi-staged Ariadne auf Naxos in Edinburgh showcases Brenda Rae’s standout Zerbinetta

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2021 [15] – Richard Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos (1916 version): Soloists, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Lothar Koenigs (conductor). Filmed (directed by Phil Glenny) at the end of August 2021 at Edinburgh Academy Junior School and streamed via ‘At Home’ (click here) from 30.8.2021. (JPr)

Edinburgh International Festival’s Ariadne auf Naxos (c) Matt Beech

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Glyndebourne’s Wagner semi-staging is brought to the BBC Proms 2021 and becomes a tale of two Tristans

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom BBC Proms 2021 [19] – Wagner, Tristan und Isolde: Soloists, Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra / Robin Ticciati (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, London, 31.8.2021. (JPr)

Miina-Liisa Värelä (Isolde) & Karen Cargill (Brangäne) (c) Chris Christodoulou

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Nicola Benedetti is ‘At Home’ in Edinburgh headlining Stravinsky’s gripping The Soldier’s Tale

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2021 [14] – Stravinsky, The Soldier’s Tale (English translation by Michael Flanders and Kitty Black): Filmed (directed by Matt Parkin) at Edinburgh Academy Junior School on 21.8.2021 and streamed from 27.8.2021. (JPr)

The Soldier’s Tale with Anthony Flaum (Soldier, right)

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Siobhan Stagg’s stunning renditions of Mozart’s rare concert arias with the OAE at Glyndebourne

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Mozart, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Ceremonies and the Quest for Light: Siobhan Stagg (soprano), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Bernard Labadie (conductor). Filmed 5.8.2021 in the Glyndebourne Opera House (by Maestro Broadcasting and directed by Dominic Best) and available on Marquee TV from 20.8.2021. (JPr)

Bernard Labadie conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

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Operatic fireworks from Waterperry Opera Festival’s brilliant The Elixir of Love

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Waterperry Opera Festival 2021 – Donizetti, The Elixir of Love (L’elisir d’amore): Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Waterperry Opera Festival / Bertie Baigent (conductor). Waterperry Garden, Oxfordshire, 14.8.2021. (JPr)

Thando Mjandana (Nemorino) and Alison Langer (Adina) (c) Marc Brenner

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