Jim Pritchard

Anna Netrebko is the standout performer in a spectacular new Aida at the 100th Verona Opera Festival

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ItalyItaly Verdi’s Aida at the 100th Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023 [1]: Soloists, Ballet, Chorus and Orchestra of Arena di Verona / Marco Armiliato (conductor). Broadcast live on Rai1 from the Arena di Verona, 16.6.2023. (JPr)

Yusif Eyvazov (Radamès) and Olesya Petrova (Amneris) © Ennevifoto / Arena di Verona

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ENB’s Cinderella finds Precious Adams centre stage and having a ball with the entire company in-the-round

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom English National Ballet’s Cinderella in-the-round: Dancers of English National Ballet, English National Ballet Philharmonic / Daniel Parkinson (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, London, 16.6.2023. (JPr)

English National Ballet’s Cinderella in-the-round (Act II) © Laurent Liotardo

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The Royal Opera’s new Il trovatore is a Monty Pythonesque horror show in more ways than one

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Verdi, Il trovatore: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Peter Jones) from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 13.6.2023. (JPr)

Roberto Tagliavini (Ferrando) © Camilla Greenwell

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Shostakovich’s ‘tragedy-satire’ Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk creates a frisson in Vienna

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AustriaAustria Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Vienna State Opera / Alexander Soddy (conductor). Broadcast live from Vienna State Opera (directed by Ella Gallieni), 12.6.2023. (JPr)

Elena Mikhailenko (Katerina) and Günther Groissböck (Boris) © Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Pöhn

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Darkness and light confront each other in Simon McBurney’s brilliantly inventive Met Die Zauberflöte

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United StatesUnited States The Met: Live in HD – Mozart, Die Zauberflöte: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York / Nathalie Stutzmann (conductor). Broadcast Live in HD (directed by Gary Halvorson) from the Metropolitan Opera House to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 3.6.2023. (JPr)

Erin Morley (Pamina) and Thomas Oliemans (Papageno) © Karen Almond / Met Opera

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Excellent singers, conductor and orchestra makes Götterdämmerung Longborough’s best Wagner yet

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Longborough Festival Opera – Götterdämmerung: Soloists, Longborough Community Chorus, Festival Chorus and Opera Orchestra / Anthony Negus (conductor). Longborough Festival Opera, Moreton-in-Marsh, 31.5.2023. (JPr)

Final scene: Lee Bisset (Brünnhilde) © Matthew Williams-Ellis

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Matthew Ball’s Prince Florimund was the revelation of The Royal Ballet’s ‘signature’ The Sleeping Beauty

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty: Dancers of The Royal Ballet, Students of The Royal Ballet School, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Orchestra / Jonathan Lo (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Ross MacGibbon) from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, (introduced by Dame Darcey Bussell and Petroc Trelawny) to Cineworld Basildon, Essex. 25.5.2023. (JPr)

Matthew Ball (Prince Florimund) and Yasmine Naghdi (Princess Aurora) © Bill Cooper

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