Festivals

Rossini’s Ermione receives a visually overwhelming production in Pesaro

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ItalyItaly Rossini Opera Festival 2024 [2] – Rossini, Ermione: Soloists, Coro del teatro ventidio basso, Orchestra sinfonica nazionale della RAI / Michele Mariotti (conductor). Vitrifrigo Arena, Pesaro, 9.8.2024. (AB)

Anastasia Bartoli (Ermione) and  Juan Diego Flórez (Oreste) © Amati Biaccardi

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Ólafsson and Welser-Möst in a richly played Blossom Festival concert

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United StatesUnited States Blossom Festival 2024 [5]: Víkingur Ólafsson (piano), Cleveland Orchestra / Franz Welser-Möst (conductor). Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, 17.8.2024. (MSJ)

Conductor Franz Welser-Möst and pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in Schumann’s Piano Concerto © Kevin Libal/CO

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Serebrennikov’s ‘contemporary’ yet disturbing Marriage of Figaro offers fine musical performances

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2024 [11] – Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro: Soloists, Orchestra of Komische Oper Berlin / James Gaffigan (conductor). Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 17.8.2024. (GT)

Komische Oper Berlin’s The Marriage of Figaro © Jess Shurte

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Distinguished rather than gripping St John Passion from Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom PROM 40 – Bach, St. John Passion: Benjamin Bruns (tenor – Evangelist), Alexander Chance (countertenor), Christian Immler (bass – Jesus), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Shimon Yoshida (tenor), Yusuke Watanabe (bass – Pilate), Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki (conductor), Royal Albert Hall, London, 19.8.2024 (JR)

Masaaki Suzuki conducts Bach’s St John Passion at the BBC Proms © BBC/Mark Allan

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Outstanding account of Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet at the Clandeboye Festival

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Clandeboye Festival 2024 [1] – Schubert, R. Schumann: Barry Douglas (piano), Michael McHale (piano), Andrey Baranov, Michael D’Arcy (violins), Ed Creedon (viola), Arto Noras (cello), Clandeboye Festival, Clandeboye Estate, Northern Ireland, 17.8.2024. (RB)

Barry Douglas and Michael McHale © Michael Burch

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Britten’s harrowing, yet uplifting, War Requiem at the Proms will linger long in the memory

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom PROM 37 – Britten’s War Requiem, Op.66: Natalya Romaniw (soprano0, Allan Clayton (tenor), Will Liverman (baritone), Tiffin Boys’ Choir, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, London, 17.8.2024. (KMcD)

Sir Antonio Pappano at the BBC Proms © BBC/Chris Christodoulou

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Spreading the joy with music new and old at the Sun Valley Music Festival

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United StatesUnited States Sun Valley Music Festival [2]: Sun Valley Pavilion, Sun Valley, Idaho, 13 & 14.8.2024. (RP)

Jeremy Constant (violin), Amos Yang (cello), John Wilson (pianist) and Stephanie Childress (conductor) in Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto © Nils Ribi/SVMF

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