Articles & Interviews

The master list of news, features and interviews

Brian Elias: Wigmore Hall Retrospective to be livestreamed from London’s Wigmore Hall on 24 April 2021

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BRIAN ELIAS:  WIGMORE HALL RETROSPECTIVE SATURDAY 24 APRIL 2021, 11.30AM & 3PM Livestreamed on Wigmore Hall YouTube  Available on demand for 30 days  ‘Though Elias writes little…what he produces is immaculately achieved. Every inflection tells, the balance of sound is exact, and the sound seductive in the best traditions of glamorous 20th century orchestral writing.’ … Read more

Opera North’s current plans for Spring/Summer 2021

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OPERA NORTH ANNOUNCES JOURNEY BACK FROM LOCKDOWN

Live tour for concert performances of Beethoven’s Fidelio
A Night at the Opera gala concert at The Lowry, Salford Quays in June
Co-production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music with Leeds Playhouse rescheduled for Summer 21
The Whitehall Road Sessions: a new series of livestreamed chamber concerts from 22 April
As You Are: A Sound Walk for Leeds to reopen this Spring
Whistle Stop Opera: The Magic Flute will tour across the North
Orpheus in the Record Shop: Opera North and Leeds Playhouse’s co-production broadcast on BBC Four as part of #BBCLightsUp
Orfeo ed Euridice: Gluck’s opera for BBC Radio 3 broadcast, accompanied by documentary film of the recording in real time
Orchestra of Opera North records suites by Sibelius, Janáček and Humperdinck for BBC Radio 3, conducted by Richard Farnes

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English Touring Opera announce 2021 digital season on ETO at Home

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Easter Sunday: St John Passion
and Documentary on Freelance Opera Artists in Lockdown

On Easter Sunday, ETO will launch its 2021 digital season on ETO at Home, the company’s new streaming platform.

The platform will be launched with the Spring 2020 production of Bach’s St John Passion. The performance was recorded on the 5th of March 2020 at Hackney Empire before ETO’s Spring 2020 tour was cancelled. The film weaves together footage of the live performance with 90 individual video contributions made by choir members in isolation from Cumbria to Cornwall who were due to participate in performances across the country.

ETO’s St John Passion

The Passion will be accompanied by a 10-minute documentary exploring the lives of the production’s singers and musicians in the year since the performance. Both films will be free to access.

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Mozart: the thick and thin of it

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Readers of the London Review of Books have recently been reminded of the incomparable importance of Brigid Brophy (1929-1995), born of Irish parents in Ealing, West London, sometimes called Lady Levey, since her happy husband, Sir Michael Levey, who was Director of the National Gallery, gave up his posting to look after her in her final illness of multiple sclerosis, following her many lesbian affairs, with among others, Iris Murdock.

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Sir Antonio Pappano steps down from Covent Garden in July 2024 to take up the Chief Conductor baton with LSO

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LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA APPOINTS SIR ANTONIO PAPPANO AS ITS CHIEF CONDUCTOR

Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor) & LSO (c) Liam Hennebry

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has announced the appointment of Sir Antonio Pappano as its Chief Conductor from September 2024, becoming Chief Conductor Designate in September 2023. He steps down from his post as Music Director of the Royal Opera House at the end July 2024. Sir Antonio will conduct the Orchestra in its annual London Barbican Season, where it is Resident Orchestra, and on national and international tours. For more information about LSO click here.

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English National Ballet’s Reunion at Sadler’s Wells in May and plans for 2021/22

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Reunion at Sadler’s Wells – 17 to 30 May 2021

English National Ballet (click here) hopes to return to live performances with five works by renowned choreographers and rising talents (booking starts 8 April 2021).

Created and released as films during our critically acclaimed Digital Season in late 2020 (for our review click here) these original pieces are performed live on stage for the first time.

For 2021/22 see below about:

World premieres of Creature by Akram Khan and Raymonda by Tamara Rojo
New performance dates for THE FORSYTHE EVENING
Nutcracker returns for the festive season
Celebratory Emerging Dancer event
Maria Kochetkova returns to ENB, joining as Lead Principal
ENB’s new home to be named Mulryan Centre for Dance
New ballet talent pipeline project and expansion of Dance Leaders of the Future

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Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2021 outdoors and online from 29 April to 8 May 2021

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LET’S DANCE INTERNATIONAL FRONTIERS 2021 

SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART: CAN DANCE CHANGE THE WORLD?

29 APRIL TO 8 MAY – FEATURING 11 DAYS OF OUTDOOR AND ONLINE EVENTS

Annual festival features online performances, discussions, workshops and a conference exploring dance as a medium for positive change.

Online Colonisation in Reverse: Jean-Léon Destiné Exhibition featuring archival materials, some of which have never been presented in public before.

Performances from BOP Jazz Theatre Company and Dani Walter-Harris, Paris Crossley and Fubunation streamed from Curve Leicester.

Online conference Creating Socially Engaged Art: Can Dance Change the World? highlighting the impact that Black communities have made to the international dance ecology.

LDIF+ masterclasses will take place in person in June.

For online tickets and information CLICK HERE.

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The Royal Opera House reveals highlights of its plans for its first full season since 2019 

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What is planned for the Royal Opera House in 2021/22

11 new productions, including 5 world premieres, and 20 revivals
An exciting roster of UK and international talent with many debuts
Full Season details to be announced on roh.org.uk on 1 June.  

The Royal Opera House is excited to share early plans for its 2021/22 Season, the first full Royal Opera House Season since 2019.  It includes five world premieres from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera as well as a wealth of British and international talent taking to our stages in the first full ROH Season for eighteen months.

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