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Robert Wilson’s static Paris Turandot focuses the mind on Puccini’s score and some excellent singing

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FranceFrance Puccini, Turandot: Soloists, Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine, Chorus, Children’s Choir and Orchestra of Paris Opera / Marco Armiliato (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by François Roussillon) from the Opéra Bastille, Paris, 13.11.2023. (JPr)\

Iréne Theorin (Turandot) and Brian Jagde (Calaf) in Robert Wilson’s Turandot

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Belfast Philharmonic Choir’s accomplished performance of Stanford’s rarely performed Requiem

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Stanford, Requiem, Op.63: Mary McCabe (soprano), Cicely Hé (mezzo-soprano), Aaron O’Hare (tenor), Brendan Collins (baritone), Belfast Philharmonic Choir, Ulster Orchestra / James Grossmith (conductor), Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5.11.2023. (RB)

James Grossmith conducts the Belfast Philharmonic Choir

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Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote is reviewed through today’s lens: could the Royal Ballet dance any better?

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Minkus (arr. and orch. Martin Yates), Don Quixote: Dancers of The Royal Ballet, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Valery Ovsyanikov (conductor). Recorded live (directed by Ross MacGibbon) at the Royal Opera House, London, 7.11.2023 and seen at Everyman Cinema, Chelmsford, Essex. 13.11.2023. (JPr)

Matthew Ball as Basilio in Don Quixote © Andrej Uspenski

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Mendelssohn’s musical alchemy: the rediscovery of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion through 19th-century ears

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United StatesUnited States Bach, St. Matthew Passion (arr. Mendelssohn): Soloists, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Bach Festival Orchestra / Christopher Jackson (conductor). Packer Memorial Church, Bethlehem, PA, 11.5.2023. (LV)

William Sharp singing the part of Jesus © Ryan Hulvat/Meris, Inc.

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