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Fine singing and the splendid playing of the Paris Opera Orchestra redeems Shirin Neshat’s polemical Aida

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FranceFrance Verdi, Aida: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Opéra national de Paris / Michele Mariotti (conductor). Livestreamed (directed by Mathilde Jobbé-Duval) from Opéra Bastille, Paris, 10.10.2025. (JPr)

[front] Ève-Maud Hubeaux (Amneris) © Bernd Uhlig/OnP

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Gilbert’s witticisms at their best: Princess Ida at Buxton is a G&S delight

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival 2025 [1] – National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Princess Ida: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company / John Andrews (conductor). Buxton Opera House, Derbyshire, 9.8.2025. (RW)

National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company’s Princess Ida © Charles Smith

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Iván Fischer and Budapest Festival Orchestra’s Beethoven and Bartók keeps the Prommers spellbound

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom BBC Proms 2025 [11] – Beethoven, Bartók: Dorottya Láng (mezzo-soprano), Krisztián Cser (bass), Budapest Festival Orchestra / Iván Fischer (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, London, 6.8.2025. (AK)

Iván Fischer conducts Dorottya Láng (Judith), Krisztián Cser (Bluebeard) and the Budapest Festival Orchestra © BBC/Andy Paradise

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Wroclaw’s NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra bring sheer richness of sound to the EIF’s Focus on Poland

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2025 [3]: Bacewicz, R Strauss, Kilar, Bizet/Shchedrin: NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra / Alexander Sitkovetsy (leader/director). Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 10.8.2025. (SRT)

NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra (at a previous concert) © Karol Sokolowski (1)

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