Strong cast, striking visuals and beautiful finish lift San Francisco Opera’s Dream of the Red Chamber revival

Meigui Zhang plays the qin in Dream of the Red Chamber © Cory Weaver

United StatesUnited States Bright Sheng, Dream of the Red Chamber: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of San Francisco Opera / Darrell Ang (conductor). War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 14.6.2022. (HS)

 

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Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba in Bourgogne – magnifique!

FranceFrance Mozart, Ascanio in Alba: Soloists, Choruses of Cosne-sure-Loire, Decize, Château-Chinon, Prémery and Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier (chorus directors: Stéphane Ruelle, Pauline Touma), Ensemble musical de Prémery / Laurent Noguès (conductor), L’Église Saint Pierre, Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier, 6.6.2022. (LV)

Jean-Paul Denizon narrating Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba © Dan Krajcman

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Despite fine musical performances, Brett Dean’s Hamlet from the Met fails to appeal  

United StatesUnited States Brett Dean, Hamlet: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York / Nicholas Carter (conductor), Broadcast Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to the Dundonald Omniplex, Belfast, 4.6.2022. (RB)

(Back l-r) Dame Sarah Connolly (Gertrude); Rod Gilfry (Claudius), William Burden (Polonius) and Brenda Rae (Ophelia) © Karen Almond / Met Opera

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At the end of Stefan Herheim’s new Berlin Ring, Götterdämmerung wipes the slate clean

GermanyGermany Wagner, Götterdämmerung: Soloists, actors, Chorus and Orchestra of Deutsche Oper Berlin / Sir Donald Runnicles (conductor). Filmed (directed by Götz Filenius) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in November 2021 and now available on Marquee TV. (JPr)

Okka von der Damerau (Waltraute) and Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde) © Bernd Uhlig

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