Czech Republic Shchedrin, Lolita: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague State Opera, Kühn’s Children’s Choir / Sergey Neller (conductor). Estates Theater Prague, 8.1.2020. (SS)
Shchedrin’s Lolita in Prague: despicable and brutal, and turgid
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Silesian Theater Opava’s Freudian Der Freischütz at the Opera 2020 Festival in Prague
Czech Republic Weber, Der Freischütz: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Silesian Theater Opava / Vojtěch Spurný (conductor). Estates Theater Prague, 7.1.2020. (SS)
Olomouc Ensemble Shines in Quirky Così fan tutte at Prague’s Opera 2020 Festival
Czech Republic Mozart, Così fan tutte: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Moravian Theater Olomouc / Miloslav Oswald (conductor). Moravian Theater Olomouc guest performance, Estates Theater Prague, 6.1.2020. (SS)
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s penetrating revival of Beat Furrer’s Violetter Schnee
Germany Beat Furrer, Violetter Schnee: Soloists, Vocalconsort Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin / Matthias Pintscher (conductor). Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, 10.1.2020. (MB)
A diabolical double bill of Rachmaninoff at Prague’s Opera 2020 Festival
Czech Republic Rachmaninoff, Francesca da Rimini & The Miserly Knight: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the F. X. Šalda Theater Liberec / Martin Doubravský (conductor), F. X. Šalda Theater guest performance, Národní Divadlo Prague, 5.1.2020. (SS)
William Kentridge’s Met Wozzeck pits Berg’s timeless characters against a backdrop of the First World War
United States Berg, Wozzeck: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera / Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor). Broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 11.1.2020. (JPr)
(c) Ken Howard/Met Opera
Hänsel und Gretel is a lovely way to open the operatic year at Deutsche Oper
Germany Humperdinck, Hänsel und Gretel: Soloists, Children’s Chorus (chorus director: Christian Lindhorst) and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper, Berlin / Donald Runnicles (conductor). Deutsche Oper, Berlin, 4.1.2020. (MB)
A memorable account of Der Rosenkavalier at the Met
United States R. Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier: Soloists, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Chorus (chorus master: Donald Palumbo), Metropolitan Opera Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle (conductor). Metropolitan Opera House, New York, 23.12.2019. (JQ)
(c) Karen Almond/Met Opera