Opera & Ballet

Collected opera and ballet reviews

An unforgettable The Turn of the Screw closes the Cumbria Opera Festival

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Britten, The Turn of the Screw: Soloists, Jessica Meakin, Julian Cann (violins), Kim Becker (viola), Daniel Crompton (cello), Richard English (double bass), Richard Allen (harp), Hannah Gillingham (flute/alto flute/piccolo), Mana Shibata (oboe/cor anglais), William Hammond (clarinet/bass clarinet), Ursula Leveaux (bassoon), Chris Howlings (French horn), Alex Norton (piano/celesta), Stephen Burke (percussion) / Joe Davies (conductor). Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands, 30.8.2025. (CK)

Kirsty McLean (The Governess)

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Estimable Salzburg Festival production and performance of Eötvös’s Three Sisters

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AustriaAustria Salzburg Festival 2025 [7] – Eötvös, Three Sisters: Soloists, Actors, Klangforum Wien / Maxime Pascal, Alphonse Cemin (conductors). Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, 24.8.2025. (MB)

Salzburg Festival 2025 –  Three Sisters © SF/Monika Rittershaus

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Tarmo Peltokoski works magic in witty semi-staged production of Die Zauberflöte in Bremen

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GermanyGermany Musikfest Bremen 2025 [1] – Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute): Soloists, Chorwerk Ruhr, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen / Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor). Die Glocke, Bremen, 27.8.2025. (DM-D)

[front l-r] Andreas Conrad (Monostatos), Chorwerk Ruhr, Elsa Dreisig (Pamina) and Äneas Humm (Papageno) © Patric Leo

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A sparkling The Marriage of Figaro from the Cumbria Opera Festival 2025

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Cumbria Opera Festival 2025 [1] – Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro: Soloists, Chorus; Jessica Meakin, Julian Cann (violins), Hannah Borlase (viola), Daniel Crompton (cello), Hannah Gillingham (flute), Sarah Davies (oboe), William Hammond (clarinet), Ursula Leveaux (bassoon), Alistair Burton (harpsichord continuo) / Melvin Tay (conductor). Penrith Methodist Church, 23.8.2025. (CK)

The Marriage of Figaro at the Cumbria Opera Festival 2025 © Chris Tribble

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An unmitigated triumph: Bieto’s and Sagripanti’s Zelmira at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro

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ItalyItaly Rossini Opera Festival 2025 [1] – Rossini, Zelmira: Soloists, Coro del Teatro Ventidio basso (choir leader: Pasquale Veleno), Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna / Giacomo Sagripanti (conductor). Auditorium Scavolini, Pesaro, 10.8.2024. (AB)

Anastasia Bartoli (Zelmira), Edoardo Maria D’Angelo (Zelmira’s son) and Marina Viotti (Emma) in Zelmira

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