Opera & Ballet

Collected opera and ballet reviews

Vaudeville comes to Longborough in a UK premiere of Wahnfried: the birth of the Wagner cult

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Avner Dorman, Wahnfried: the birth of the Wagner cult: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Longborough Festival Opera / Justin Brown (conductor).  Longborough, Gloucestershire. 27.5.2025. (CP)

Longborough Festival Opera’s Wahnfried: the birth of the Wagner cult © Matthew Williams-Ellis

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Cultural hedonism gets explored as Tannhäuser returns to Vienna State Opera in a new production

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AustriaAustria Wagner, Tannhäuser: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Vienna State Opera / Philippe Jordan (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Dominic Kepczynski) from the Vienna State Opera, 25.5.2025. (JPr)

Clay Hilley (Tannhäuser) and Ekaterina Gubanova (Venus) © Michael Poehn/Wiener Staatsoper

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The pizzazz of An American in Paris redeems Wheeldon revisiting old choreographic friends

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works – Fool’s Paradise, The Two of Us, Us, An American in Paris: Dancers of The Royal Ballet, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Koen Kessels (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Ross MacGibbon) from the Royal Opera House, London, to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 22.5.2025. (JPr)

Fool’s Paradise – Lukas B. Brændsrød and Marianela Nuñez © Johan Persson

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