Germany Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Stefano Ranzani (conductor), Nationaltheater, Munich, 26.2.2015 (JMI)
Madama Butterfly: In Traditional Staging in Munich
Opera & Ballet
Collected opera and ballet reviews
Inventive Performance of Handel’s Ariodante from Young Cincinnati Group
United States Handel, Ariodante: Soloists, Cincinnati Chamber Opera. Asencion & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Cincinnati, OH. 27.2.2015 (RDA)
Sensuality, Symmetry, but also Irritation in Northern Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet
United Kingdom Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet: Northern Ballet, Northern Ballet Sinfonia / John Pryce-Jones (conductor), Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 26.3.2015 (SRT)
Musical strengths of Purcell’s Indian Queen marred by baleful, self-indulgent production
United Kingdom Purcell, The Indian Queen: Soloists, Chorus (chorus master: Christopher Bucknall) and Orchestra of the English National Opera / Laurence Cummings (conductor). London Coliseum, 26.2.2015. (MB)
Print Room’s Opening Dance Programme Celebrates Heyday of Coronet Cinema
United Kingdom Various composers, 1898: Contemporary Dance Festival, Print Room at the Coronet, London, 23.2.2015 (J.O’D)
Refreshed and Reinvigorated Die Zauberflöte at Covent Garden
United Kingdom Mozart, Die Zauberflöte: Soloists, Royal Opera House, Chorus (chorus master: Renato Balsadonna), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Cornelius Meister (conductor). Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 23.2.2015 (MB)
“Juliette” Vaut un Détour
Switzerland Martinu: Juliette Soloists, Chorus of the Zurich Opera, Philharmonia Zurich, conductor: Fabio Luisi, Zurich Opera, Zurich. 22.2.14 (JR)
The Two Figaros Conspire to Delight
Mercadante: The Two Figaros (I due Figaro): Opera UCLA, Joseph Colaneri (conductor), Freud Playhouse, Los Angeles, 13.2.15-22.2.15 (JRo) Cast (for Feb.15 and 20, alternate cast Feb. 13 and 22): Count Almaviva: Arnold Geis Countess Almaviva: Joanna Lynn-Jacobs Inès: Annie Sherman Cherubino: Meagan Martin Figaro: Gregorio Gonzalez Susanna: Terri Richter Don Alvaro: Gregory Sliskovich Plagio: … Read more