United Kingdom Mozart, Die Zauberflöte: Soloists, Royal Academy Opera Chorus, Royal Academy Sinfonia, Jane Glover (conductor). Sir Jack Lyons Theatre, Royal Academy of Music, London, 14.3.2012 (MB)
Opera & Ballet
Collected opera and ballet reviews
Dancing and Music of the Highest Order in BRB’s Ashton Double Bill
United Kingdom Frederick Ashton ‘Spring Passions’ Double Bill, Daphnis and Chloë and The Two Pigeons: Dancers of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Koen Kessels. London Coliseum, London, 13.3.2012. (JPr)
Wild Thing, She Makes Your Heart Sing; Meow
Spain Manuel Penella: El gato montés: Soloists, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Coro del Teatro de la Zarzuela, Óliver Díaz (conductor), Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid, 3.3.2012 (JMI)
Stagecraft Dominates in Seattle Opera’s Orphée et Eurydice
United States Gluck, Orphée et Eurydice: Seattle Opera, soloists, Gary Thor Wedow (conductor), Jose Maria Condemi (director), Phillip Lienau (sets), Heidi Zamora (costumes), Connie Yun (lighting), Joyce Degenfelder (hair and makeup design), Yannis Adoniou (choreography), Beth Kirchhoff (chorus master), Philip A. Kelsey and David McDade (musical preparation), McCaw Hall, Seattle, 25 & 29.2.2012 (BJ)
Banal Libretto and Unadventurous Score Mar Judith Weir’s New Opera
United Kingdom Judith Weir, Miss Fortune (British premiere): Soloists, Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Paul Daniel (conductor). Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 12.3.2012 (MB)
Memories of Another Past: Stefan Herheim’s La bohème
Norway Puccini, La bohème: Soloists, Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and Children’s Chorus, Eivind Gullberg Jensen (conductor), Oslo Opera, 23.1.2012 (JFL)
Classical Opera Performs Lucio Silla, Mozart’s Underrated Opera!
United Kingdom Mozart: Lucio Silla, K135: (Concert Performance) Soloists of Classical Opera, Orchestra of Classical Opera, Members of the Lucio Silla Chorus / Ian Page. (conductor), Cadogan Hall, London, 8.3.2012 (MMB)
Good and Bad Is All Good at New York City Opera
United States Verdi, La Traviata: Soloists, chorus and orchestra of New York City Opera, Steven White, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, 16.2.2012 (GG)