Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Latvian National Opera, Riga, 10.6.2011 (GF)
Opera & Ballet
Collected opera and ballet reviews
The Fairy Queen Hits the Big Apple: Purcell’s Opera Performed in New York
The Fairy Queen: Big Apple Baroque and Dušan Týnek Dance and Theatre, The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, New York, 14.6.2011 (SSM)
In Praise of Amateur Opera – Bel Canto Opera’s La Traviata
Verdi, La Traviata: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of Bel Canto Opera, Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham, 16.6.2011. (RJ)
Britten well served by revival of Decker’s Peter Grimes
United Kingdom Britten, Peter Grimes: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Sir Andrew Davis (conductor). Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 21.6.2011. (MB)
Sellars, Upshaw and Crumb’s Berkeley Commentary on Afghanistan
Crumb, traditional Afghan music: Dawn Upshaw (soprano), red fish bue fish (percussion ensemble), Stephen Schick (percussion), Gil Kalish (piano), The Sakhi Ensemble, presented by Cal Performances, Zellerbach Playhouse, Berkeley, Calif. 16.6.2011 (HS)
Back to the Eighties: Reconstructing Lully’s Atys Again
J-B. Lully, Atys: Soloists, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (conductor). Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. 19.6.2011 (JMI)
Haphazard Götterdämmerung fails to light up Paris
Wagner, Götterdämmerung: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra national de Paris, Philippe Jordan (conductor). Opéra Bastille, Paris, 18.6.2011 (MB)
Outstanding Performances of Contemporary Works at the Cité de la Musique
Fedele, Staud, and Mantovani: Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Robin Meier (IRCAM sound realisation), Franck Berthoux (IRCAM sound engineer), Ensemble Intercontemporain, Susanna Mälkki (conductor). Salle des concerts, Cité de la musique, Paris, 17.6.2011 (MB)