Opera & Ballet

Collected opera and ballet reviews

Sofia Opera’s spectacular staging of The Hermit of Rila is a spiritual and visual musical wonder

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BulgariaBulgaria Fr Kiril Popov, The Hermit of Rila: Soloists, Children’s Vocal and Theatre Formation (Dimitar Kostantsaliev, director), Chorus and Orchestra of Sofia Opera / Metropolitan of Stara Zagora Kyprian (conductor). Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Sofia, 26.7.2024. (GT)

Sofia Opera’s The Hermit of Rila © Svetoslav Nikolov-Chapi

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Christian Thielemann leads a fine concert performance of Capriccio in Salzburg

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AustriaAustria Salzburg Festival 2024 [4] – R. Strauss, Capriccio: Soloists, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Christian Thielemann (conductor). Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg, 26.7.2024. (MB)

Salzburg Festival’s concert performance of Capriccio © SF/Marco Borrelli

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Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson’s new Bayreuth Tristan lacks coherence, dramatic cogency and better singing

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GermanyGermany Bayreuth Festival 2024 [1] – Wagner, Tristan und Isolde: Soloists, Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra / Semyon Bychkov (conductor). Recorded live (directed by Michael Beyer) at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, 25.7.2024. (JPr)

Bayreuther Festspiele 2024 – Tristan und Isolde Act III © Enrico Nawrath

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Subtle nuances abound in Brigitte Fassbender’s production of Die Walküre for Tiroler Festspiele Erl

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GermanyGermany Tiroler Festspiele Erl – Wagner, Die Walküre: Soloists and orchestra of the Tyrolean Festival Erl / Erik Nielsen (conductor). Passionsspielhaus Erl, 24.7.2024. (DMD)

Tiroler Festspiele Erl’s Die Walküre Act I © Xiomara Bender

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Fine performances of two twentieth-century Italian masterworks in Salzburg

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AustriaAustria Salzburg Festival 2024 [3] – Nono and Dallapiccola: Soloists, Bavarian Radio Chorus (chorus director: Peter Dijkstra), Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra / Maxime Pascal (conductor). Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, 25.7.2024. (MB)

Caroline Wettergreen, Freya Apffelstaedt and Robin Tritschler singing in Il prigioniero © SF/Marco Borrelli

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Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio at Marvão Castle: a cautionary tale for modern times

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PortugalPortugal Marvão International Music Festival [2] – Mozart, Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Soloists, Cologne Chamber Orchestra / Christoph Poppen (conductor). Castelo de Marvão, Portugal, 21.7.2024. (LV)

Leonor Amaral (Konstanze) and Cláudia de Serpa Soares (Dancer) © Paulo Gouveia & Estela Alvarez Ruiz

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