Opera & Ballet

Collected opera and ballet reviews

Saffron Opera Group’s Meistersinger for its 10th anniversary was a triumph over adversity

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Wagner, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Soloists, Saffron Opera Group Chorus (chorus director: James Davey), Saffron Opera Group Orchestra / Michael Thorne (conductor). Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, Essex, 15.9.2024. (JPr)

Saffron Opera Group’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (final scene) © Sara Platt

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San Francisco Opera’s The Handmaid’s Tale could not be timelier, even if the music feels dated

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United StatesUnited States Poul Ruders, The Handmaid’s Tale: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of San Francisco Opera / Karen Kamensek (conductor). War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 14.9.2024. (HS)

The Commander (John Relyea), Offred (Irene Roberts) and Serena Joy (Lindsay Ammann) © Corey Weaver/SFO

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Siobhan Stagg steps in as Susanna and is the undoubted star of David McVicar’s Marriage of Figaro revival

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro): Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Royal Opera / Julia Jones (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Rhodri Huw) to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, from Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 10.9.2024. (JPr)

David McVicar’s The Marriage of Figaro Act I © Clive Barda

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