An outstanding production of Massenet’s Don Quichotte by Wexford Festival Opera

IrelandIreland Wexford Festival Opera 2019 [1] – Massenet, Don Quichotte:  Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Wexford Festival Opera / Timothy Myers (conductor), Wexford Opera House, Wexford Opera Festival, Wexford, 25.10.2019. (RB)

Aigul Akhmetshina and Goderdz Janelidze (c) Clive Barda

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Glyndebourne’s New Die Zauberflöte Misfires, Despite an Excellent Cast

United KingdomUnited Kingdom Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2019 [3] – Mozart, Die Zauberflöte: Soloists, Chorus of the Glyndebourne Festival, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor), Glyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, 21.7.2019. (RB)

Sofia Fomina, Martin Snell, Brindley Sherratt, Michael Kraus, Thomas Atkins
and chorus (c) Bill Cooper

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CHORUS MASTER STEPHEN DOUGHTY IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT BEATTIE

Stephen Doughty Tells Robert Beattie About the Work of the Belfast Philharmonic Choir

Stephen Doughty conducts the Belfast Philharmonic Choir (c) Linda Salem

The Belfast Philharmonic Choir is Northern Ireland’s only symphonic choir.  I went to listen to them perform in St Anne’s Cathedral a few months ago and was impressed with the quality of the singing and the range of their repertoire. The repertoire of the choir is exceptionally varied and includes key works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner. The Phil also champion new works and in 2015 they performed the world premiere of James Whitbourn’s The Seven Heavens which was written especially to commemorate the choir’s 140th anniversary.

They will be performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Ulster Orchestra on 7 June.  I spoke to their Chorus Master Stephen Doughty about preparations for the performance and about the work of the choir more generally.

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MULTI-FACETED MUSICIAN JOY LISNEY IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT BEATTIE

Joy Lisney talks to Robert Beattie

Joy Lisney (c) Krisztian Siphos

I first came across Joy Lisney at a concert in London’s Purcell Room where she performed all five Beethoven Cello Sonatas with her father, James (review click here).  I was struck by the extraordinarily high level of her technical accomplishment and musicianship, and her willingness to take on such demanding repertoire at a relatively young age.

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The Met: Live in HD Ends Season With a Marvellous Dialogues des Carmélites

United StatesUnited States Poulenc, Dialogues des CarmélitesSoloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York / Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor) broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera, New York to the Dundonald Omniplex, Belfast 11.5.2019. (RB)

Dialogues des Carmélites (c) Ken Howard/The Met

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