Jim Pritchard

Barrie Kosky’s Das Rheingold for the Royal Opera is a miscast, misconceived, mishmash of ideas

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Wagner, Das Rheingold: Soloists, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Peter Jones) from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to Cineworld Basildon, 20.9.2023. (JPr)

Christopher Purves (Alberich) and the Rhinemaidens © Monika Rittershaus

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Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna and Luca Salsi are outstanding in Verona Opera Festival’s Tosca

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ItalyItaly Puccini’s Tosca at the 100th Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023 [3]: Soloists, Children’s Choir (conductor: Elisabetta Zucca), Chorus (chorus director: Roberto Gabbiani) and Orchestra of Arena di Verona / Francesco Ivan Ciampa (conductor). Recorded (directed by Barbara Napolitano) at the Arena di Verona on 29.7.2023 and available on RaiPlay for a limited time. (JPr)

From l-r: Carlo Bosi (Spoletta), Roberto Alagna (Cavaradossi), Aleksandra Kurzak (Tosca) and Luca Salsi (Scarpia) © Ennevi Foto

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Vienna State Ballet’s season opener Don Quixote revival does Rudolf Nureyev proud

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AustriaAustria Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote: Dancers of Vienna State Ballet, Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera / Robert Reimer (conductor). Transmitted live (directed by Balázs Delbó) from the Vienna State Opera, 16.9.2023. (JPr)

Zsolt Török (l, Don Quixote), Liudmila Konovalova (centre, Dulcinea) and Olga Esina (r, The Queen of the Dryads) © Wiener Staatsballett/Ashley Taylor

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Remarkable singing actors makes Saffron Opera Group’s Rosenkavalier a significant achievement

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier (concert performance): Soloists, Chorus (chorus master: James Davey) and Orchestra of Saffron Opera Group / Michael Thorne (conductor). Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, Essex, 10.9.2023. (JPr)

Catherine Carby (Octavian as ‘Mariandel’) and Ella de Jongh (The Marschallin) © Roger King

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Sonya Yoncheva and Vittorio Grigòlo star in Verona’s unashamedly traditional Tosca

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ItalyItaly Puccini’s Tosca at the 100th Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023 [2]: Soloists, Children’s Choir (conductor: Elisabetta Zucca), Chorus (chorus director: Roberto Gabbiani) and Orchestra of Arena di Verona / Francesco Ivan Ciampa (conductor). Recorded (directed by Tiziano Mancini) at the Arena di Verona on 5.8.2023 and available on ARTE Concert until 12.11.2023.  (JPr)

Vittorio Grigòlo (Cavaradossi) © Ennevi Foto

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The exceptional Yuja Wang is a revelation at the BBC Proms both on the stage and off it

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Prom 27 – Jimmy López Bellido, Rachmaninov, Walton: Yuja Wang (piano), Thomas Hampson (baritone), BBC Symphony Chorus (chorus director: Neil Ferris) and Orchestra / Klaus Mäkelä (conductor). Recorded (directed by John Williams) at the Royal Albert Hall, London, 4.8.2023 and shown on BBC Four. (JPr)

Belshazzar’s Feast at the BBC Proms 2023 © BBC/Chris Christodoulou

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Verdi’s Macbeth proves infertile ground for Krzysztof Warlikowski at the Salzburg Festival

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AustriaAustria Salzburg Festival 2023 [2] – Verdi, Macbeth: Soloists, Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus, Angelika Prokopp Summer Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Philippe Jordan (conductor). Performance of 29.7.2023 (directed by Henning Kasten) and available until 27.10.2023 on ARTE Concert. (JPr)

Krzysztof Warlikowski’s Macbeth Act II, Scene 3 © Bernd Uhlig

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