Jim Pritchard

Throughout their BBC Prom, an unspoken musical bond between Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason remained palpable

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom BBC Proms Live – Beethoven, Barber, Bridge, and Rachmaninoff: Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano). Pre-recorded on 6.9.2020 and later broadcast (directed for TV by Matthew Woodward) on BBC Four. (JPr)

Isata (piano) and Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) (c) BBC/Chris Christodoulou

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In Munich, Marina Abramović showed how when the music stopped for Maria Callas the legend endured

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GermanyGermany Marko Nikodijević, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas: Extra Choir of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra / Yoel Gamzou (conductor). Performed at National Theatre, Munich, 5.9.2020 and reviewed on ARTE Concert. (JPr)

Marina Abramović in 7 Deaths of Maria Callas © Wilfried Hösl

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Royal Opera: Live in Concert was a Covid-secure evening of world-class singing and music-making

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Royal Opera: Live in Concert – #OurHouseToYourHouse: Kristīne Opolais, Lisette Oropesa (sopranos), Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano), Charles Castronovo, Filipe Manu (tenors), Vito Priante (baritone), Gerald Finley (bass-baritone), Jeremy White (bass), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor). Streamed live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 4.9.2020. (JPr)

Kristīne Opolais and Gerald Finley in rehearsal for their Tosca duet

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At the 100th Salzburg Festival, there was a memorable all-Tchaikovsky concert with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvasov

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AustriaAustria 100th Salzburg Festival – Tchaikovsky: Anna Netrebko (soprano), Yusif Eyvazov (tenor), Szilvia Vörös (mezzo-soprano). Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg / Mikhail Tatarnikov (conductor). 25.8.2020 performance from the Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg, reviewed on ARTE Concert. (JPr)

Yusif Eyvazov, Anna Netrebko, Mikhail Tatarnikov
and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg © Salzburg Festival/Marco Borrelli

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Patrice Chéreau’s Ring comes full circle and it is Pierre Boulez who is beyond criticism

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GermanyGermany Wagner, Götterdämmerung: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival / Pierre Boulez (conductor). Filmed at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1980 and reviewed on DG Stage on 30.8.2020. (JPr)

Patrice Chéreau’s  Götterdämmerung final scene

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Land of the Midnight Sun’s Oscarshall Palace welcomes Lise Davidsen, opera’s international rising star

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United StatesUnited States Met Stars Live in Concert [4]: Lise Davidsen (soprano) and James Baillieu (piano). Broadcast live in HD (directed by Gary Halvorson) from Oscarshall Palace, Oslo, 29.8.2020. (JPr)

James Baillieu and Lise Davidsen in Oscarshall Palace (c) Hallvard Bræin

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Centenary Bayreuth Ring revisited: a prosaic staging is well-acted, though the singing is variable

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GermanyGermany Wagner, Siegfried: Soloists, Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival / Pierre Boulez (conductor). Filmed at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1980 and reviewed on DG Stage on 28.8.2020. (JPr)

Manfred Jung (Siegfried) and Heinz Zednik (Mime)

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100th Salzburg Festival: Garanča’s Wagner is impressive and so is Thielemann and the VPO’s Bruckner

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AustriaAustria 100th Salzburg Festival – Wagner & Bruckner: Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Christian Thielemann (conductor). Performance of 22.8.2020 reviewed as an Arte Concert free live stream from the Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg, on 26.8.2020. (JPr)

Elīna Garanča and Christian Thielemann (c) Marco Borrelli

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