United Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2025 [1]: (SRT)
Surviving EIF’s eight-hour opening Tavener choral concert proves dubiously memorable
Simon Thompson
Dramatic and exciting Haydn and Beethoven and mellifluous Brahms from Emelyanychev and the SCO
United Kingdom Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn: Yeol Eum Son (piano), Anna Dennis (soprano), Katie Bray (mezzo-soprano), Anthony Gregory (tenor), Neal Davies (bass), Scottish Chamber Chorus and Orchestra / Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor), Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 8.5.2025. (SRT)
A first revival of Scottish Ballet’s The Crucible proves it is a bankable classic
United Kingdom Scottish Ballet’s The Crucible: Dancers and Orchestra of Scottish Ballet / Daniel Parkinson (conductor). Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 1.5.2025. (SRT)
The BBC SSO treats its Glasgow audience to Richard Strauss’s Elektra Symphonic Suite
United Kingdom Bonis, Mozart, R. Strauss: Javier Perianes (piano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Anja Bihlmaier (conductor), City Halls, Glasgow, 24.4.2025. (SRT)
Hamburg State Opera’s Falstaff revival in its ‘Italian Opera Weeks’ is the ‘Best of British’
Germany Verdi, Falstaff: Soloists, Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper, Philharmonishces Staatsorchester Hamburg / Finnegan Downie Dear (conductor). Staatsoper Hamburg, 6.4.2025. (SRT)
Hamburg State Opera’s Il trovatore revival with a disappointing cast and contentious production
Germany Verdi, Il trovatore: Soloists, Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper, Philharmonishces Staatsorchester Hamburg / Paolo Arrivabeni (conductor). Staatsoper Hamburg, 5.4.2025. (SRT)
Hamburg State Opera shows how the uniqueness of La fanciulla in Puccini’s output makes it treasurable
Germany Puccini, La fanciulla del West: Soloists, Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper, Philharmonishces Staatsorchester Hamburg / Antonino Fogliani (conductor). Staatsoper Hamburg, 4.4.2025. (SRT)
Jonathan Dove’s new opera Uprising may prove a transformative experience for some
United Kingdom Jonathan Dove, Uprising: Soloists, RSNO Youth Chorus, RSNO Chorus Academy, RSNO Changed Voices, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Ellie Slorach (conductor). Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 28.3.2025. (SRT)
