Mainly Opera and Ballet
Mozart’s most renowned operas are the three he wrote in the late 1780s to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte. Sadly da Ponte’s benefactor, the Habsburg Emperor Joseph II, died in February 1790, bringing the writer’s income to an end and effectively terminating his collaboration with Mozart. One wonders what …
A terrific revival, fully expressing the enormous subtlety of this Massenet opera under Edward Gardner’s musical direction. Superbly cast with Juan Diego Flórez as Werther and Isabel Leonard as Charlotte giving beautifully nuanced performances — my review in The Article.
A terrific revival of Tosca with Bryn Terfel as Scarpia and Kristine Opolais as Tosca under the wonderfully sensitive baton of Alexander Joel. Vittorio Grigolo’s resounding tenor as Cavaradossi lacked some magic and nobility, but wonderful performances of Angelotti and the Sacristan. See my review in The Article.
