Die Walküre, Royal Opera, April 2025
May 5, 2025Musically this was outstanding under the baton of Antonio Pappano, who has just been made the Royal Opera’s first Conductor Laureate. The singing was excellent all round, and the only thing to mar one’s enjoyment was Barrie Kosky’s production with its obsession in having a naked Erda on stage for most of the time — …
Peter Grimes, WNO, April 2025
April 10, 2025This new production by the Welsh National Opera portrays Grimes, brilliantly performed by Nicky Spence, as a bully. Brutal but with a hugely vulnerable side that is desperate for the love of the young widow Ellen Orford. She would take him in a heartbeat, but he insists on acquiring the respect of the local community …
Mary Queen of Scots, ENO, February 2025
February 17, 2025If you ever wondered about the history of Mary Stuart and her period on the throne of Scotland this opera by Thea Musgrave explains the intrigue, the competition for her hand in marriage, and the religious tensions. The only downside is that there is no let up from the tension — see my review in …
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