Mainly Opera and Ballet
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.
The coldness of Jonathan Kent’s new production, and the barrage of boos greeting the creative team at the curtain calls, contrasted with the huge warmth of the singing and conducting. Antonio Pappano, who has claimed this to be his favourite Puccini opera, fully brought out the vividness and emotion of the composer’s first major success. The …
In this new cast, Kristine Opolais and Yonghoon Lee complemented Michael Volle, who has sung Scarpia all this month at Covent Garden. From my previous experience of him in other bass-baritone roles (from Salome to Aida) he more than lived up to expectations, but it was Yonghoon Lee as Cavaradossi who was the new find …
