My first memory of Lulu is not operatic but pop-musical. Born into a household where British pop was in full swing, my point of reference was Pandora’s Box by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,…
DER ROSENKAVALIER |Â Wiener Staatsoper
To hear and see this opera here makes more sense than anywhere else in the world – save perhaps Dresden – because this is where it happens, and where it…
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM | Deutsche Oper Berlin
When an opera is based on a comedy, one is entitled to expect at least some trace of humour. A modicum of entertainment, at the very least; laughter would be…
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS | Staatsoper Berlin
Staging Ariadne auf Naxos is no simple task. Beneath its apparent simplicity – modest duration and relatively small forces – the work presents real challenges, not least in balancing comedy and gravity….
INTERMEZZO | Semperoper
Depending on your point of departure, Dresden may not be the most accessible destination in Germany. For those living in Paris, as the author of these lines does, the least…
DER ROSENKAVALIER | Staatsoper Berlin
After the triumph of Elektra and the less conclusive venture of Ă–dipus und die Sphinx, Hofmannsthal felt the need to step back from tragedy and attempt a genre more accessible…
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE | Oper Frankfurt
Oper Frankfurt opens the early spring season with a revival of Katharina Thoma’s 2020 production. The staging is marked by Johannes Leiacker’s pared‑back set design, the same throughout all three…
LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK | Komisch Oper Berlin
The aesthetic violence matches the musical intensity. Remembering that, for its composer, this opera was a “satirical tragedy”, where “satirical” means an indictment of the cynicism and contempt of Russia’s…
DON CARLO | Deutsche Oper Berlin
Long acclaimed for its merits, the current Don Carlo at the Deutsche Oper nonetheless proves a revelation to those approaching it anew. The eye is first caught by Marco Arturo…