Somewhere between the 1930s and 1940s, a group of Jewish men and women gathers in a vast and richly stocked library. As in all places where books are handled and…
LA GIOCONDA | Gran Teatre del Liceu
There are operas you fall in love with instantly. And then there are operas like La Gioconda. For me, Ponchielli’s Venetian epic has always been something I listen to in…
TAMERLANO | Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
The International Händel Festival taking place at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe presents Handel’s Tamerlano. It’s a prime opportunity to witness the immense René Jacobs at the helm of the…
RINALDO | Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
As part of its Internationale Händel-Festspiele, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is reviving the production of Rinaldo that was first presented here last year. This production by Hinrich Horstkotte pays tribute…
DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES | Den Kongelige Opera
The spareness of the décor presages that of the work itself. From the instant the curtain rises, space is yielded to the full dramatic amplitude such an act of remembrance…
NORMA | Teatro Regio Parma
This was a date I had been waiting for for a long time. The main reason was Vasilisa Berzhanskaya. I have seen her several times in bel canto repertoire, including…
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR | Opéra National du Capitole
For this final revival of Nicolas Joël’s classic production, the Toulouse Opera unveiled an international caliber principal cast, raising expectations to a peak on opening night.With its grandiose sets, meticulously…
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE | Teatro Carlo Felice
“Since I have never in my life enjoyed the true happiness of love, I intend to erect a further monument to this most beautiful of dreams, a monument in which…
VIOLANTA | Deutsche Oper Berlin
The work is as rare as it is concise (barely eighty minutes) yet sufficiently incandescent to leave upon its listeners an imprint commensurate with the ardour of its passions and…