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Hugo Shirley

Hugo Shirley

Hugo Shirley is a Berlin-based writer and musicologist. He has written widely as a critic in the UK, including for The Spectator, the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph, and has held editorial posts at both Opera and Gramophone. He was editor of 30-Second Opera (Ivy Press, 2015) and has a PhD in musicology from King's College London, where his thesis focused on Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Author:Hugo Shirley

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Andrés Orozco-Estrada © Stephan Rabold

Breezy does it: Orozco-Estrada and the Berlin Phil in Haydn and Mahler

By Hugo Shirley, 5 November 2026

The Colombian steps in for Iván Fischer after disagreements about orchestral layout to deliver superb Haydn, but his Mahler only tells half the story.

***11

Andrés Orozco-Estrada © Stephan Rabold

Breezy does it: Orozco-Estrada and the Berlin Phil in Haydn and Mahler

By Hugo Shirley

Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin © Peter Adamik

Summits and Sunsets: Thielemann and the Staatskapelle perform Strauss

By Hugo Shirley, 21 October 2026

Diana Damrau doesn't quite soar in the Four Last Songs, but this was an Alpensinfonie to treasure.

****1

Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin © Peter Adamik

Summits and Sunsets: Thielemann and the Staatskapelle

By Hugo Shirley

Daniel Harding, Johanna Wallroth and Marianne Crebassa © Bettina Stöß

Storms without the stress: Daniel Harding and the Berliner Philharmoniker in Mahler 2

By Hugo Shirley, 26 September 2026

Drama, precision and high-definition contrast in a thrilling Resurrection Symphony at the Philharmonie.

****1

Daniel Harding, Johanna Wallroth and Marianne Crebassa © Bettina Stöß

Storms without the stress: Daniel Harding and the Berliner Phil

By Hugo Shirley

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig © Jens Gerber (2022)

Marek Janowski steps in for Bruckner 8 in Leipzig

By Hugo Shirley, 17 September 2026

Superb musicality and terrific playing underpin Marek Janowski's no-nonsense Bruckner with the Gewandhausorchester.

****1

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig © Jens Gerber (2022)

Marek Janowski steps in for Bruckner 8 in Leipzig

By Hugo Shirley

Petr Sokolov (Mazeppa) and Nombulelo Yende (Mariya) © Xiomara Bender

Frankfurt am Main

Tchaikovsky Noir: Mazeppa gets the gangster treatment in Frankfurt

By Hugo Shirley, 13 September 2026

The gritty realism of Matthew Wild’s updated production can’t quite save Tchaikovsky’s historic drama in its Frankfurt premiere.

***11

Petr Sokolov (Mazeppa) and Nombulelo Yende (Mariya) © Xiomara Bender

Frankfurt am Main

Tchaikovsky Noir: Mazeppa gets the gangster treatment in Frankfurt

By Hugo Shirley

Die Frau ohne Schatten © Krzysztof Bieliński

Heroes and Beasts: Mariusz Treliński’s staging of Die Frau ohne Schatten in Warsaw

By Hugo Shirley, 15 February 2026

The Polish National Opera's first staging of Strauss' massive fairy tale feels like a bold statement of intent.

***11

Die Frau ohne Schatten © Krzysztof Bieliński

Heroes and Beasts: Die Frau ohne Schatten in Warsaw

By Hugo Shirley

A comet descends over the monastery of Sankt Florian, Upper Austria © H Raab | Flickr

Journeys with Tonerl: Bruckner’s Austria

By Hugo Shirley, 22 October 2024

Anton Bruckner, nicknamed “Tonerl”, spent his childhood in rural Ansfelden, Upper Austria. Tracking his life from there to Sankt Florian and Vienna, Bruckner would leave a lasting impression on musicians and listeners alike.

A comet descends over the monastery of Sankt Florian, Upper Austria © H Raab | Flickr

Journeys with Tonerl: Bruckner’s Austria

By Hugo Shirley

A hole in the heart: Salzburg Festival’s new Don Giovanni

By Hugo Shirley, 4 August 2021

The pairing of controversial director and bad-boy conductor brings some thrills but the Salzburg Festival's new Don Giovanni proves disappointingly uninvolving.

***11

A hole in the heart: Salzburg Festival’s new Don Giovanni

By Hugo Shirley

Super stars: musical riches in Munich's new Tristan und Isolde

By Hugo Shirley, 29 June 2021

The Bayerische Staatsoper's new Tristan und Isolde, featuring two stellar role debuts, is scenically disappointing but musically superb.

****1

Super stars: musical riches in Munich's new Tristan und Isolde

By Hugo Shirley

Hearts of gold: La fanciulla's soft centre shines through in a gritty Staatsoper staging

By Hugo Shirley, 13 June 2021

A superb musical foundation under Antonio Pappano forms the basis for a satisfying new Fanciulla del West at the Staatoper in Berlin.

****1

Hearts of gold: a gritty La fanciulla at Staatsoper Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Darkness to Light: Herbert Blomstedt and the Berlin Philharmonic in Sibelius and Brahms

By Hugo Shirley, 10 June 2021

The ever-spry Blomstedt offers powerful, no-nonsense readings of a pair of contrasting symphonies.

****1

Darkness to Light: Blomstedt and the Berlin Philharmonic

By Hugo Shirley

A feast in times of famine: Berlin Philhamonic's Covid experiment is a musical triumph

By Hugo Shirley, 20 March 2021

The Berlin Philharmonic's experimental concert not only paves the way to a return to near normality, it presents performances of stunning drama and power.

*****

A feast in times of famine: Berlin Phil's Covid experiment a triumph

By Hugo Shirley

Going out with a “Boum!" Barrie Kosky's socially-distanced Großherzogin von Gerolstein

By Hugo Shirley, 31 October 2020

The Komische Oper's new, socially-distanced Offenbach staging shows plenty of glitzy defiance in its brief appearance before Germany's latest lockdown.

***11

Going out with a “Boum!" at Komische Oper

By Hugo Shirley

Elemental power: titanic Brahms and shimmering Schoenberg in the Berlin Phil's season-opener

By Hugo Shirley, 2 September 2020

Superb performances of Schoenberg and Brahms make the Berliner Philharmoniker's thrilling season-opener with Kirill Petrenko a concert to remember.

*****

Elemental power in the Berlin Phil's season-opener

By Hugo Shirley

Rediscovery and renewal: Barenboim conducts Mozart at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 29 August 2020

Joyous, loving Mozart from the Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim in the first orchestral concert of the 2020 Musikfest Berlin.

****1

Rediscovery and renewal: Barenboim conducts Mozart at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Resounding: Barenboim brings music back to the Pierre Boulez Saal

By Hugo Shirley, 14 August 2020

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra presents a superb programme executed with power and urgency to herald the return of public music-making at the Pierre Boulez Saal.

*****

Resounding: Barenboim brings music back to the Pierre Boulez Saal

By Hugo Shirley

Back in business: a defiant Deutsche Oper's reduced open-air Rheingold

By Hugo Shirley, 12 June 2020

Deutsche Oper Berlin returns in rousing style with a pared-down, open-air Rheingold on its “Parkdeck”.

****1

A defiant Deutsche Oper's reduced open-air Rheingold

By Hugo Shirley

More glitter than gold: the Berliner Staatsoper's new Rosenkavalier

By Hugo Shirley, 9 February 2020

Another opera novice struggles in the Staatsoper's new Rosenkavalier, while Zubin Mehta's leaden conducting proves a burden.

***11

More glitter than gold: the Berliner Staatsoper's new Rosenkavalier

By Hugo Shirley

Exhilarating focus: Petrenko conducts Mahler's Sixth in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley, 25 January 2020

The Berliner Philharmoniker's new chief takes on a Rattle party piece and delivers a thrillingly lucid and focused tour de force.

****1

Exhilarating focus: Petrenko conducts Mahler's Sixth in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Searing Suk: Petrenko conducts the Asrael Symphony in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley, 9 January 2020

Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker are superb in Suk's massive symphony, but Barenboim's Beethoven fails to coalesce.

****1

Searing Suk: Petrenko conducts the Asrael Symphony in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Click bait: an effective new Traviata at the Komische Oper

By Hugo Shirley, 1 December 2019

Nicola Raab's production doesn't quite provide the bold rethinking it promises, but stylish execution and a fine cast make for an effective modern Traviata.

****1

Click bait: an effective new Traviata at the Komische Oper

By Hugo Shirley

Brandon Jovanovich (Samson) and Elīna Garanča (Dalila) © Matthias Baus

Why, why, why Dalila? More disappointment at Unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley, 24 November 2019

Daniel Barenboim conducts an underwhelming cast in the Staatsoper's new Samson et Dalila, and Argentinian director Damián Szifron's operatic debut is stale and cliché-ridden.

**111

Brandon Jovanovich (Samson) and Elīna Garanča (Dalila) © Matthias Baus

Why, why, why Dalila? More disappointment at Unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley

Hands-off: Mehta's Bruckner 8 at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 6 November 2019

There's undeniable power in the Berliner Philharmoniker's playing, but Zubin Mehta needed to offer a stronger sense of where his Bruckner was heading and why.

***11

Hands-off: Mehta's Bruckner 8 at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Lahav Shani © Marco Borggreve

Lahav Shani on winning the Mahler Competition for young conductors

By Hugo Shirley, 4 November 2019

The Israeli conductor and Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra explains how the Bamberg Symphony's Mahler Competition provided a launchpad for his career.

Lahav Shani © Marco Borggreve

Lahav Shani on winning the Mahler Competition for young conductors

By Hugo Shirley

Stag do: David Bösch's loveless Lustige Weiber at the Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley, 3 October 2019

Barenboim conducts Otto Nicolai's Falstaff opera with a warmth and affection that is sorely lacking on stage.

***11

Stag do: David Bösch's loveless Lustige Weiber at the Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley

Firsts and seconds: Iván Fischer jumps in to deliver plenty of thrills with the Berliner Philharmoniker

By Hugo Shirley, 26 September 2019

The Hungarian conductor is a late replacement for a satisfying mixed programme in which pianist Anna Vinnitskaya makes a blistering debut.

****1

Iván Fischer jumps in to deliver thrills with the Berlin Phil

By Hugo Shirley

Verdi Wars: Frank Castorf’s Forza del destino at Deutsche Oper Berlin

By Hugo Shirley, 14 September 2019

Audience uproar brings a much needed sense of theatre to a disappointing production of Verdi’s middle-period epic.

**111

Verdi Wars: Frank Castorf’s Forza del destino at Deutsche Oper

By Hugo Shirley

Sweet sorrow: Daniel Harding conducts an excellent Roméo et Juliette at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 12 September 2019

Daniel Harding conducts a handsome, moving account of Berlioz' Symphonie dramatique with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

****1

Sweet sorrow: an excellent Roméo et Juliette at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

A new era: Kirill Petrenko's new energy proves irresistible at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 23 August 2019

Sultry Berg and and a lithe, forceful Beethoven Nine herald an exciting new reign in Berlin.

*****

Kirill Petrenko's new energy proves irresistible at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Waterworld: firm musical foundations in Finnish National Opera's Pelléas et Mélisande

By Hugo Shirley, 31 May 2019

Marco Arturo Marelli's 2012 production lacks mystery but puts a fine Golaud centre stage, while Esa-Pekka Salonen ensures superior musical values in the pit.

****1

Waterworld: firm musical foundations in Pelléas et Mélisande

By Hugo Shirley

Potential and polish: mixed results at the finals of the Mirjam Helin Competition

By Hugo Shirley, 29 May 2019

The Mirjam Helin's singer-only jury plump for a polished soprano and youthful baritone in a final concert with no obvious stand-out star.

Potential and polish: the finals of the Mirjam Helin Competition

By Hugo Shirley

Einspringer save the day in a joyous Staatsoper Meistersinger

By Hugo Shirley, 14 April 2019

There's little to like in Andrea Moses' production, but a fine cast and glorious playing and conducting make for an enthralling performance of Wagner's grand comedy.

****1

Einspringer save the day in a joyous Staatsoper Meistersinger

By Hugo Shirley

Champagne without the fizz: Tcherniakov's new Betrothal in a Monastery in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley, 13 April 2019

The Russian director's role play production of Prokofiev's comedy falls flat at the Staatsoper.

***11

Champagne without the fizz: Tcherniakov's Betrothal in a Monastery

By Hugo Shirley

Zemlinsky takes centre stage in Deutsche Oper’s Der Zwerg

By Hugo Shirley, 24 March 2019

The Austrian composer’s rarely heard one-acter proves triumphant in an intelligent, moving staging.

*****

Zemlinsky takes centre stage in Deutsche Oper’s Der Zwerg

By Hugo Shirley

Exploring extremes: a rich, rewarding programme from Alan Gilbert and the Berliner Philharmoniker

By Hugo Shirley, 24 January 2019

Orchestra and conductor seem equally at home in Anna Thorvaldsdottir's galactic soundscapes and Richard Strauss' Symphonia Domestica.

****1

Exploring extremes: a rich, rewarding programme in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Musical wonders: the Vienna Philharmonic brings Bruckner and Mozart to Berlin

By Hugo Shirley, 18 December 2018

Riccardo Muti offers a non-interventionist approach in a concert showcasing a great orchestra on golden form.

****1

The Vienna Phil brings Bruckner and Mozart to Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Cool brilliance: Currentzis conducts Mahler at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 5 December 2018

Theodor Currentzis and his musicAeterna bring blistering detail and revelatory playing to Wunderhorn-period Mahler, but it ultimately proves short on warmth.

****1

Cool brilliance: Currentzis conducts Mahler at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Tales of the unexpected: Ticciati and Tetzlaff at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 16 November 2018

Robin Ticciati and the DSO bring a strong sense of purpose to Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and Christian Tetzlaff explores the extremes of Beethoven's Violin Concerto.

****1

Tales of the unexpected: Ticciati and Tetzlaff at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Conviction and courage: Barenboim kicks off his Beethoven cycle at the Pierre Boulez Saal

By Hugo Shirley, 26 October 2018

Intimacy mixes with grandeur in Beethoven playing of rare authority in Berlin.

****1

Conviction and courage: Barenboim kicks off his Beethoven cycle

By Hugo Shirley

Smoke without fire: Cherubini's Medée fails to ignite at the Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley, 7 October 2018

Fine musical performances meet Andrea Breth's dreary new production in a dramatically unsatisfying evening at the Staatsoper.

***11

Smoke without fire: Medée fails to ignite

By Hugo Shirley

Fleeting happiness: Robert Carsen's Tote Stadt at the Komische Oper

By Hugo Shirley, 6 October 2018

The Komische Oper's new staging of Korngold's opera doesn't quite offer the necessary scale or atmosphere.

***11

Fleeting happiness: Robert Carsen's Tote Stadt at the Komische Oper

By Hugo Shirley

Fantastic variations: Brett Dean's new Cello Concerto impresses at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 4 October 2018

Sakari Oramo conducts the European première of a fine new work alongside familiar Grieg and Sibelius.

****1

Fantastic variations: Brett Dean's new Cello Concerto

By Hugo Shirley

Musical riches at Deutsche Oper's Tristan und Isolde

By Hugo Shirley, 23 September 2018

Peter Seiffert can still impress as Tristan, but Graham Vick's staging is uncertain and unconvincing.

***11

Musical riches at Deutsche Oper's Tristan und Isolde

By Hugo Shirley

A dream staging: Claus Guth's Frau ohne Schatten arrives at the Staatsoper unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley, 16 September 2018

Guth's incisive staging of Strauss and Hofmannsthal's grandest opera proves a moving and detailed experience at its transfer to the reopened Staatsoper.

****1

Guth's FroSch arrives at Unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley

Journey to nowhere: Il viaggio a Reims at the Deutsche Oper

By Hugo Shirley, 22 June 2018

The Deutsche Oper's production of Rossini's sparkling occasion piece is big on gags but short on stardust.

***11

Journey to nowhere: Il viaggio a Reims at the Deutsche Oper

By Hugo Shirley

Sparks fail to fly at the Staatsoper Berlin's new Macbeth

By Hugo Shirley, 21 June 2018

Anna Netrebko shines opposite Plácido Domingo in Harry Kupfer's uncertain new production.

***11

Sparks fail to fly at the Staatsoper Berlin's new Macbeth

By Hugo Shirley

Simon Rattle's farewell Mahler 6 at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 19 June 2018

Rattle digs deep for a stunning farewell concert at the Philharmonie, but his Mahler's still reluctant to get its hands dirty

****1

Simon Rattle's farewell Mahler 6 at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley

Finely etched: Berghaus' Barbiere at the Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley, 24 May 2018

The inventiveness of Ruth Berghaus' classic staging is a clear as ever, even if this revival occasionally loses focus.

***11

Finely etched: Berghaus' Barbiere at the Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley

“I would have hated to be mediocre”: Nina Stemme on winning the Birgit Nilsson Prize

By Hugo Shirley, 25 May 2018

In the wake of her receiving the Birgit Nilsson Prize, the Swedish soprano discusses the development of her lauded career and what the future might hold.

“I would have hated to be mediocre”: Nina Stemme on the Nilsson Prize

By Hugo Shirley

Dampened fire: Don Carlo at the Deutsche Oper

By Hugo Shirley, 18 May 2018

Anja Harteros takes a while to hit her stride in a Don Carlo that doesn't quite gel.

***11

Dampened fire: Don Carlo at the Deutsche Oper

By Hugo Shirley