Cristina Burack studied piano and flute for many years, before earning her BM in Voice and Opera performance at Northwestern University, with a strong focus on German Lieder, as well as a BA in History. After continuing her vocal studies in Vienna, she turned her professional focus to communications. She is a freelance journalist who particularly enjoys covering the intersection of music, history and politics.
Unter der souveränen Leitung von Tung-Chieh Chuang spielte das Orchester symphonische Werke, die zwar als zeitgenössische Erfolge etabliert sind, aber zu selten in westlichen Konzerthallen zu hören sind.
With Alain Altinoglu at the podium, the programme of works by Beethoven, Ravel and Stravinsky showed off Levit's lightness and freshness and brought out the excitement of fairytales.
Haitinks Karriere umfasst 65 Jahre. Kurz vor seinem 90. Geburtstag zeigte er mit Werken von Mozart und Mahler, dass er noch immer als Meisterdirigent und -interpret gilt.
Jonathan Dove's new opera is a comedic romp with clever lyrics set to wonderful contrasting music, though a more nuanced actor as Karl Marx could have better brought out the philosopher's amusing contradictions.
The early music ensemble peppered its diverse program with the rollicking play A Christmas Messe. While not all arrangements worked well, expertise and emotion made for a pleasurably unique performance.
Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes is a nuanced, gripping tale that should pack an emotional punch. Despite fine moments, Oper Köln's production didn't serve the work.
This production fell just short of brilliance but showed how relevant and thought-provoking opera as an art form can be when tapping into today's headline debates.
Though straightforward in concept, Oper Köln's production of the one-act opera written in the Theresienstadt concentration camp brought the opera's profound themes to the surface in an excellently sung performance.
Oper Köln’s Orpheus in the Underworld proved age accessibility must not sacrifice humour and musical integrity. The tight ensemble piece was superbly acted and well-sung throughout.
