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Eleanor Knight

Eleanor Knight

Eleanor is a writer and librettist. Her work has appeared in all kinds of places from the Royal Opera House to the foot tunnels beneath the Elephant and Castle roundabout, and she has written arts reviews and features for British papers and magazines. Having begun her working life in theatre, she switched to publishing and later taught creative writing at the University of Brighton and Birkbeck. Currently based in the Netherlands, she teaches at the University of Utrecht. Eleanor plays violin and sings, though not usually at the same time, and has recently taken up speed-skating.

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Sophie Bevan (Mélisande) and Jacques Imbrailo (Pelléas) © Craig Fuller

Total immersion: Aldeburgh Festival dives in at the deep end with Pelléas et Mélisande

By Eleanor Knight, 12 June 2026

Rory Kinnear directs a minimally semi-staged performance of Debussy's problematic opera at Snape Maltings, but Ryan Wigglesworth and the BBC Scottish SO provide the detail.

****1

Sophie Bevan (Mélisande) and Jacques Imbrailo (Pelléas) © Craig Fuller

Aldeburgh Festival dives in at the deep end with Pelléas et Mélisande

By Eleanor Knight

James Baillieu and Lise Davidsen © Marcus Roth

Lise Davidsen’s exquisite Schubert Lieder at the Aldeburgh Festival

By Eleanor Knight, 13 June 2026

The Norwegian soprano impresses in a Lieder programme that proves the highlight of the Aldeburgh Festival’s opening weekend.

*****

James Baillieu and Lise Davidsen © Marcus Roth

Lise Davidsen’s exquisite Schubert Lieder at the Aldeburgh Festival

By Eleanor Knight

George Petean (Simon Boccanegra) and Georg Zeppenfeld (Jacopo Fiesco) © Dutch National Opera | Ben van Duin

Jetske Mijnssen’s dazzling Simon Boccanegra a coup for Dutch National season finale

By Eleanor Knight, 04 June 2026

Everything about this production is fresh and wonderful.

*****

George Petean (Simon Boccanegra) and Georg Zeppenfeld (Jacopo Fiesco) © Dutch National Opera | Ben van Duin

Jetske Mijnssen’s Boccanegra a coup for DNO season finale

By Eleanor Knight

Beth Taylor (Orlando) © Matthew Williams-Ellis

Moreton-in-Marsh

Longborough Festival Opera season starts slow with Handel’s Orlando

By Eleanor Knight, 30 May 2026

Beth Taylor gives the lows and highs of Handel's heroics an almighty, whole-body shakedown in Sinéad O'Neill’s new staging of Handel's Orlando.

***11

Beth Taylor (Orlando) © Matthew Williams-Ellis

Moreton-in-Marsh

Longborough Festival Opera season starts slow with Orlando

By Eleanor Knight

Elena Schwarz © Mathias Bothor

Immigration makes a nation: Billy Childs' Saxophone Concerto sings a song of America

By Eleanor Knight, 08 May 2026

Billy Childs Diaspora receives its UK premiere at the Barbican, performed by saxophonist Steven Banks.

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Elena Schwarz © Mathias Bothor

Billy Childs' Saxophone Concerto sings a song of America

By Eleanor Knight

Madeline Robinson (Masha), Ellen Pearson (Irina) and Jingwen Cai (Olga) with Hannah Edmunds (Maid) © RBO | Mark Senior

Two funerals and a bedding: a contemporary triple bill in the Linbury Theatre

By Eleanor Knight, 01 May 2026

Tales of love and loss as operas by Elena Langer, Charlotte Bray and Elizabeth Maconchy form a varied triple bill in this showcase for The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists.

****1

Madeline Robinson (Masha), Ellen Pearson (Irina) and Jingwen Cai (Olga) with Hannah Edmunds (Maid) © RBO | Mark Senior

Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

By Eleanor Knight

Jorge Losana performs with Cantoría © Petra Hajská

No fixed paths: Jorge Losana on Early music in Spain

By Eleanor Knight, 24 April 2026

Founder of celebrated young vocal ensemble Cantoría talks about being a musical organiser, singing musical ensaladas, and how Barcelona might be the capital of Early music on the Iberian peninsula.

Jorge Losana performs with Cantoría © Petra Hajská

No fixed paths: Jorge Losana on Early music in Spain

By Eleanor Knight

Emilia Blossom Ostroumoff (Flora) and Phoenix Matthews (Miles) © RBO | Mihaela Bodlovic

Darkness and denial: The Turn of the Screw at the Royal Opera House

By Eleanor Knight, 26 March 2026

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

Emilia Blossom Ostroumoff (Flora) and Phoenix Matthews (Miles) © RBO | Mihaela Bodlovic

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

By Eleanor Knight

Kent Nagano © Antoine Saito

A Resurrection for the ages: Kent Nagano conducts the Philharmonia in Mahler 2

By Eleanor Knight, 19 March 2026

Any performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is an event, but this mighty Philharmonia account at the Royal Festival Hall proves extra special.

*****

Kent Nagano © Antoine Saito

A Resurrection for the ages: Kent Nagano conducts the Philharmonia

By Eleanor Knight

Maud Bessard-Morandas © Bart Grietens

Unsteady circus act blown away by spectacle: The Opera Circus reaches Utrecht

By Eleanor Knight, 20 February 2026

Opera2Day, with 20 years of touring reinvented classics behind them, turn to Handel for their latest outing, The Opera Circus.

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Maud Bessard-Morandas © Bart Grietens

Unsteady circus act blown away by spectacle: Opera2Day in Utrecht

By Eleanor Knight

Jasmin Binde © Dora Drexel

Fairies and queens: Jasmin Binde on singing Early music in Germany

By Eleanor Knight, 20 February 2026

We speak to young soprano Jasmin Binde about singing The Fairy Queen, the dauntingly crowded world of Early music in Germany, its challenges and opportunities.

Jasmin Binde © Dora Drexel

Fairies and queens: Jasmin Binde on singing Early music in Germany

By Eleanor Knight

Sir Edward Elgar © Public domain

The spirit of music-making: Elgar at The Anvil

By Eleanor Knight, 08 February 2026

An afternoon that belongs to the exuberant partnership of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Brighton Festival Chorus and the spirit of music-making everywhere.

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Sir Edward Elgar © Public domain

The spirit of music-making: Elgar at The Anvil

By Eleanor Knight

Lotte Betts-Dean, Brett Dean and Aurora Orchestra © Julian Guidera

Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean unlock musical memories at Kings Place

By Eleanor Knight, 17 January 2026

Father and daughter team of Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean join forces for the opening concert of Kings Place’s ‘Memory Unwrapped’ season.

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Lotte Betts-Dean, Brett Dean and Aurora Orchestra © Julian Guidera

Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean unlock musical memories at Kings Place

By Eleanor Knight

Hugh Cutting © Olivia da Costa

Aiming high: Hugh Cutting on Handel, good storytelling and countertenor appeal

By Eleanor Knight, 24 November 2025

The British countertenor, who’s riding the crest of a wave this year, talks about his passion for good storytelling in opera, his favourite roles and the art of Zen Buddhism.

Hugh Cutting © Olivia da Costa

Hugh Cutting on Handel and good storytelling

By Eleanor Knight

Elena Stikhina (Joan) © Marco Borggreve

A trial of two halves: Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans at DNO

By Eleanor Knight, 15 November 2025

Director Dmitri Tcherniakov and a talented cast do everything to make Tchaikovsky’s opera work in Amsterdam, but problematic elements persist.

***11

Elena Stikhina (Joan) © Marco Borggreve

Stikhina and Clayton shine in DNO's uneven Maid of Orleans

By Eleanor Knight

António Godinho © Jaime Marques

Music always circulates: António Godinho on Early music in Portugal

By Eleanor Knight, 06 November 2025

We talk to young recorder player António Godinho about the burgeoning Early music scene in Portugal – and the music of Vicente Lusitano, Europe’s earliest recorded composer of colour.

António Godinho © Jaime Marques

Music always circulates: António Godinho on Early music in Portugal

By Eleanor Knight

Axelle Saint-Cirel (Watana) and Kamohelo Tsotetsi (Wapanacki) © Pádraig Grant

Fountain of youth reaches retirement: Delius’ The Magic Fountain disappoints at Wexford

By Eleanor Knight, 19 October 2025

Frederick Delius' gigantic score is worth a listen but Christopher Luscombe doesn’t circumvent the problems of directing this opera in 2025.

**111

Axelle Saint-Cirel (Watana) and Kamohelo Tsotetsi (Wapanacki) © Pádraig Grant

Delius’ The Magic Fountain disappoints at Wexford

By Eleanor Knight

Rory Musgrave (Fenice) and ensemble © Pádraig Grant

Delectable Deidamia: Wexford’s second act triumphs with Handel rarity

By Eleanor Knight, 18 October 2025

A rare opportunity to see Handel’s final operatic work, Deidamia, conducted – and staged – by George Petrou at Wexford Festival Opera.

*****

Rory Musgrave (Fenice) and ensemble © Pádraig Grant

Handel’s Deidamia a triumph for Wexford Festival Opera

By Eleanor Knight

Chorus of Wexford Festival Opera © Pádraig Grant

Spanish Civil War Trouvère opens Wexford with a foot in both camps

By Eleanor Knight, 17 October 2025

The 74th Wexford Opera Festival opens with the French revision of Il trovatore that Verdi reforged for the Paris Opera.

***11

Chorus of Wexford Festival Opera © Pádraig Grant

Spanish Civil War Trouvère opens Wexford Festival Opera

By Eleanor Knight

Nils Wanderer (Oberon) and Jennifer France (Tytania) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd | Tristram Kenton

Not out of the woods yet: Glyndebourne’s iconic Dream approaches its century

By Eleanor Knight, 12 October 2025

Sir Peter Hall's classic staging of Britten's Shakespearean comedy nears a landmark moment in Glyndebourne’s autumn season.

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Nils Wanderer (Oberon) and Jennifer France (Tytania) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd | Tristram Kenton

Glyndebourne’s iconic Dream approaches its century

By Eleanor Knight

Joyce El-Khoury (Hélène), dancers and the Royal Opera Chorus © The Royal Opera 2025 | Tristram Kenton

Lavish gone lacklustre: diminishing returns in The Royal Opera’s Sicilian Vespers

By Eleanor Knight, 19 September 2025

Joyce El-Khoury saves the day in The Royal Opera’s second revival of The Sicilian Vespers in Stefan Herheim’s paint-by-numbers production.

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Joyce El-Khoury (Hélène), dancers and the Royal Opera Chorus © The Royal Opera 2025 | Tristram Kenton

Diminishing returns in The Royal Opera’s Sicilian Vespers

By Eleanor Knight

Jonathon Heyward conducts Chineke! Orchestra © BBC | Andy Paradise

Collaboration, innovation and defiance: Chineke! at the BBC Proms

By Eleanor Knight, 05 September 2025

Jonathon Heyward steps in to conduct Chineke! in two UK premieres and Shostakovich's rip-roaring Tenth Symphony.

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Jonathon Heyward conducts Chineke! Orchestra © BBC | Andy Paradise

Collaboration, innovation and defiance: Chineke! at the BBC Proms

By Eleanor Knight

Johann Strauss II (1825–1899) © Theo Zasche (1894) | Public domain

Spinning into space: how Johann Strauss II hypnotised Vienna

By Eleanor Knight, 27 June 2025

Born 200 years ago, we explore the hypnotic and seductive qualities of Johann Strauss II’s music, and what allows the Blue Danube to so capture the never-ending dance of humankind.

Johann Strauss II (1825–1899) © Theo Zasche (1894) | Public domain

Spinning into space: how Johann Strauss hypnotised Vienna

By Eleanor Knight

The Flying Dutchman © Pablo Strong

Doomed Dutchman wants a wife: Wagner makes Opera Holland Park debut

By Eleanor Knight, 27 May 2025

Amid the rough winds of late May, Julia Burbach directs Opera Holland Park's first venture into Wagner – The Flying Dutchman.

***11

The Flying Dutchman © Pablo Strong

Doomed Dutchman wants a wife: Wagner makes Opera Holland Park debut

By Eleanor Knight

Circa, Ed Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra © Pete Woodhead

Strictly don’t try this at home: a breathtaking Daphnis et Chloé opens Multitudes festival

By Eleanor Knight, 23 April 2025

Aaron Lifschitz directs contemporary circus artists, Circa in an exhilarating, ecstatic performance with the London Philharmonic to launch the Southbank Centre’s Multitudes festival.

****1

Circa, Ed Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra © Pete Woodhead

A breathtaking Daphnis et Chloé opens Multitudes festival

By Eleanor Knight

Palazzetto Bru Zane’s staging of Carmen © Marion Kerno

Death by omelette: Palazzetto Bru Zane uncovers the lost Bizet

By Eleanor Knight, 15 April 2025

Musicologist Alexandre Dratwicki talks about Palazzetto Bru Zane’s cycle of Georges Bizet performances, of rare works and historical stagings, continuing throughout this year across Europe and Asia.

Palazzetto Bru Zane’s staging of Carmen © Marion Kerno

Death by omelette: uncovering the lost Bizet

By Eleanor Knight

Mahler Festival outdoor concerts on Museumplein © Jacob van der Vlugt

Mecca for Mahlerians: Amsterdam Mahler Festival 2025

By Eleanor Knight, 28 March 2025

This May, the world’s leading orchestras and soloists gather in Amsterdam for a grand celebration of all things Mahler – a city the composer described as his “second musical homeland”.

Mahler Festival outdoor concerts on Museumplein © Jacob van der Vlugt

Mecca for Mahlerians: Amsterdam Mahler Festival 2025

By Eleanor Knight

Nadia Amin in Oum © Bart Grietens | Dutch National Opera

Collaborations and world premieres at the Opera Forward Festival in Amsterdam

By Eleanor Knight, 23 March 2025

Two world premieres at Dutch National Opera speak to what have traditionally been two separate audiences: the audience within the opera house and the one without.

Nadia Amin in Oum © Bart Grietens | Dutch National Opera

Collaborations and world premieres: Opera Forward Festival

By Eleanor Knight

We Are The Lucky Ones © Dutch National Opera | Koen Broos

A Dance to the Music of Time: We Are the Lucky Ones is the time to be alive at DNO

By Eleanor Knight, 22 March 2025

Inspired by Annie Ernaux’s The Years, Philip Venables’ new opera widens the canvas to take in the whole of Europe’s postwar generation.

*****

We Are The Lucky Ones © Dutch National Opera | Koen Broos

Venables We Are the Lucky Ones is the time to be alive at DNO

By Eleanor Knight

Paradise and the Peri: conceptual illustration © Federico Buzzoni

Romantic elsewheres: Gaining entry to Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri

By Eleanor Knight, 05 March 2025

Simon Rattle called Robert Schumann’s strange, Orientalist oratorio “the greatest masterpiece you’ve never heard of”. We discover this enigmatic piece ahead of Insula orchestra’s production at La Seine Musicale.

Paradise and the Peri: conceptual illustration © Federico Buzzoni

Gaining entry to Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri

By Eleanor Knight

Egils Siliņš (Jochanaan) and Astrid Kessler (Salome) © Agnese Zeltiņa

Winehouse at the Western Wall... with robots: Salome at Latvian National Opera

By Eleanor Knight, 21 February 2025

The limitations of AI are demonstrated in Alvis Hermanis’ problematic new production of Salome at Latvian National Opera.

**111

Egils Siliņš (Jochanaan) and Astrid Kessler (Salome) © Agnese Zeltiņa

Salome in Riga, Winehouse at the Western Wall... with robots

By Eleanor Knight

Aurora Orchestra and the BBC Singers © Viktor Erik Emanuel | Kings Place

“Earth Unwrapped” reveals a mixed bag: Aurora Orchestra and BBC Singers at Kings Place

By Eleanor Knight, 31 January 2025

The exquisite ensemble of Aurora and BBC Singers in the intimate setting of Kings Place are reason enough to linger longer on earth.

***11

Aurora Orchestra and the BBC Singers © Viktor Erik Emanuel | Kings Place

“Earth Unwrapped” reveals mixed bag: Aurora Orchestra and BBC Singers

By Eleanor Knight

Corinne Winters (Jenůfa) © ROH | Camilla Greenwell

Redemption Song: Jenůfa triumph signals a bright future for Hrůsa at Covent Garden

By Eleanor Knight, 15 January 2025

Corinne Winters is phenomenal as the self-possessed Jenůfa in The Royal Opera's revival of Claus Guth's powerful staging.

*****

Corinne Winters (Jenůfa) © ROH | Camilla Greenwell

Redemption Song: Jenůfa triumph signals a bright future for Hrůsa

By Eleanor Knight

Bat Ballet © Dutch National Opera | Bart Grietens

Bats! Die Fledermaus is a fabulous flight of fantasy at Dutch National Opera

By Eleanor Knight, 05 December 2024

Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, was never meant to challenge grand opera for profundity and Barrie Kosky pokes fun at Viennese high society in his riotous staging.

*****

Bat Ballet © Dutch National Opera | Bart Grietens

Bats! Die Fledermaus is a fabulous flight of fantasy at DNO

By Eleanor Knight

Rhian Lois (Adina) © ENO | Marc Brenner

Magic takes time to sparkle in English National Opera's Elixir of Love

By Eleanor Knight, 15 November 2024

Harry Fehr’s directorial debut for ENO transposes Donizetti’s tale into a World War 2 setting. Rhian Lois charms and commands as Adina.

****1

Rhian Lois (Adina) © ENO | Marc Brenner

Magic takes time to sparkle in ENO's Elixir of Love

By Eleanor Knight

Elisa Verzier (Violetta) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd, Photographer: Richard Hubert Smith

Elisa Verzier commands Tom Cairns’ iconic Traviata at Glyndebourne

By Eleanor Knight, 13 October 2024

Elisa Verzier, making her Glyndebourne debut, is astonishing as Violetta in a revival of Tom Cairns' 2014 production.

****1

Elisa Verzier (Violetta) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd, Photographer: Richard Hubert Smith

Elisa Verzier commands Tom Cairns’ iconic Traviata at Glyndebourne

By Eleanor Knight

Abel Selaocoe and the BBC Singers © BBC | Mark Allan

Joy, endurance, joining in: BBC Singers’ centenary at the Barbican

By Eleanor Knight, 02 October 2024

After nearly axing the ensemble last year, the BBC celebrates 100 years of the BBC Singers with a rapturously received programme.

*****

Abel Selaocoe and the BBC Singers © BBC | Mark Allan

Joy, endurance, joining in: BBC Singers’ centenary at the Barbican

By Eleanor Knight

Sir Antonio Pappano and Anna Lapwood with the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Indefatigable high spirits in Pappano’s LSO programme of Romantic giants

By Eleanor Knight, 15 September 2024

For the third concert in the series opening his LSO tenure, Antonio Pappano heads to classics from the Romantic repertoire, aided by Yuja Wang and Anna Lapwood.

****1

Sir Antonio Pappano and Anna Lapwood with the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Indefatigable high spirits in LSO programme of Romantic giants

By Eleanor Knight

Ryan Bancroft, Bomsori Kim and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra © Simon van Boxtel

White-knuckle ride: Bomsori Kim plays Tchaikovsky at the Concertgebouw

By Eleanor Knight, 03 July 2024

Bomsori Kim tackles the dangers of Tchaikovsky's concerto, before Ryan Bancroft and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic hurtle through Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.

****1

Ryan Bancroft, Bomsori Kim and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra © Simon van Boxtel

White-knuckle ride: Bomsori Kim plays Tchaikovsky at the Concertgebouw

By Eleanor Knight

Carmen at the Holland Festival © Inés Manai

Unmoved by emotion: Carmen for everybody and nobody at the Holland Festival

By Eleanor Knight, 23 June 2024

This is not Carmen, but then Wu Tsang's bizarre meta-work, originally commissioned by Schauspielhaus Zürich, is all about breaking ties with convention.

*1111

Carmen at the Holland Festival © Inés Manai

Carmen for everybody and nobody at the Holland Festival

By Eleanor Knight

Evangelia Kranioti's film to accompany The Rite of Spring © Janiek Dam

Brazilian-flavoured Rite of Spring opens the Holland Festival

By Eleanor Knight, 06 June 2024

Evangelia Kranioti's film reawakens the extraordinary extremity of Stravinksy's original ballet score in the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic's performance.

****1

Evangelia Kranioti's film to accompany The Rite of Spring © Janiek Dam

Brazilian-flavoured Rite of Spring opens the Holland Festival

By Eleanor Knight

Jacquelyn Wagner (Leonore) © Monika Rittershaus | Dutch National Opera

Chaos in the Underworld: Andriy Zholdak directs Fidelio at Dutch National Opera

By Eleanor Knight, 05 June 2024

The Ukrainian director's “revisioning” of Beethoven's only opera plunges it into an incoherent underworld in Amsterdam.

*1111

Jacquelyn Wagner (Leonore) © Monika Rittershaus | Dutch National Opera

Chaos in the Underworld: Andriy Zholdak directs Fidelio at DNO

By Eleanor Knight

Joshua Guerrero (Luigi), Leah Hawkins (Giorgetta) and Daniel Luis de Vicente (Michele) © Monika Rittershaus | Dutch National Opera

A Puccini hat-trick: Barrie Kosky directs Il trittico at Dutch National Opera

By Eleanor Knight, 03 May 2024

Barrie Kosky brings his trio of Puccini productions to a close with another triptych: Il trittico in a triumphant staging.

*****

Joshua Guerrero (Luigi), Leah Hawkins (Giorgetta) and Daniel Luis de Vicente (Michele) © Monika Rittershaus | Dutch National Opera

A Puccini hat-trick: Barrie Kosky directs Il trittico in Amsterdam

By Eleanor Knight

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic © Eduardus Lee

Brahms forges a friendship: Yannick Nezet-Seguin returns to Rotterdam

By Eleanor Knight, 02 May 2024

Musical connections between Brahms, Dvořák and Price as Randall Goosby joins the Rotterdam Philharmonic – both as soloist and orchestral member.

****1

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic © Eduardus Lee

Brahms forges a friendship: Yannick Nezet-Seguin returns to Rotterdam

By Eleanor Knight

Barno Ismatullaeva (Elisabetta), Angela Brower (Sara) and Nikolay Zemlianskikh (Nottingham) © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Crowning glory: DNO's Donizetti Tudor trilogy concludes with Roberto Devereux

By Eleanor Knight, 21 April 2024

Angela Brower steals the crown in the final instalment of Jetske Mijnssen’s Donizetti trilogy with a voice of apparently limitless emotional range.

****1

Barno Ismatullaeva (Elisabetta), Angela Brower (Sara) and Nikolay Zemlianskikh (Nottingham) © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Crowning glory: DNO's Donizetti Tudor trilogy concludes

By Eleanor Knight

Rivoluzione e Nostalgia © Karl Forster

Verdi caught in La Monnaie's revolving door: Revolution and Nostalgia in Brussels

By Eleanor Knight, 22 March 2024

A marathon double bill using music from Verdi's early operas largely falls flat in Brussels.

**111

Rivoluzione e Nostalgia © Karl Forster

Verdi caught in La Monnaie's revolving door

By Eleanor Knight

Qian Liu (Antigone) and Sean Panikkar (Oedipius) © Bart Grietens

Oedipus Rex and Antigone a double triumph for Dutch National Opera and Ballet

By Eleanor Knight, 09 March 2024

When the director walks four weeks ahead of opening night, Dutch National Opera and Ballet hastily create a searing double bill of classical tragedy.

*****

Qian Liu (Antigone) and Sean Panikkar (Oedipius) © Bart Grietens

Oedipus Rex and Antigone a double triumph for DNO and DNB

By Eleanor Knight

Laura Bohn (Duchess) © Marco Borggreve

Suck it and see: Powder Her Face premieres in the Netherlands

By Eleanor Knight, 08 February 2024

Sex, fame, luxury and envy meet in an irresistible cocktail as the Reisopera stages the Dutch premiere of Thomas Adès’ chamber opera.

***11

Laura Bohn (Duchess) © Marco Borggreve

Suck it and see: Powder Her Face premieres in the Netherlands

By Eleanor Knight

Adela Zaharia (Violetta) and ensemble © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Overcrowding suffocates DNO's Traviata

By Eleanor Knight, 27 January 2024

Adela Zaharia is cast as a Violetta for whom the party never stops in this revival of Tatjana Gürbaca's busy staging at Dutch National Opera.

**111

Adela Zaharia (Violetta) and ensemble © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Overcrowding suffocates DNO's Traviata

By Eleanor Knight

Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Agrippina) © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Barrie Kosky's Agrippina is finally crowned at Dutch National Opera

By Eleanor Knight, 13 January 2024

The Australian director's 2019 production of Handel's satirical comedy-thriller arrives in Amsterdam, with a cast led by the fabulous Stéphanie d'Oustrac.

****1

Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Agrippina) © Ben van Duin | Dutch National Opera

Barrie Kosky's Agrippina is finally crowned at DNO

By Eleanor Knight