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Nicolas Nguyen

Nicolas Nguyen

Nicolas is a French Amsterdammer, e-commerce professional and a bit of an opera buff. His experience in the area of music is that of a dilettante. His passion for the opera and vocal music comes from his love for both music and languages which are so perfectly combined in these art forms.

Author:Nicolas Nguyen

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Marc Albrecht returns to Amsterdam with a Humperdinck rarity

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 October 2022

Christof Loy directs a new production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s rarely performed second opera, Königskinder.

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Marc Albrecht returns to Amsterdam with a Humperdinck rarity

By Nicolas Nguyen

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Marina Rebeka stars as a regal Anna Bolena at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 May 2022

Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka gives a star performance in first staged production of Donizetti's Anna Bolena in Amsterdam.

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Marina Rebeka stars as a regal Anna Bolena at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen

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Barrie Kosky's Tosca as opera noir in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 April 2022

Barrie Kosky's psychological thriller approach to Tosca at Dutch National Opera benefits greatly from the strong performances of its three principals.

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Barrie Kosky's Tosca as opera noir in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

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Giacomelli's Merope resurrected by Andrea Marcon at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 05 February 2022

Andrea Marcon and La Cetra give the first modern performance of Geminiano Giacomelli’s opera La Merope at the Concertgebouw.

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Giacomelli's Merope resurrected by Marcon at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

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Don Giovanni “dans un bois (not so) solitaire” at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 04 November 2021

Claus Guth’s Don Giovanni returns to Amsterdam with an almost entirely new cast with strong leads by Seth Carico and Adrian Sâmpetrean.

***11

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Don Giovanni “dans un bois (not so) solitaire” at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen

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Telemann's Orpheus in Amsterdam: a truly European opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 23 October 2021

In the hands of B'Rock Orchestra and conductor René Jacobs, Telemann's polyglot opera, once thought lost to time, becomes more than just a curiosity.

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Telemann's Orpheus in Amsterdam: a truly European opera

By Nicolas Nguyen

An Orfeo of infinite beauty by Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 09 February 2020

The brainchild of opera director Monique Wagemakers, choreographer Nanine Linning and visual artist Lonneke Gordijn, this Orfeo by Nederlandse Reisopera is a thing of infinite beauty.

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An Orfeo of infinite beauty by Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen

Cinderella's pink dream: La Cenerentola in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 03 December 2019

At Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Laurent Pelly stages Cenenrentola as a pink daydream.

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Cinderella's pink dream: La Cenerentola in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Once more around the catwalk: Audi's Walküre in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 16 November 2019

Dutch National Opera revives Pierre Audi's acclaimed Die Walküre for the very last time.

*****

Once more around the catwalk: Audi's Walküre in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Toxic masculinity in Orchestra of the 18th century's Don Giovanni

By Nicolas Nguyen, 15 October 2019

The Orchestra of the 18th Century proves the main asset of a rewarding Don Giovanni at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

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Toxic masculinity in Orchestra of the 18th century's Don Giovanni

By Nicolas Nguyen

Teenage summer crush in Dutch National Opera's Così fan tutte

By Nicolas Nguyen, 08 October 2019

Dutch National Opera's superbly sang Così fan tutte is transposed into a teenager summer crush story.

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Teenage summer crush in Dutch National Opera's Così fan tutte

By Nicolas Nguyen

Bob Wilson's cool minimalist Butterfly is back in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 23 April 2019

Robert Wilson's Madama Butterfly is back in Amsterdam starring rising star Elena Stikhina as the doomed Cio-Cio-San.

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Bob Wilson's cool minimalist Butterfly is back in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

An exhilarating Nabucco at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 13 April 2019

Giancarlo Andretta conducts the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir and a fine team of soloists led by Tatiana Serjan's Abigaille into an exhilarating Nabucco.

*****

An exhilarating Nabucco at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Dutch Reisopera’s winning A Little Night Music

By Nicolas Nguyen, 26 March 2019

Programming Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music is quite a daring move in a country with no real tradition in musical. This production by Nederlands Reisopera shows that fortune favours the bold.

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Dutch Reisopera’s winning A Little Night Music

By Nicolas Nguyen

Adams’ dark Gold Rush opera arrives in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 28 February 2019

Dame Shirley’s texts are here sung by the young American soprano Julia Bullock whose pliable instrument and stylish way with words reveal an ideal storyteller.

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Adams’ dark Gold Rush opera arrives in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

“Let them eat cake!” A revolutionary Barbiere at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 10 November 2018

Lotte de Beer’s Il barbiere di Siviglia for Dutch National Opera seems a surprisingly traditional spectacle... although it does come with a twist.

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“Let them eat cake!” A revolutionary Barbiere at DNO

By Nicolas Nguyen

A dystopian police state for Reisopera's new Tosca

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 November 2018

A fine cast convinces in Dutch Reisopera's new Tosca, staged in a dystopian police state.

***11

A dystopian police state for Reisopera's new Tosca

By Nicolas Nguyen

An unfussy, memorable War Requiem from Noseda and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

By Nicolas Nguyen, 11 October 2018

Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Choir and an ideal team of soloists in a memorable performance of Britten's War Requiem.

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An unfussy, memorable War Requiem from Noseda

By Nicolas Nguyen

“Soap opera at its best”: Katie Mitchell's Jenůfa at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 October 2018

Katie Mitchell's second production of Jenůfa is a straightforward, effective reading of the libretto well supported by excellent singing actors.

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“Soap opera at its best”: Katie Mitchell's Jenůfa

By Nicolas Nguyen

In Amsterdam, McBurney's Die Zauberflöte continues to delight

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 September 2018

Back for its third run at Dutch National Opera, with a satisfying cast, McBurney's staging wins new converts.

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In Amsterdam, McBurney's Die Zauberflöte continues to delight

By Nicolas Nguyen

Beautiful but infuriating: the Currentzis-Sellar Clemenza in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 07 May 2018

The transfer of last year's Clemenza di Tito from Salzburg delights and irritates in equal measure.

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A beautiful but infuriating Clemenza in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Starry performance can’t quite lift Caldara’s Planets to the skies in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 28 April 2018

Accomplished performances from the cast and La Cetra Baroque Orchestra can’t fully compensate the shortcomings of Caldara’s Harmony of the Planets.

***11

Starry performance can’t lift Caldara’s Planets to the skies

By Nicolas Nguyen

Trouble in Tahiti and Clemency make an intriguing Dutch National double bill

By Nicolas Nguyen, 22 March 2018

What is the link between Bernstein’s criticism of American consumerism and MacMillan's biblical tale?

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An intriguing Dutch National double bill

By Nicolas Nguyen

The Rake’s Progress in the here and now at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 February 2018

Virtuoso modern stagecraft and a fine cast combine in a very enjoyable, present-day Rake’s Progress.

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The Rake’s Progress in the here and now at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen

A magical Golden Cockerel at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 16 December 2017

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic under the baton of conductor Vasily Petrenko uncovers the magic of Rimsky-Korsakov’s exotic score.

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A magical Golden Cockerel at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Paula Murrihy a fantastic Sesto in Concertgebouw Clemenza

By Nicolas Nguyen, 18 October 2017

Kenneth Montgomery leads the Orchestra of the 18th Century and a fine team of young soloists in a swift, finely detailed interpretation of La clemenza di Tito.

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Paula Murrihy a fantastic Sesto in Concertgebouw Clemenza

By Nicolas Nguyen

Eliogabalo’s dark carnival in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 October 2017

Cappella Mediterranea blows life into Eliogabalo’s dark carnival as imagined by Thomas Jolly.

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Eliogabalo’s dark carnival in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

A late summer's night with Renée Fleming in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 28 August 2017

Renée Fleming sings Barber and Strauss at the Concertgebouw.

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A late summer's night with Renée Fleming in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays the Best of Bernstein

By Nicolas Nguyen, 07 July 2017

Under the baton of John Wilson, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra played Bernstein’s music with jazzy verve. The fine team of vocal soloists was lead by Kim Criswell.

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The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays the Best of Bernstein

By Nicolas Nguyen

Audi’s Madrigals in Amsterdam: a sensorial experience

By Nicolas Nguyen, 17 May 2017

Staged at Dutch National Opera’s workshop, Madrigals reduces the distance between public and performers and creates a real sensorial experience.

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Audi’s Madrigals in Amsterdam: a sensorial experience

By Nicolas Nguyen

The New Prince a colourful and fast-paced revue in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 24 March 2017

Mohammed Fairouz’s second opera, The New Prince, premiered in Amsterdam, is directed by Lotte de Beer as a colourful, dizzyingly fast-paced revue.

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A colourful and fast-paced revue in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

B’rock Orchestra’s inspired Ritorno d’Ulisse at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 18 March 2017

Under the baton of René Jacobs, B’rock Orchestra gave an inspired performance that ought to contribute in giving Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria the place it deserves in the standard repertoire.

*****

Inspired Ritorno d’Ulisse at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

A high-spirited Don Giovanni at Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 09 March 2017

Director Jo Davies' staging of Mozart’s dramma giocoso for Nederlandse Reisopera is a high-spirited affair packed with humour, where the emphasis is decidedly more on giocoso than on the dramma.

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A high-spirited Don Giovanni at Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen

Bartoli's La Cenerentola bicentennial celebration at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 15 February 2017

Exuberant celebration of La Cenerentola's 200th anniversary by Cecila Bartoli and her colleagues at the Concertgebouw.

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Bartoli's La Cenerentola at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Nixon in China returns to Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 11 February 2017

Nearly 30 years after its European première, Nixon in China returns to Amsterdam for an engrossing concert performance in which the Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands, led by Kevin John Edusei, shines.

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Nixon in China returns to Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Christine Goerke's superb Brünnhilde at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 09 December 2016

At the Concertgebouw, the three soloist headed by Christine Goerke’s Brünnhilde’s lift the performance of Act III of Die Walküre conducted by Valery Gergiev to the Valhalla of music.

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Christine Goerke's superb Brünnhilde

By Nicolas Nguyen

Audi's spectacular Parsifal at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 December 2016

With its monumental sets designed by Anish Kapoor, Pierre Audi’s abstract Parsifal at Dutch National Opera is spectacular, led by the excellent Christopher Ventris, with Günther Groissböck shining in his role debut as Gurnemanz.

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Audi's spectacular Parsifal at DNO

By Nicolas Nguyen

Andrea Breth's Manon Lescaut abandoned in a chilly Louisiana desert at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 10 October 2016

An aesthetically handsome but cold and distant staging mars the long-awaited return of Eva-Maria Westbroek as Puccini’s heroine at Dutch National Opera.

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Abandoned in a chilly Louisiana desert

By Nicolas Nguyen

Ariadne’s centennial: a feast at Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 06 October 2016

The Nederlandse Reisopera celebrates Ariadne auf Naxos’centennial with a superb new production directed by Laurence Dale which looks as laving as it is pleasing to the ear.

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Ariadne’s centennial: a feast at Nederlandse Reisopera

By Nicolas Nguyen

A worthy rarity: I due Foscari at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 17 September 2016

Electrifying playing under the baton of Giancarlo Andretta and a strong cast of singers convince that Verdi's I due Foscari deserves more than the occasional revival.

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A worthy rarity: I due Foscari at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Uninspiring remix mars Operafront’s Traviata

By Nicolas Nguyen, 16 August 2016

At the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam, director Lotte de Beer presents a trendy and upbeat take on Traviata, unfortunately marred by a dumbed-down arrangement of Verdi’s music.

**111

Uninspiring remix mars Operafront’s Traviata

By Nicolas Nguyen

Haydn's Creation not quite a Big Bang at Holland Festival

By Nicolas Nguyen, 13 June 2016

At the Holland Festival, the performance of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with film images by Julian Rosefeldt does not quite unfold as the spectacle it promises on paper.

**111

Haydn's Creation not quite a Big Bang at Holland Festival

By Nicolas Nguyen

Joyce DiDonato in the Venice of the North

By Nicolas Nguyen, 11 April 2016

Joyce DiDonato enchants the public of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with a program of art songs and arias inspired by Venice.

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Joyce DiDonato in the Venice of the North

By Nicolas Nguyen

Karina Gauvin in Debussy’s unforgettable Ariettes in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 22 March 2016

In an eclectic program by Karina Gauvin and pianist Maciej Pikuski at the Concertgebouw’s recital hall, Debussy’s Forgotten Songs stand out.

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Karina Gauvin in Debussy’s unforgettable Ariettes

By Nicolas Nguyen

In Amsterdam, a Matrimonio segreto for the future

By Nicolas Nguyen, 18 March 2016

Young singers, musicians and designers in this Matrimonio segreto co-produced by the three main opera companies in the Netherlands show that, on the stage and in the pit at least, the future of opera is bright.

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In Amsterdam, a Matrimonio segreto for the future

By Nicolas Nguyen

Loy's minimalist staging clarifies Khovanshchina in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen, 27 February 2016

Christof Loy’s minimalist staging for Khovanshchina at Dutch National Opera has the advantage of clarifying a reputedly fragmented plot.

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Loy's minimalist staging clarifies Khovanshchina in Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Reisopera's Così fan tutte: cast shine in an uninspired staging

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 February 2016

In the Nederlandse Reisopera's Così fan tutte, the team of young soloists and the Orkest van het Oosten conducted by Arnaud Oosterbaum give a musically rewarding performance that compensates for an unconvincing stage direction.

***11

Reisopera's Così fan tutte: cast shine in an uninspired staging

By Nicolas Nguyen

A miraculous Lohengrin at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 18 December 2015

Sir Mark Elder led the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and an inspired team of soloists headed by Klaus Florian Vogt into a highly-charged performance of Lohengrin.

*****

A miraculous Lohengrin at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Bartoli and Villazón’s festive bel canto concert at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 14 December 2015

The Mozart and bel canto program that Cecilia Bartoli and Rolando Villazón have concocted for their European tour this December is so packed with greatest hits that it feels like a festive gift.

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Festive bel canto concert at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen

Dutch National Opera's Hänsel und Gretel from the favela both delights and disturbs

By Nicolas Nguyen, 03 December 2015

At Dutch National Opera, director Lotte de Beer’s reminds us who the Hänsels and Gretels of the 21st century are, juggling between harsh reality and heartening fairy tale in a spectacle that both delights and unsettles.

*****

Hänsel und Gretel from the favela

By Nicolas Nguyen