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James Imam

James Imam

James Imam is an arts journalist writing for publications including The Financial Times, The Times, Musical America and Opera magazine. He grew up in Manchester, read anthropology at Cambridge and has since lived in Milan. As a once-aspiring countertenor he has an abiding interest in Baroque music.

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Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano: back to the future

By James Imam, 18 May 2022

We speak to Ruben Jais, the orchestra’s General Director and Artistic Director, about the ensemble's rebranding.

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Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano: back to the future

Lightweight Beethoven from Chailly and the Filarmonica della Scala

By James Imam, 04 November 2019

This lightweight, combustive account lacked bluster, sourcing tension from its forward momentum.

****1

Lightweight Beethoven from Chailly and the Filarmonica della Scala

Joy of life and hope at the inaugural Tsinandali Festival

By James Imam, 24 September 2019

The inaugural edition of the Tsinandali Festival offered fine musical rewards as well as breathtaking scenery, divine local food and warm Georgian hospitality.

Joy of life and hope at the inaugural Tsinandali Festival

Beautiful poise: Capuçon, Moreau and Angelich alight in Tsinandali

By James Imam, 10 September 2019

Festivals and academies breed familiarity and mutual compassion between audiences and returning artists. Yet the warmly informal feel of this concert owed mostly to the close relationships between the musicians themselves.

****1

Beautiful poise: Capuçon, Moreau and Angelich alight in Tsinandali

Verbier regulars sow musical joy at Tsinandali Festival

By James Imam, 09 September 2019

Playing under its music director Gábor Takács-Nagy, the VFCO radiated joy for music-making; the very thing Verbier – and now Tsinandali – is all about.

****1

Verbier regulars sow musical joy at Tsinandali Festival

George Li is a class act at the Tsinandali Festival

By James Imam, 09 September 2019

Chinese American Li, once another purveyor of typically scorching performances, is better known these days for his sensitivity and nuance.

****1

George Li is a class act at the Tsinandali Festival

Tsinandali Festival: a symbol of unity in a divided region

By James Imam, 29 July 2019

We spoke to Avi Shoshani to find out what to expect from the Tsinandali Festival 2019.

Tsinandali Festival: a symbol of unity in a divided region

Giovanni Sollima to embrace intercultural exchange at the Sounds of the Dolomites

By James Imam, 10 June 2019

“There is a room in my head in which dialects, languages, scales and ancient songs reverberate”: we speak to Italian cellist Giovanni Sollima about his upcoming performances at the Sounds of the Dolomites festival and his adventurous spirit.

Embracing intercultural exchange at the Sounds of the Dolomites

Haitink and the Mozart Orchestra go out with a bang in Lugano

By James Imam, 21 April 2019

So full of youthful vigor was this concert that it was hard to believe that Haitink is now 90 years old.

*****

Haitink and the Mozart Orchestra go out with a bang in Lugano

Gardner and Levit invigorate the Filarmonica della Scala

By James Imam, 11 March 2019

Edward Gardner clearly has a thing for the Czechs. A month after he made his Royal Opera main-stage debut with Janáček's Katya Kabanova, here he was with the Filarmonica della Scala to conduct a strongly Czech programme.

****1

Gardner and Levit invigorate the Filarmonica della Scala

A psychological Macbeth from Michieletto and Chung at La Fenice

By James Imam, 23 November 2018

This is one of Michieletto's simplest stagings yet, the imagery used to a minimum to allow for focus on the psychological core.

*****

A psychological Macbeth at La Fenice

Inevitable solitude in the Ricci/Forte's new diptych at the Teatro Massimo

By James Imam, 18 November 2018

Performing arts duo Ricci/Forte throw what feels like the entire directorial arsenal at this production.

****1

Inevitable solitude in the Ricci/Forte's new diptych

Lorenzo Viotti debuts with the Filarmonica della Scala

By James Imam, 31 October 2018

Viotti will return to La Scala to conduct Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in 2020. The programme this time round gave an indication of some of the positive qualities to expect. It also warned of some potential pitfalls.

****1

Lorenzo Viotti debuts with the Filarmonica della Scala

The Lucerne Festival Orchestra debuts at La Scala

By James Imam, 14 October 2018

Fail to inject the composer's cathedral-sized symphonic structures with a sense of rapt wonder and they can sound dull.

***11

The Lucerne Festival Orchestra debuts at La Scala

A traditional Attila at the Verdi Festival in Parma

By James Imam, 30 September 2018

Traditionally, Italy's most unforgiving loggionisti are reputed to reside at Parma's Teatro Regio. Thankfully for the cast, they appear to be a dying breed.

***11

A traditional Attila at the Verdi Festival in Parma

Svoboda’s “Traviata of the Mirrors” returns to Macerata

By James Imam, 22 July 2018

Svoboda’s mirrors continue to provoke interesting considerations. Titled above the stage, they project a birds-eye-view of the action to the audience, making voyeurs of us all.

****1

Svoboda’s “Traviata of the Mirrors” returns to Macerata

Graham Vick's new Magic Flute opens the Macerata Opera Festival

By James Imam, 20 July 2018

The Magic Flute's roots in popular theatre come through most strongly throughout Vick's production, which sparkles with a wealth of witty detail. But treatment of the work's socio-political undercurrents doesn't work nearly as well.

***11

Vick's new Magic Flute opens the Macerata festival

Michieletto's L'elisir d'amore finds its ideal setting at the Macerata Festival

By James Imam, 21 July 2018

With unbridled imagination, Michieletto fills this usually-problematic space with a wealth of racy detail.

*****

L'elisir d'amore finds an ideal setting at Macerata

Kirill Petrenko and a luxury cast grace Il trittico in Munich

By James Imam, 14 July 2018

Petrenko's Puccini is bracingly alert, filled with colour and has a romantic sweep that is utterly transporting.

*****

Petrenko and a luxury cast grace Il trittico in Munich

Riccardo Muti conducts a majestic Macbeth in Ravenna

By James Imam, 15 July 2018

Muti unlocks the immense dramatic potential of Verdi's revolutionary score, providing a wealth of colour and detail capable of conjuring mysterious Shakespearean worlds with no need for staging.

*****

Riccardo Muti conducts a majestic Macbeth in Ravenna

Sonya Yoncheva triumphs in Il pirata at La Scala

By James Imam, 29 June 2018

Yoncheva passed the test in style, providing a scintillating delivery that drew feverish approval from the public.

****1

Sonya Yoncheva triumphs in Il pirata at La Scala

No protests required: Deborah Warner's Fidelio returns to La Scala

By James Imam, 21 June 2018

Chung's mastery of orchestral colour and texture came into its own, the brooding introduction to Act 2 making for a harrowingly apocalyptic representation of tyranny.

****1

No protests required: Deborah Warner's Fidelio returns to La Scala

Schubert's Fierrabras premieres at La Scala, with mixed results

By James Imam, 05 June 2018

Harding's grasp of the work's architecture that provides overall coherence. That, combined with the pithy, pulsing core he forges at its heart, makes this performance as engaging as it is polished.

***11

Mixed results as Fierrabras premieres at La Scala

Making instruments sing: Mario Brunello on the Sounds of the Dolomites festival in Trentino

By James Imam, 01 June 2018

There’s more to the Sound of the Dolomites than simply music. Here the Artistic Director tells us about a festival in which performers and punters trek through the mountains together.

Mario Brunello on the Sounds of the Dolomites festival

A guilty pleasure: Zeffirelli's Aida at La Scala

By James Imam, 23 May 2018

You feel you ought not to approve of such directorial extravagance, but catch yourself being drawn into the grand pageant.

****1

A guilty pleasure: Zeffirelli's Aida at La Scala

Fabio Luisi conducts Cardillac at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

By James Imam, 12 May 2018

The in-house orchestra played out of its skin under Fabio Luisi.

****1

Cardillac at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

I Lombardi alla prima crociata returns to Turin’s Teatro Regio after 93 years

By James Imam, 20 April 2018

The director presents the story clearly enough, but apart from that, there is not much going for this production.

***11

I Lombardi alla prima crociata returns to Turin after 93 years

Summer relaxation at the Varignana Festival

By James Imam, 09 April 2018

With idyllic surroundings and culinary delights, the Varignana Festival combines relaxation with music.

Summer relaxation at the Varignana Festival

Katowice’s rebirth through music: Alexander Liebreich on the Kultura Natura Festival

By James Imam, 04 April 2018

Chief Conductor of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra Alexander Liebreich has a reputation for getting innovative music projects off the ground.

Alexander Liebreich on Katowice’s rebirth through music

Chailly stuns La Scala with unbuttoned performance of Mahler's Third

By James Imam, 25 February 2018

The Filarmonica did not play with the polished sheen for which it is often known, but let the raw power of the music speak on its own terms. The results were utterly captivating.

*****

An unbuttoned Mahler 3 at La Scala

Turin's Salome devoid of lunar magic

By James Imam, 15 February 2018

With so little of worth happening onstage, this performance requires a unanimously strong set of performances from the main cast.

**111

Turin's Salome devoid of lunar magic

Myung-whun Chung's Simon Boccanegra is worth a watch at La Scala

By James Imam, 08 February 2018

If Chung is sometimes hailed as the greatest living conductor of Verdi, here was a performance to support that claim.

***11

Chung's Simon Boccanegra is worth a watch

Myung-whun Chung and the Filarmonica della Scala soar in Brahms 2

By James Imam, 05 February 2018

With Chung on the podium, the Filarmonica played with a spontaneity that brought Brahms' restless music to life.

****1

Filarmonica della Scala soars in Brahms 2

Damiano Michieletto's controversial Guillaume Tell resurfaces in Palermo

By James Imam, 23 January 2018

At its 2015 inauguration at the Royal Opera House, a controversial rape scene in Act 3 drew outrage from the audience and critics alike. Now the Teatro Massimo is presenting the production once again.

****1

Michieletto's controversial Guillaume Tell resurfaces in Palermo

Vick and Mariotti refresh Bohème in Bologna

By James Imam, 20 January 2018

Vick enjoys working with young singers, and in with the young second cast he is spoiled.

*****

Vick and Mariotti refresh Bohème in Bologna

Dark humour: Michieletto and Gatti provide an adventurous La Damnation de Faust

By James Imam, 14 December 2017

Michieletto's production for the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome is fresh, intelligent and destined to go down as one of his best.

****1

An adventurous La Damnation de Faust in Rome

A forgotten work rediscovered: Riccardo Chailly conducts the Messa per Rossini at its La Scala première

By James Imam, 10 November 2017

A sizeable contingent of curious musicologists and critics gathered for the Milan première. It was a gifted a performance with plenty of insights to offer.

****1

Chailly conducts the Messa per Rossini at its Scala première

Polished and revelatory: Chailly opens the season with the Filarmonica della Scala

By James Imam, 06 November 2017

Chailly is beefing up the orchestra's sound and honing its style through an intensive collaboration that has borne tours, recording projects and frequent appearances in Milan.

****1

Polished and revelatory: Chailly opens the season

Wasting no time: Daniele Gatti's Brahms and Beethoven with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

By James Imam, 03 November 2017

The Concertgebouw's distinctive sound has remained intact. Ripe lower strings meld with limpid winds and sculpted horns emerge slowly into the foreground all gleaming and glistening.

****1

Gatti's Brahms and Beethoven with the RCO

Nabucco at La Scala: Verdi's score in the hands of a special maestro

By James Imam, 24 October 2017

This was a performance that had you lickng your lips for Santi’s return next season with Zeffirelli’s time-honoured take on Aida.

***11

Nabucco at La Scala

Patience is a virtue in the Teatro Regio's marvellous Tristan und Isolde

By James Imam, 14 October 2017

What distinguishes Noseda's Tristan most of all is especial balance in the orchestra and a transparency of sound that reveals the inner-workings of the music.

****1

Patience is a virtue in the Teatro Regio's marvellous Tristan und Isolde

Nothing short of a coup: Stiffelio at the Verdi Festival, Parma

By James Imam, 30 September 2017

Without recourse to virtual reality or hallucinogens, Vick has created a suggestive, vividly surreal world where one's reference points are lost to the wind.

*****

Nothing short of a coup: Stiffelio at the Verdi Festival, Parma

Bechtolf applies a touch of magic realism to Hänsel und Gretel at La Scala

By James Imam, 06 September 2017

Bechtolf's seductively imaginative staging consists in a flat pack fairytale world full of surprises that delight like the contents of a pop up book.

*****

A touch of magic realism to Hänsel und Gretel

Political satire: Torvaldo e Dorliska at the Rossini Opera Festival

By James Imam, 12 August 2017

Mario Martone's 2006 production captures both the aesthetic and the spirit of the age.

****1

Political satire: Torvaldo e Dorliska at the ROF

A frivolous La pietra del paragone at the Rossini Opera Festival

By James Imam, 11 August 2017

The young tenor Maxim Mironov, who played the poet Giocondo, was the name on everyone's lips by the end of the show. His voice is a modestly-sized and soft-grained, but it is beautifully produced, and focuses to a laser-like point up top.

****1

A frivolous La pietra del paragone in Pesaro

Netrebko triumphs as musical performances transcend Salzburg Festival staging of Aida

By James Imam, 09 August 2017

Muti's reading of the score is extraordinary, both for its sophistication and originality.

****1

Netrebko triumphs as Aida

Skilfully constructed: William Kentridge's new Wozzeck at the Salzburg Festival

By James Imam, 08 August 2017

A skilfully constructed production, and one that plays with the our perspectives. Whether the images are flashbacks from a war-troubled Wozzeck or a Büchner-esque portent of the horrors to come is left for the audience to decide.

****1

Skilfully constructed: Wozzeck at the Salzburg Festival

Socking the audience between the eyes: Nelsons and Trifonov at the Salzburg Festival

By James Imam, 07 August 2017

Youth was a hindrance rather than a virtue in this testosterone-driven performance which sought more than anything to sock the audience between the eyes

***11

Socking the audience between the eyes

Highly uplifting: Haitink conducts Beethoven's Missa solemnis at La Scala

By James Imam, 23 June 2017

The conductor favours measured tempi and unfussy direction, allowing the work to stand mountain-like as an expression of its own intrinsic magnificence.

*****

Highly uplifting Missa solemnis at La Scala

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Strehler's dreamy Die Entführung aus dem Serail returns to La Scala

By James Imam, 17 June 2017

Zubin Mehta brings a great deal of class to most things he conducts at La Scala, and here his bright account of Mozart's score was a joy.

****1

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Strehler's dreamy Entführung returns to La Scala