Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Diana Damrau

All play and no work: Louise Alder leads an exuberant Figaro in Munich

By Orsolya Gyárfás, 17 July 2024

Evgeny Titov's new production is heavy on the jokes and light in substance, but delights anyway thanks to its high-class cast.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Munich

19 Jul 2024

All play and no work: an exuberant Figaro in Munich

By Orsolya Gyárfás

Loading image...

Waltzing masks and masquerades in Barrie Kosky’s new Fledermaus in Munich

By Zenaida des Aubris, 23 December 2023

Expect sequins and swinging chandeliers in the Australian director's new Fledermaus at the Bayerische Staatsoper.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Munich

01 Jan 2024

Waltzing masks and masquerades in Kosky’s new Fledermaus

By Zenaida des Aubris

Loading image...

Zurich

Successful role debuts for Damrau and Deshayes in Oper Zürich's Anna Bolena

By Laura Servidei, 05 December 2021

A great cast in Zurich, under the inspired baton of Enrique Mazzola, although David Alden's new production does not completely convince.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Zurich

07 Dec 2021

Successful debuts for Damrau and Deshayes in Zürich's Anna Bolena

By Laura Servidei

Barcelona

Ambroise Thomas’ lavishly orchestrated Hamlet in concert at the Liceu

By John Marten Barnard, 10 March 2019

Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet in concert in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona is enthusiastically conducted by Daniel Oren.

****1

****1

Barcelona

11 Mar 2019

Thomas’ Hamlet in concert at the Liceu

By John Marten Barnard

Straussian perfection from Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian RSO at the Barbican

By Kevin W Ng, 26 January 2019

Mariss Jansons and the BRSO offer defining performances of two of Richard Strauss' greatest works.

*****

*****

London

28 Jan 2019

Straussian perfection from Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian RSO

By Kevin W Ng

The Met welcomes Nézet-Séguin with a new Traviata

By Ako Imamura, 04 December 2018

A new production of La Traviata, colorful and conventional, brings little new ideas but is a fine vehicle for a fine performance conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin that features a trio of excellent singers.

****1

****1

New York City

06 Dec 2018

The Met welcomes Nézet-Séguin with a new Traviata

By Ako Imamura

Vienna

Diana Damrau and Nicolas Testé: a variable evening of Verdi in Vienna

By Jonathan Sutherland, 04 June 2018

Unlike the conucopia of duets Verdi wrote for soprano and baritone, his music for soprano and bass is much more limited and what exists is not exactly the acme of his output.

***11

***11

Vienna

09 Jun 2018

A variable evening of Verdi in Vienna

By Jonathan Sutherland

Zurich

Defiling the throne: David Alden's cumbersome Maria Stuarda disappoints in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 11 April 2018

Gaetano Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda is perhaps most famous for a single and highly emotional scene in which two monarchs engage in a venomous confrontation. One is doomed to die.

***11

***11

Zurich

12 Apr 2018

David Alden's new Maria Stuarda disappoints in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Heavenly Strauss from Damrau, but leaden-footed Brahms from the LPO

By Sebastian Scotney, 03 March 2018

With Damrau, one hears every word and her account of Strauss' Four Last Songs was memorable.

***11

***11

London

04 Mar 2018

Heavenly Strauss from Damrau

By Sebastian Scotney

Amsterdam

Diana Damrau puts the sparkle into the RCO’s Opening Night in Amsterdam

By Jenny Camilleri, 14 September 2017

While Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony failed to gel, the German soprano's Mozart turned the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s first concert of the season into a real celebration.

***11

***11

Amsterdam

15 Sep 2017

Diana Damrau puts the sparkle into RCO season opener

By Jenny Camilleri

Grafenegg

Diana Damrau almost dazzles at the Grafenegg Festival

By Jonathan Sutherland, 27 August 2017

Diana Damrau performs Mozart and Strauss at the Grafenegg Festival, located about an hour’s drive from Vienna.

***11

***11

Grafenegg

29 Aug 2017

Diana Damrau almost dazzles at the Grafenegg Festival

By Jonathan Sutherland

Testé, Spyres and Pudova stand out in Bavarian State Opera's Hoffmann

By David Karlin, 30 July 2017

Offenbach's vivid setting of ETA Hoffmann's fantastic tales gets an enjoyable outing, with Spyres, Testé and Pudova the undoubted stars of the show.

***11

***11

Munich

31 Jul 2017

Testé, Spyres and Pudova stand out in Hoffmann

By David Karlin

Los Angeles

A beautifully sung Tales of Hoffmann at LA Opera

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz, 25 March 2017

Los Angeles Opera's Tales of Hoffmann survives multiple cast changes to look and sound fabulous, but it drags dramatically.

***11

***11

Los Angeles

26 Mar 2017

A beautifully sung Tales of Hoffmann at LA Opera

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Star turns in Met's new Roméo et Juliette

By Robert Levine, 04 January 2017

Vittorio Grigòlo and Diana Damrau repeated and cemented their intense on-stage relationship at the Met in Bartlett Sher's new production of Roméo et Juliette.

****1

****1

New York City

05 Jan 2017

Star turns in Met's new Roméo et Juliette

By Robert Levine

Loading image...

Milan

A vaudevillian Le nozze di Figaro from Frederic Wake-Walker at La Scala

By Renato Verga, 26 October 2016

At La Scala, Milan a disappointing tribute to Giorgio Strehler's historic staging of The Marriage of Figaro by young English director Frederic Wake-Walker.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Milan

28 Oct 2016

A vaudevillian Figaro at La Scala

By Renato Verga

Flawed and floored: Katie Mitchell delivers a powerful Lucia at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 07 April 2016

“Prepare to be shocked!” was the warning issued before this new Lucia di Lammermoor from Katie Mitchell at the Royal Opera House. Shocking? Yes, but in a good way.

***11

***11

London

08 Apr 2016

Flawed and floored: a powerful Lucia at the ROH

By Mark Pullinger

Gorgeous trio of voices in Met Opera’s Pearl Fishers

By Robert Levine, 04 January 2016

Les Pêcheurs de Perles is a graceful if senseless piece, composed when Georges Bizet was only 25 years old and miles away from the psycho-musical drama of Carmen.

*****

*****

New York City

05 Jan 2016

Gorgeous trio of voices in the Met’s Pearl Fishers

By Robert Levine

Zurich

A sparkling L'elisir d'amore with Damrau and Breslik in Zurich

By Jonathan Sutherland, 26 June 2015

Donizetti’s magic potion was much more Bollinger bubbles than bad Bordeaux. It was delightful, delicious and de-lovely.

****1

****1

Zurich

29 Jun 2015

A sparkling L'elisir d'amore in Zurich

By Jonathan Sutherland

Damrau and Grigolo battle through Pelly’s Manon production... and win

By Robert Levine, 09 March 2015

The two leads in the brand-new cast of the Met’s three year old production of Massenet’s Manon were unbeatable.

****1

****1

New York City

11 Mar 2015

Damrau and Grigolo triumph in Pelly’s Manon

By Robert Levine

Vienna Philharmonic and Westminster Choir in a sublime Brahms Requiem

By David Browning, 01 March 2015

The Vienna Philharmonic, the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Diana Damrau and Christian Gerhaher present a sublime Brahms Requiem on a snowy Sunday afternoon.

*****

*****

New York City

03 Mar 2015

A sublime Brahms Requiem in New York

By David Browning

Amsterdam

Piotr Beczala, Diana Damrau and Nicolas Testé at the Concertgebouw

By Nicolas Nguyen, 23 September 2014

International opera stars Piotr Beczala, Diana Damrau and Nicolas Testé delight the public of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but their vocal prowess do not quite compensate for an ill-constructed program.

***11

***11

Amsterdam

24 Sep 2014

A questionable Concertgebouw programme?

By Nicolas Nguyen

Damrau’s superb Violetta marred by static Traviata production

By Ako Imamura, 04 July 2014

Munich revives La traviata showcasing Diana Damrau, who is growing into one of the best Violettas to grace the opera stage today.

****1

****1

Munich

05 Jul 2014

Damrau's superb Violetta in Munich

By Ako Imamura

A trio of top stars in the Royal Opera's La traviata

By David Karlin, 19 April 2014

A great deal of the audience were in the house for La traviata last night for the chance to see Diana Damrau and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. They will not have been disappointed: these were performances of the very highest quality by two very fine singers, with Francesco Demuro all but matching them.

****1

****1

London

20 Apr 2014

A trio of top stars in the Royal Opera's La traviata

By David Karlin

Diana Damrau knocks it “out of the park” in Met's La Sonnambula

By Rebecca Lentjes, 14 March 2014

This year’s revival of Mary Zimmerman’s La Sonnambula at the Met requires too much suspension of disbelief to seriously work, but it provides a fun and vibrant take on Bellini’s bel canto opera all the same. In the title role, Diana Damrau knocked it out of the park.

****1

****1

New York City

17 Mar 2014

Diana Damrau knocks it “out of the park” in Met's La Sonnambula

By Rebecca Lentjes

Vienna

Iain Bell's A Harlot's Progress enjoys a strong debut at Theater an der Wien

By Chanda VanderHart, 13 October 2013

Iain Bell’s new opera A Harlot’s Progress, premièred at the Theater an der Wien this month, has much going for it. Its chances for making it into modern repertory are good – if people can handle the depressing plot.

***11

***11

Vienna

17 Oct 2013

Theater an der Wien: A Harlot's Progress

By Chanda VanderHart

Washington

The devotee of music: Diana Damrau in Washington DC

By Raisa Massuda, 08 April 2013

On Monday night the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts hosted a debut recital of internationally acclaimed German soprano Diana Damrau and her concert accompanist, French harpist Xavier de Maistre.

*****

*****

Washington

11 Apr 2013

The devotee of music: Diana Damrau in Washington DC

By Raisa Massuda

The Met in HD, Rigoletto, 2013

By Katy S. Austin, 17 February 2013

Read our review of Michael Mayer's production of Verdi's Rigoletto in its 2013 broadcast from the Met Opera in New York.

New York City

01 Dec 2013

The Met in HD, Rigoletto, 2013

By Katy S. Austin

Rigoletto in flashing neon lights at the Met in HD

By Katy S. Austin, 16 February 2013

Verdi’s Rigoletto is possessed of a truly tragic plot. A physically disabled jester keeps his innocent daughter locked up except for weekly church visits, a situation which she only lightly resists. Rigoletto believes a curse is to blame for his daughter being killed, although she only dies as a substitute for the man Rigoletto himself has arranged to be assassinated.

****1

****1

New York City

18 Feb 2013

Rigoletto in flashing neon lights at the Met in HD

By Katy S. Austin

A sobering Hoffmann

By Intermezzo, 12 November 2011

One of the questions this opera poses for any director is how to link the 'tales' of Hoffmann's three lost loves together and knit them satisfactorily into the Prologue and Epilogue.

****1

****1

Munich

13 Nov 2011

A sobering Hoffmann

By Intermezzo

The Met in HD, Le Comte Ory, 2011

By David Karlin, 04 September 2011

Read our review of Bartlett Sher's production of Rossini's Le Comte Ory in its 2011 broadcast from the Met Opera in New York.

New York City

01 Dec 2013

The Met in HD, Le Comte Ory, 2011

By David Karlin