Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Urs Schönebaum

Showing 17 of 17 reviews

Loading image...

Canadian Opera Company triumphs with Kentridge’s brilliantly conceived Wozzeck

By John Gilks, 25 April 2025

William Kentridge's production of Berg’s Wozzeck has it all: wonderfully imaginative and disturbing designs, terrific acting and singing plus fabulous orchestral playing.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Toronto

26 Apr 2025

COC triumphs with Kentridge’s brilliantly conceived Wozzeck

By John Gilks

Loading image...

New York City

An immersion into the psyche of Stockhausen at the Park Avenue Armory

By Kurt Gottschalk, 08 June 2024

Inside Light, which takes music from Karlheinz Stockhausen's massive, 29-hour opera cycle Licht, adds to the enigma while creating its own spectacle.

****1

Loading image...

****1

New York City

10 Jun 2024

An immersion into the psyche of Stockhausen at the Park Avenue Armory

By Kurt Gottschalk

Loading image...

New York City

Kaufmann and Deutsch shine in Claus Guth's dramatized Schwanengesang

By Robert Levine, 27 September 2023

In New York's Park Avenue Armory, Claus Guth imagines Schubert's final song collection set in a military hospital, Jonas Kaufmann as one of its soldiers with a story to tell.

****1

Loading image...

****1

New York City

28 Sep 2023

Kaufmann and Deutsch shine in Claus Guth's dramatized Schwanengesang

By Robert Levine

Loading image...

Aix-en-Provence

More is less: Die Dreigroschenoper becomes L’Opéra des quat’sous in Aix-en-Provence

By David Karlin, 04 July 2023

Brecht and Weill’s political satire could hardly be more relevant, but Thomas Ostermeier and Maxime Balcon's new production fails to do it justice.

**111

Loading image...

**111

Aix-en-Provence

05 Jul 2023

Die Dreigroschenoper becomes L’Opéra des quat’sous in Aix

By David Karlin

Loading image...

Glyndebourne

Bright, bold and barking mad: Les Mamelles de Tirésias brings the house down in Glyndebourne's Poulenc double bill

By David Karlin, 06 August 2022

With Laurent Pelly directing, a very French evening sees a veritable feat of singing from Stéphanie d'Oustrac in La Voix humaine, followed by riotous surrealism in Les Mamelles de Tirésias.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Glyndebourne

07 Aug 2022

Bright, bold, barking: Les Mamelles de Tirésias at Glyndebourne

By David Karlin

Loading image...

Naples

Marina and Maria: Abramović's 7 Death of Maria Callas in Naples

By Elena Luporini, 13 May 2022

Marina Abramović's reflection on fame, artistry and death makes an enthralling Italian debut at the Teatro di San Carlo.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Naples

15 May 2022

Marina and Maria: Abramović's 7 Death of Maria Callas in Naples

By Elena Luporini

Loading image...

Munich

Splendid performance of Parsifal amid Pierre Audi's bleakness and desolation in Munich

By Ako Imamura, 14 April 2022

The Bayerische Staatsoper's revival of a controversial production containing Georg Baselitz’s artwork succeeds with strong musical performances led by veterans of Wagnerian operas.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Munich

16 Apr 2022

Splendid performance of Parsifal amid Audi's bleakness in Munich

By Ako Imamura

Loading image...

Berlin

Gods 1 – 0 Mortals in Staatsoper Berlin's Baroque Days festival

By Zenaida des Aubris, 05 November 2021

Àlex Ollé directs a rare version of Idoménée in Berlin, in which the staging fares better than the singing.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Berlin

08 Nov 2021

Gods 1 – 0 Mortals in Staatsoper Berlin's Baroque Days festival

By Zenaida des Aubris

Geneva

A hi-gloss Pelléas et Mélisande falls flat in Geneva

By Mark Valencia, 19 February 2021

Heroes emerge in adversity, and there are sterling turns from Leigh Melrose as a pugilistic Golaud and from the venerable Arkel of Matthew Best.

**111

**111

Geneva

22 Feb 2021

A hi-gloss Pelléas et Mélisande falls flat in Geneva

By Mark Valencia

New York City

Bleak and hopeless: William Kentridge's Wozzeck at the Met

By Robert Levine, 02 January 2020

Despite theatrical drawbacks, this Wozzeck is heartily recommended due to Yannick Nézet-Séguin's staggering understanding of all facets of Berg's score.

****1

****1

New York City

04 Jan 2020

Bleak and hopeless: William Kentridge's Wozzeck at the Met

By Robert Levine

Amsterdam

Airborne string players and choral wizardry in aus LICHT Part 3

By Jenny Camilleri, 02 June 2019

In the final instalment of aus LICHT, the Helicopter String Quartet lives up to the publicity hype and choirs perform marvellous feats.

****1

****1

Amsterdam

03 Jun 2019

Airborne string players and choral wizardry in aus LICHT Part 3

By Jenny Camilleri

Amsterdam

Hypnotic, diabolical and magical: aus LICHT Part 2, Lucifer & Eve

By Jenny Camilleri, 01 June 2019

The second day of aus LICHT is one mesmerising highlight after another, including the Netherlands Youth and Children’s Choirs in one magical and one sinister procession.

****1

****1

Amsterdam

02 Jun 2019

Hypnotic, diabolical and magical:

By Jenny Camilleri

Amsterdam

aus LICHT Part 1: Michael only takes flight in the second half

By Jenny Camilleri, 31 May 2019

The performers in Part 1 of aus LICHT at the Holland Festival are amazing, but the production doesn’t rev up until the Archangel Michael goes on his dizzying world tour.

***11

***11

Amsterdam

01 Jun 2019

aus LICHT Part 1: Michael only takes flight in the second half

By Jenny Camilleri

Amsterdam

Perfect symbiosis of words and music in Fin de partie at the Opera Forward Festival

By Jenny Camilleri, 06 March 2019

György Kurtág’s long awaited opera Fin de partie gets a second run in Amsterdam after its La Scala premiere, with the same excellent cast, conductor and production team.

*****

*****

Amsterdam

07 Mar 2019

Perfect symbiosis of words and music in Fin de partie

By Jenny Camilleri

Sydney

Barbed wire fences and gas masks: William Kentridge’s unsettling Wozzeck in Sydney

By Zoltán Szabó, 30 January 2019

Kentridge’s use of video technology creates another, highly complex, visual score next to Berg’s sonic one.

****1

****1

Sydney

31 Jan 2019

Barbed wire fences and gas masks: Wozzeck in Sydney

By Zoltán Szabó

Naples

A low profile staging for Nabucco in Naples

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 09 October 2018

Jean-Paul Scarpitta’s San Carlo staging was almost as minimal as a biblical oratorio.

***11

***11

Naples

11 Oct 2018

A low profile staging for Nabucco in Naples

By Lorenzo Fiorito

New York City

Hypnotic wonderment: Marina Abramović and Igor Levit’s Goldberg Variations at Park Avenue Armory

By Jacob Slattery, 07 December 2015

Marina Abramović revealed her new technique for listening to music in a concert at the Park Avenue Armory featuring a majestic performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations by pianist Igor Levit.

*****

*****

New York City

10 Dec 2015

Hypnotic wonderment: Goldberg Variations

By Jacob Slattery