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Rossini Opera Festival’s clever pairing of first and last laughs

By Laura Servidei, 11 August 2025

Rossini’s first staged opera, La cambiale di matrimonio, in a spirited production by Laurence Dale, paired with his late work Les soirées musicales in a successful performance.

****1

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****1

Pesaro

12 Aug 2025

Rossini Opera Festival’s clever pairing of first and last laughs

By Laura Servidei

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Milan

A forgotten meta-opera at La Scala: Gassmann’s L’opera seria

By Laura Servidei, 29 March 2025

Christophe Rousset leads a great cast and an even greater orchestra in Gassmann’s 1769 rarity in Laurent Pelly’s visually striking, but oddly subdued, take on a comedy that thrives on chaos.

***11

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***11

Milan

31 Mar 2025

A forgotten meta-opera at La Scala: Gassmann’s L’opera seria

By Laura Servidei

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Zurich

Viva la mamma! Donizetti’s satirical farce flops in Zurich

By Laura Servidei, 16 April 2023

Mélanie Huber’s production misses the mark for Donizetti’s silly comedy, sung by a solid cast.

**111

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**111

Zurich

17 Apr 2023

Viva la mamma! Donizetti’s satirical farce flops in Zurich

By Laura Servidei

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Milan

A young, fresh cast enlivens Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto at La Scala

By Laura Servidei, 19 September 2022

The Accademia programme at La Scala presents Cimarosa’s masterpiece with a brilliant young cast of students, led by veteran Pietro Spagnoli, with Ottavio Dantone at the baton.

***11

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***11

Milan

21 Sep 2022

A young, fresh cast enlivens Il matrimonio segreto at La Scala

By Laura Servidei

Pesaro

Il signor Bruschino in Pesaro: silly farce, but musical masterpiece

By Laura Servidei, 07 August 2021

A successful new production of the maestro’s opera buffaat the Rossini Opera Festival with a solid cast led by Marina Monzó.

****1

****1

Pesaro

09 Aug 2021

Il signor Bruschino in Pesaro: silly farce, but musical masterpiece

By Laura Servidei

London

Devieilhe, Camarena, Spagnoli: a dream team for La Fille du régiment at the Royal Opera

By David Karlin, 08 July 2019

Top drawer singing and comic acting bring out the comedy in Laurent Pelly's light-hearted production

****1

****1

London

09 Jul 2019

Devieilhe, Camarena, Spagnoli: a dream team for La Fille du régiment

By David Karlin

Zurich

Variety meets vaudeville: Rossini’s Il turco in Italia docks in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 28 April 2019

In Il turco in Italia, Gioachino Rossini’s command of spiritedness and musical timing is well matched by the plot of lovers’ infidelities.

****1

****1

Zurich

29 Apr 2019

Rossini’s Il turco in Italia docks in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Hamburg

Are they all like that? Staatsoper Hamburg's new Così

By Alexander Hall, 08 September 2018

Hamburg State Opera launches its new season with a visually overpowering but musically satisfying Così fan tutte.

****1

****1

Hamburg

09 Sep 2018

Are they all like that? Staatsoper Hamburg's new Così

By Alexander Hall

Pesaro

Pier Luigi Pizzi’s Barbiere triumphs in Pesaro

By Laura Servidei, 16 August 2018

The Rossini Opera Festival stages a new production of the most famous of Rossini’s masterpieces to celebrate the composer in the 150th anniversary of his death.

****1

****1

Pesaro

18 Aug 2018

Pier Luigi Pizzi’s Barbiere triumphs in Pesaro

By Laura Servidei

Barcelona

Il viaggio a Reims: A simply staged Rossinian rarity in Barcelona

By John Marten Barnard, 13 September 2017

Emilio Sagi’s brightly lit but simplistic staging of Il viaggio a Reims moves the action from northern France to a sunny spa hotel in warmer climes.

***11

***11

Barcelona

14 Sep 2017

A simply staged Rossinian rarity in Barcelona

By John Marten Barnard

Valencia

Rossini triumphant: Daniela Barcellona heads a stylish and emotional Tancredi in Valencia

By Laura Servidei, 23 June 2017

Daniela Barcellona and Jessica Pratt lead a strong cast in an emotional and elegant performance of the first opera seria by Rossini under the expert baton of Roberto Abbado.

*****

*****

Valencia

26 Jun 2017

A stylish Tancredi in Valencia

By Laura Servidei

Bergen

Un turco in Norvegia: Rossini's Selim puts ashore in Bergen

By David Karlin, 25 March 2017

Mark Lamos' staging is a riot of colour and movement; George Souglides gives us a masterclass in costumery; fine Italian singing illuminates this Norwegian première for Rossini's madcap Il turco in Italia.

****1

****1

Bergen

26 Mar 2017

Il turco in Italia puts ashore in Bergen

By David Karlin

Brussels

Gassmann's comedy L'opera seria gets a new production in Brussels

By Nahoko Gotoh, 11 February 2016

An opera that pokes fun at opera seria? An opera that features backstage preparations for a show, followed by an opera within an opera? No, it’s not Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.

****1

****1

Brussels

15 Feb 2016

Gassmann's comedy L'opera seria in Brussels

By Nahoko Gotoh

Madrid

La Fille du régiment revives the Teatro Real

By Laura Furones, 23 October 2014

Donizetti's La Fille du régiment brings much needed joy to the Teatro Real, with Javier Camarena's astonishing voice and Aleksandra Kurzak's unapologetic tomboy mesmerising the audience.

****1

****1

Madrid

25 Oct 2014

La Fille du régiment revives the Teatro Real

By Laura Furones

New York City

A Joyce to Behold, with Princely Help: The Met’s Cenerentola

By Robert Levine, 21 April 2014

The Met’s playful production of Rossini’s great, loveable and busy La Cenerentola is back and in excellent hands. Joyce DiDonato's Cinderella, singing the role at the Met for the first time is perfect.

****1

****1

New York City

23 Apr 2014

A Joyce to Behold, with Princely Help: The Met’s Cenerentola

By Robert Levine

London

All froth and little substance: La Fille du régiment at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 09 March 2014

For frothy entertainment, Pelly’s Fille is harmless fun, even if it descends into pantomime cliché. Juan Diego Flórez’s Tonio ensures it remains a hot ticket and Patrizia Ciofi’s Marie is a bundle of energy.

***11

***11

London

10 Mar 2014

All froth and little substance: La Fille du régiment at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger

London

Breezy virtuosity from the Royal Opera with Angela Gheorghiu in La Rondine

By Paul Kilbey, 05 July 2013

In La rondine’s climactic scene, when Magda explains to her young lover Ruggero why she believes she must leave him, Puccini sets their exchange to one of the most hackneyed of all musical formulas: the cycle of fifths.

***11

***11

London

06 Jul 2013

Breezy virtuosity from the Royal Opera with Angela Gheorghiu in La Rondine

By Paul Kilbey

Vienna

Sex, wine and bel canto bliss: Le Comte Ory at the Theater an der Wien

By Snapdragon, 20 February 2013

When Jean-Christophe Spinosi stepped onto the podium to conduct Le Comte Ory that night, he didn’t wait for his applause to cease, but instantly cued a hearty forte from the Ensemble Matheus, and consequently a few incredulous looks from the audience.

*****

*****

Vienna

25 Feb 2013

Sex, wine and bel canto bliss: Le Comte Ory at the Theater an der Wien

By Snapdragon

Hong Kong

Bavarian State Opera: Così fan tutte at the Hong Kong Arts Festival

By Alan Yu, 26 February 2012

For its 40th anniversary, the Hong Kong Arts Festival chose Mozart’s Così fan tutte as its main opera offering. Whatever you may call it – opera buffa, comedy of manners, or “dramma giocoso” – Mozart’s lovely music makes Così fan tutte wonderful entertainment. That’s what the Bavarian State Opera delivered on Sunday afternoon to commemorate this important milestone of the Festival.

***11

***11

Hong Kong

28 Feb 2012

Bavarian State Opera: Così fan tutte at the Hong Kong Arts Festival

By Alan Yu