Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Mark Jonathan

Showing 24 of 24 reviews

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ABT: Ashton's Sylvia showcases the entire company

By Ivy Lin, 10 July 2025

The audience walked out of the theater feeling airborne and filled with the kind of joy you only feel after a truly special performance. Sylvia is an absolute treasure.

*****

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*****

New York City

12 Jul 2025

ABT: Ashton's Sylvia showcases the entire company

By Ivy Lin

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London

London Children’s Ballet: Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella is a rip-roaring triumph

By Graham Watts, 04 July 2025

A “high-five” for the maturity, professionalism and outstanding production values of the London Children's Ballet's latest full-length ballet.

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London

07 Jul 2025

Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella is a rip-roaring triumph

By Graham Watts

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High Wycombe

Dr Feelgood wins the day: Richard Burkhard lights up Garsington Opera’s L’elisir d’amore

By David Karlin, 28 May 2025

Simon Higlett’s exquisite sets and costumes give a backdrop to Donizetti’s frothiest of rom-coms.

****1

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****1

High Wycombe

29 May 2025

Garsington’s L’elisir d’amore: Dr Feelgood wins the day

By David Karlin

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London

Magic takes time to sparkle in English National Opera's Elixir of Love

By Eleanor Knight, 15 November 2024

Harry Fehr’s directorial debut for ENO transposes Donizetti’s tale into a World War 2 setting. Rhian Lois charms and commands as Adina.

****1

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****1

London

16 Nov 2024

Magic takes time to sparkle in ENO's Elixir of Love

By Eleanor Knight

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Stockholm

Stemme and Eichenholz lead an explosive Jenůfa at Royal Swedish Opera

By David Karlin, 25 October 2024

Janáček’s drama of infanticide is delivered at full power by Nina Stemme and Agneta Eichenholz in Annilese Miskimmon’s well-crafted production. The orchestra, however, are just too loud.

****1

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****1

Stockholm

26 Oct 2024

Stemme leads an explosive Jenůfa at Royal Swedish Opera

By David Karlin

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London

Trapped in a vice: a terrific double-bill of Il segreto di Susanna and Pagliacci at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe, 17 July 2024

Joining OHP's 2019 production of Wolf-Ferrari's charming domestic comedy, a blazing new production of Pagliacci delivers everything that one could want from Leoncavallo's infamous opera.

*****

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*****

London

19 Jul 2024

Trapped in a vice: Il segreto di Susanna and Pagliacci at OHP

By Dominic Lowe

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London

London Children's Ballet: The Secret Garden will win your heart

By Deborah Weiss, 04 July 2024

Absolutely enchanting production of The Secret Garden that will transport you directly into Frances Hodgson Burnett's world.

*****

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*****

London

05 Jul 2024

London Children's Ballet: The Secret Garden will win your heart

By Deborah Weiss

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London

A noble effort: Puccini's Edgar makes a rare appearance at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe, 02 July 2024

Is Puccini's second opera unloved and unlovable? Opera Holland Park makes a commendable attempt to revive Edgar, but struggles to overcome its many flaws.

***11

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***11

London

05 Jul 2024

Puccini's Edgar makes a rare appearance at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe

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Tokyo

David Bintley's Aladdin: a beloved production returns to Tokyo

By Naomi Mori, 14 June 2024

National Ballet of Japan has revived Sir David Bintley’s Aladdin for the first time in five years and it shows how the company has developed since the premiere in 2008.

****1

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****1

Tokyo

19 Jun 2024

David Bintley's Aladdin: a beloved production returns to Tokyo

By Naomi Mori

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Cardiff

Musical performances keep Welsh National Opera's new Così fan tutte afloat

By Mark Valencia, 06 March 2024

Max Hoehn takes Così‘s subtitle, La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), and connects it to Monty Python’s sex education sketch in The Meaning of Life. What larks, eh?

***11

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***11

Cardiff

10 Mar 2024

Musical performances keep WNO's new Così afloat

By Mark Valencia

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Birmingham

BRB's The Sleeping Beauty: celebrating 40 years of magic

By Graham Watts, 21 February 2024

Sir Peter Wright's The Sleeping Beauty exudes that magical, ageless feeling, here brought to life by a new and enchanting performance of the title role.

****1

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****1

Birmingham

23 Feb 2024

BRB's The Sleeping Beauty: celebrating 40 years of magic

By Graham Watts

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Glasgow

Scottish Barber of Seville packed with fun

By David Smythe, 17 October 2023

Sir Thomas Allen returns to Scottish Opera to revive The Barber of Seville with a strong cast headed by Samuel Dale Johnson, Anthony Gregory, David Stout and Simone McIntosh.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

20 Oct 2023

Scottish Barber of Seville packed with fun

By David Smythe

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London

The Sleeping Beauty has a very special place in the annals of The Royal Ballet

By Graham Watts, 16 January 2023

Throughout the entire cast, every named role was performed with the mix of enthusiasm, affection and assuredness.

****1

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****1

London

18 Jan 2023

The Sleeping Beauty is crammed with so many gems!

By Graham Watts

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Leeds

The Nutcracker is a hit with the audience in Leeds

By Viki Westall, 05 January 2023

A farcical, entertaining Mouse King limbers up atop his cheese!

****1

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****1

Leeds

06 Jan 2023

The Nutcracker is a hit with the audience in Leeds

By Viki Westall

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Glasgow

Sir Thomas Allen directs a delightful Don Giovanni at Scottish Opera

By David Smythe, 21 May 2022

Set in the sinister backstreets of Venice, this production from 2013 boasts strong singing all around and brisk, bright conducting by Stuart Stratford.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

22 May 2022

Sir Thomas Allen directs a delightful Don Giovanni at Scottish Opera

By David Smythe

London

A lustrous Sleeping Beauty at The Royal Ballet

By Graham Watts, 07 November 2019

On the evidence of this performance, there is every reason to be cheerful.

*****

*****

London

10 Nov 2019

A lustrous Sleeping Beauty at The Royal Ballet

By Graham Watts

Birmingham

Traditional to the core: Birmingham Royal Ballet's Giselle returns in a tremendous performance

By Graham Watts, 28 September 2019

The welcome return of a thoughtful interpretation of this much-loved ballet

****1

****1

Birmingham

02 Oct 2019

Traditional to the core: BRB's Giselle returns

By Graham Watts

Glasgow

Stovepipe hats are back: Scottish Opera’s steampunk Magic Flute returns

By David Smythe, 04 May 2019

Sir Thomas Allen’s crowd-pleasing Magic Flute returns to Scottish Opera in a finely sung performance with Tobias Ringborg drawing period colours from the orchestra.

****1

****1

Glasgow

06 May 2019

Scottish Opera’s steampunk Magic Flute returns

By David Smythe

London

“Lord what fools these mortals be”: Britten's Dream haunts the Guildhall School

By Roy Westbrook, 01 March 2019

Dominic Wheeler did full justice to Britten’s brilliantly colourful and haunting score right from those first eerie glissandi.

****1

****1

London

02 Mar 2019

Britten's Dream haunts Guildhall School

By Roy Westbrook

Glasgow

Scottish Opera’s Mikado: A Victorian variety show on Japanese Night

By David Smythe, 07 May 2016

Martin Lloyd Evans returns to Scottish Opera direct a visually rich and lively Mikado. Richard Suart is a veteran Ko-Ko with no-one safe from his Little List as it changes for every performance.

***11

***11

Glasgow

09 May 2016

A Victorian variety show on Japanese Night

By David Smythe

London

Survivor's guilt: Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Guildhall School

By Charlotte Valori, 22 February 2016

Bleak and uncompromising in vision and intention, Britten's The Rape of Lucretia gets a suitably dark, discomfiting outing at Guildhall.

***11

***11

London

25 Feb 2016

Survivor's guilt: Britten's The Rape of Lucretia

By Charlotte Valori

Birmingham

Arrows, wine, and a stellar performance by Momoko Hirata in BRB's Sylvia

By Hedy Mühleck, 25 June 2015

Gods, nymphs, campy cavemen, angel's wings and a one-legged pirate - this production has it all, and plenty more.

****1

****1

Birmingham

28 Jun 2015

Bintley's Sylvia is entertaining and delightful

By Hedy Mühleck

London

A splendid performance of Britten's Owen Wingrave by the Guildhall School

By Roger Smith, 05 June 2013

I’m sure before long I’ll see a production of Daisy Pulls It Off that opens with modern day soldiers charging onto the stage waving rifles about – it seems to be the first image directors reach for these days.

****1

****1

London

07 Jun 2013

A splendid performance of Britten's Owen Wingrave by the Guildhall School

By Roger Smith

Pitlochry

Scottish Opera's La Traviata on a big tour round the wee bits of Scotland

By David Smythe, 10 November 2012

It is always a challenge to take live opera to the places opera does not reach, and let’s face it, many people live a distance from the main performing venues. A long drive home after a three-hour opera or an overnight stay in the city weeds out all but the dedicated followers.

****1

****1

Pitlochry

12 Nov 2012

Scottish Opera's La Traviata on a big tour round the wee bits of Scotland

By David Smythe