Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Christian Schmidt

A revenger’s tragedy: Loy’s La forza del destino returns to The Royal Opera

By David Karlin, 19 September 2023

Christof Loy's 2019 production proves even more compelling second time round, with excellent acting and a properly heroic tenor performance from Brian Jagde.

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London

19 Sep 2023

A revenger’s tragedy: La forza del destino returns to London

By David Karlin

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The Idiot: Weinberg’s Dostoevsky drama crushes at MusikTheater an der Wien

By Chanda VanderHart, 30 April 2023

Vasily Barkhatov directs a new production of Mieczysław Weinberg's rarely staged, massive and unwieldy opera at the MuseumsQuartier.

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Vienna

30 Apr 2023

Weinberg’s Dostoevsky drama crushes at MusikTheater an der Wien

By Chanda VanderHart

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Toronto

Canadian Opera Company's sexed up Figaro: beautifully sung, creepily funny

By John Gilks, 27 January 2023

The COC revival of its 2016 production of Le nozze di Figaro is still rooted in Claus Guth’s gloomy Scandinavia but it’s lightened up to become much sexier and funnier.

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Toronto

27 Jan 2023

COC's sexed up Figaro: beautifully sung, creepily funny

By John Gilks

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ENO's new Tosca has conceptual flaws, but delivers on the music

By Dominic Lowe, 30 September 2022

Christof Loy's production of Tosca at ENO replaces Catherine Malfitano’s and, despite being visually attractive, suffers certain muddled ideas. It boasts, however, a strong trio of singers who deliver a committed performance on the production's first night at the Coliseum.

***11

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London

30 Sep 2022

ENO's new Tosca has conceptual flaws, but delivers on the music

By Dominic Lowe

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Andreas Homoki's Ring Cycle continues with Die Walküre at Opernhaus Zürich

By Sarah Batschelet, 18 September 2022

A stellar production of Die Walküre premieres in Zurich, not far from the location where Richard Wagner composed it.

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Zurich

18 Sep 2022

Homoki's Ring Cycle continues with Die Walküre at Opernhaus Zürich

By Sarah Batschelet

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Dramatic music-making at its finest as Homoki's Zurich Ring begins

By Andrew Larkin, 30 April 2022

A match made in heaven: director's Homoki's compelling interpretation of Das Rheingold is married to exciting musical direction from Gianandrea Noseda, not to mention the stellar cast of singers.

*****

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*****

Zurich

30 Apr 2022

Dramatic music-making at its finest as Homoki's Zurich Ring begins

By Andrew Larkin

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Ludovic Tézier rules in Andreas Homoki's still socially-distanced Simon Boccanegra in Zurich

By Laura Servidei, 15 December 2021

Andreas Homoki’s production suffers from last season's Covid restrictions, resulting in an alienating, aloof performance, but under the energetic baton of Marco Armiliato, it still proves a very successful musical evening.

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Zurich

15 Dec 2021

Tézier rules in Zurich's still socially-distanced Simon Boccanegra

By Laura Servidei

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Don Giovanni “dans un bois (not so) solitaire” at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen, 04 November 2021

Claus Guth’s Don Giovanni returns to Amsterdam with an almost entirely new cast with strong leads by Seth Carico and Adrian Sâmpetrean.

***11

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Amsterdam

04 Nov 2021

Don Giovanni “dans un bois (not so) solitaire” at Dutch National Opera

By Nicolas Nguyen

Spoiler alert: Juliet doesn’t die in Zurich I Capuleti e i Montecchi

By Laura Servidei, 21 September 2021

The Opernhaus Zürich revives Christof Loy’s production with a new young cast under the baton of Fabio Biondi.

**111

**111

Zurich

21 Sep 2021

Spoiler alert: Juliet doesn’t die in Zurich I Capuleti e i Montecchi

By Laura Servidei

Excellent revival of Claus Guth's Saul at Theater an der Wien

By George Jahn, 20 April 2021

“How Excellent.” The first words sung in Handel’s Saul are in praise of God and were first uttered in a performance nearly three centuries ago. But they apply equally to Claus Guth’s interpretation of the work staged by Theater an der Wien.

*****

*****

Vienna

20 Apr 2021

Excellent revival of Claus Guth's Saul at Theater an der Wien

By George Jahn

Double vision in Wiener Staatsoper's Entführung... and the opera benefits

By George Jahn, 16 October 2020

Actors double up with singers in Hans Neuenfels' innovative production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Vienna.

*****

*****

Vienna

16 Oct 2020

Double vision in Wiener Staatsoper's Entführung

By George Jahn

Rodelinda hits all the marks at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri, 14 January 2020

A veritable Baroque bonanza featuring a top-tier cast and orchestra in an emotionally incisive and handsomely crafted production.

*****

*****

Amsterdam

14 Jan 2020

Rodelinda hits all the marks at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri

Czernowin's Heart Chamber stirs passions at Deutsche Oper Berlin

By Liam Cagney, 06 December 2019

Heart Chamber explores how small outer events often correspond to tectonic inner changes.

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Berlin

06 Dec 2019

Czernowin's Heart Chamber stirs passions at Deutsche Oper Berlin

By Liam Cagney

Transcendental spheres: dancing Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 24 November 2019

Christian Spuck revisits Verdi’s sublime Messa da Requiem with a host of gifted dancers and singers at the Zurich Opernhaus.

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Zurich

24 Nov 2019

Transcendental spheres: dancing Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Munich

“Esultate!” Otello a musical triumph in Munich

By Laura Servidei, 28 September 2019

Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, the “Royal couple” of the Bayerische Staatsoper, enchant and melt hearts as the doomed lovers in Verdi’s late masterpiece.

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Munich

28 Sep 2019

“Esultate!” Otello a musical triumph in Munich

By Laura Servidei

“For never was a story of more woe…”: brilliant revival of Spuck's Romeo and Juliet in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 01 June 2019

Giulia Tonelli's Juliet was sheer perfection, the true mainstay of this unforgettable performance.

*****

*****

Zurich

01 Jun 2019

Brilliant revival of Spuck's Romeo and Juliet in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

La forza dei Cristofori: Loy and Maltman raise hell at Covent Garden

By David Karlin, 17 April 2019

Short of the three lead stars of its opening, The Royal Opera's La forza del destino remains a thrilling evening, powered by Christof Loy's interesting staging and virile singing from Christopher Maltman.

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London

17 Apr 2019

La forza dei Cristofori: Loy and Maltman raise hell

By David Karlin

Outrageous fortune: stellar opening night for La forza del destino at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 21 March 2019

The hottest opera ticket in London this season sees Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko reunited on the Royal Opera House's stage for the first time since 2008. It was worth the wait.

*****

*****

London

21 Mar 2019

Outrageous fortune: stellar opening for Forza at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger

The sacrifice of Bérénice: a long break-up at the Opéra Garnier in Paris

By Louise Boisselier, 29 September 2018

In Bérénice, given its world première at the Opéra Garnier, composer Michael Jarrell revisits Racine's refined tragedy with the help of the inspired voices of Barbara Hannigan and Bo Skovhus.

***11

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Paris

29 Sep 2018

The sacrifice of Bérénice: a long break-up at the Opéra Garnier in Paris

By Louise Boisselier

Helsinki

An emotional new Tosca from Christof Loy in Helsinki

By Laura Servidei, 21 September 2018

Carè, Stundytė and Pursio all shine as singers and actors in an intense, exciting production at the Finnish National Opera.

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Helsinki

21 Sep 2018

An emotional new Tosca from Christof Loy in Helsinki

By Laura Servidei

A dream staging: Claus Guth's Frau ohne Schatten arrives at the Staatsoper unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley, 16 September 2018

Guth's incisive staging of Strauss and Hofmannsthal's grandest opera proves a moving and detailed experience at its transfer to the reopened Staatsoper.

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Berlin

16 Sep 2018

Guth's FroSch arrives at Unter den Linden

By Hugo Shirley

Salzburg

Jansons and the Vienna Phil trump Neuenfels' tame Pique Dame in Salzburg

By Mark Pullinger, 10 August 2018

Mariss Jansons and the Vienna Philharmonic do the real storytelling as Hans Neuenfels' staging underwhelms.

***11

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Salzburg

10 Aug 2018

Jansons trumps Neuenfels' tame Pique Dame in Salzburg

By Mark Pullinger

Enlightenment through compassion: Claus Guth's stellar Parsifal in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 25 February 2018

Claus Guth’s grandiose production of Parsifal made major headlines in Zurich in 2011. With its new cast of principals, this revival is no less a sensation.

*****

*****

Zurich

25 Feb 2018

Enlightenment through compassion: Parsifal in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Turin

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.

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Turin

14 Oct 2017

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

By James Imam

Madrid

Opera seria goes wild: Lucio Silla at the Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro, 16 September 2017

The Teatro Real opened its 200th anniversary season with a revival of Claus Guth's brilliant production and a great cast, led by Kurt Streit and Silvia Tro Santafé.

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Madrid

16 Sep 2017

Opera seria goes wild: Lucio Silla at the Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro

Solid La forza del destino opens Dutch National Opera season

By Jenny Camilleri, 09 September 2017

An able cast sings in Christof Loy’s non-interventionist and insightful production of Verdi’s panoramic tragedy, conducted with vivid detail by Michele Mariotti.

***11

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Amsterdam

09 Sep 2017

Solid La forza del destino opens Dutch National Opera season

By Jenny Camilleri

Salzburg

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.

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Salzburg

09 Aug 2017

Netrebko triumphs as Aida

By James Imam

Glyndebourne

One for sorrow: Claus Guth directs a taut, dark Clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne

By Mark Pullinger, 26 July 2017

A grimly dark setting for Mozart's final opera, Sesto and Tito haunted by childhood memories.

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Glyndebourne

26 Jul 2017

One for sorrow: La clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne

By Mark Pullinger

Fractures made whole: Claus Guth's shattering Frau ohne Schatten at the Berlin Staatsoper

By Hugo Shirley, 09 April 2017

Zubin Mehta's conducting is a disappointment, but Guth's remarkable production makes powerful sense of Strauss and Hofmannsthal's rich fairy tale.

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Berlin

09 Apr 2017

Claus Guth's Frau ohne Schatten in Berlin

By Hugo Shirley

Frankfurt am Main

Perfect Pelléas: Debussy's opera seduces in Frankfurt

By Matthew Rye, 01 April 2017

Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande is beautifully realised in Claus Guth's now classic production, revived with a new cast of principals at Oper Frankfurt.

*****

*****

Frankfurt am Main

01 Apr 2017

Perfect Pelléas: Debussy's opera seduces in Frankfurt

By Matthew Rye

Shaking fists at the fates: Christian Spuck's Messa da Requiem in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 03 December 2016

Christian Spuck’s new ballet Messa da Requiem in Zurich, is a breathtakingly powerful achievement. But its profound impact is spurred by more than dance alone.

*****

*****

Zurich

03 Dec 2016

Messa di Requiem

By Sarah Batschelet

Total theatre: Don Giovanni at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri, 07 May 2016

The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra was in glittering form, while strong singing and acting enhanced each other in the evocative woodland of Claus Guth’s Don Giovanni.

****1

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Amsterdam

07 May 2016

Total theatre: Don Giovanni at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri

The pulp of great fiction: Christian Spuck’s Romeo and Juliet in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 16 April 2016

At the Zurich opera house, ballet director and chief choreographer Christian Spuck employs emotionally charged imagery and highly acrobatic dance technique to tell the story his way.

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Zurich

16 Apr 2016

Spuck's Romeo und Julia for Zurich Ballett

By Sarah Batschelet

I Capuleti e I Montecchi: the reinvention of a tragic tale

By Sarah Batschelet, 21 June 2015

A dynamic cast recently gave the Zurich audience the “stuffs” of Vincenzo Bellini’s tragic opera: the power of duty, law and honour.

***11

***11

Zurich

21 Jun 2015

I Capuleti e I Montecchi: the reinvention of a tragic tale

By Sarah Batschelet

Ambiguity with a capital “A”: Julietta on a rotating stage in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 17 February 2015

Julietta, Bohuslav Martinů’s seldom performed surrealistic opera of dreams and lost identity recently premiered in a new Zurich production.

**111

**111

Zurich

17 Feb 2015

Julietta: Ambiguity with a capital “A”

By Sarah Batschelet

All about that soprano: Stemme’s Isolde in Zurich one for the ages

By David Larkin, 25 January 2015

Nina Stemme's domination of the heaviest dramatic soprano repertoire continues with an outstanding Isolde at the Zurich Opera House, ably assisted by Stephen Gould, Matti Salminen, and other notable performers under John Fiore.

****1

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Zurich

25 Jan 2015

Stemme’s Isolde in Zurich one for the ages

By David Larkin

In Berlin Claus Guth's Screw turns differently

By Max Woods, 15 November 2014

Claus Guth gives the Staatsoper Berlin a Turn of the Screw unlike any other.

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Berlin

15 Nov 2014

In Berlin Claus Guth's Screw turns differently

By Max Woods

Milan

A chic Così fan tutte at La Scala

By James Imam, 19 June 2014

Guth's production is beautiful to look at, but fails to bring out the best in Mozart's drama.

***11

***11

Milan

19 Jun 2014

A chic Così fan tutte at La Scala

By James Imam

Ulisse returns to the Theater an der Wien

By Zwölftöner, 15 September 2012

Productions of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria which make the title character a returning war veteran, preferably one returning from a juicy topical war, are nothing new, and director Claus Guth doesn’t stretch the well-worn conceit much further in this listlessly vague staging for the Theater an der Wien.

**111

**111

Vienna

15 Sep 2012

Ulisse returns to the Theater an der Wien

By Zwölftöner

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Une céleste Aïda dans la fosse de l'Opéra Bastille

By Stéphane Lelièvre, 24 September 2025

L'opéra de Verdi en est à sa troisième nouvelle production en douze ans dans la Grande Boutique, pour un succès – une fois encore – avant tout musical…

***11

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Paris

24 Sep 2025

Une céleste Aïda dans la fosse de l'Opéra Bastille

By Stéphane Lelièvre

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Madrid

Estreno mozartiano en la nueva producción de Claus Guth en el Teatro Real

By Leonardo Mattana Ereño, 23 March 2025

Una nueva producción del Teatro Real pone en valor la ópera de un Mozart adolescente gracias a una inteligente escena y una cuidada dirección musical.

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Madrid

23 Mar 2025

Estreno mozartiano en la nueva producción de Claus Guth en el Real

By Leonardo Mattana Ereño

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À l'Opéra Bastille, le Rigoletto de Claus Guth est toujours maudit

By Jean-Pierre Rousseau, 01 December 2024

Si la mise en scène ne convainc toujours pas dans cette production créée en 2016, la direction musicale et le rôle-titre sont autant d'atouts qui magnifient le chef-d'œuvre de Verdi.

***11

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***11

Paris

01 Dec 2024

À l'Opéra Bastille, le Rigoletto de Claus Guth est toujours maudit

By Jean-Pierre Rousseau

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Graz

Blick in den Abgrund: Tannhäuser an der Oper Graz

By Isabella Steppan, 05 October 2024

Eine spannende Inszenierung und das Orchester in Topform sorgen für beglückende Premierenmomente. Schade, dass ausgerechnet der Interpret der Titelrolle stark enttäuscht.

***11

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Graz

05 Oct 2024

Blick in den Abgrund: Tannhäuser an der Oper Graz

By Isabella Steppan

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Was solls denn nun bedeuten? Wagners Götterdämmerung am Opernhaus Zürich

By Thomas Schacher, 05 November 2023

Auch im vierten Teil von Wagners Tetralogie Der Ring des Nibelungen bleiben Dirigent und Regisseur ihren Ansätzen treu. Alles bleibt scheinbar gleich wie bisher, und dennoch gibt es Überraschungen.

***11

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***11

Zurich

05 Nov 2023

Was solls denn nun bedeuten? Götterdämmerung am Opernhaus Zürich

By Thomas Schacher

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Madrid

Solo la Orquesta del Teatro Real salva un tedioso Orlando

By Juan José Freijo, 31 October 2023

Ni el excelente trabajo de la orquesta logra rescatar el peso de unos cantantes a medio gas y de una escena con fondo escaso y forma agotada.

**111

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**111

Madrid

31 Oct 2023

El esperado Orlando del Teatro Real queda en una propuesta mediocre

By Juan José Freijo

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Le drôle de Don Giovanni de Claus Guth à l'Opéra Bastille

By Erwan Gentric, 13 September 2023

Excellents en Don Giovanni et Leporello, Peter Mattei et Alex Esposito s'illustrent dans une mise en scène convaincante de Claus Guth, malgré un penchant pour le giocoso au détriment du dramma. La direction d'Antonello Manacorda déçoit.

***11

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***11

Paris

13 Sep 2023

Le drôle de Don Giovanni de Claus Guth à l'Opéra Bastille

By Erwan Gentric

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Munich

Nichts ist so wie es scheint: Verdis tiefgründiger Otello bei den Münchner Opernfestspielen

By Michael Vieth, 27 June 2023

Amélie Niermeyers Inszenierung von Verdis Spätwerk fasziniert im unaufgeregt fokussierten Blick auf die Charaktere des Tragödienspiels.

****1

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Munich

27 Jun 2023

Verdis tiefgründiger Otello bei den Münchner Opernfestspielen

By Michael Vieth

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Barcelona

La herida que no sana. Suena de nuevo el presagio de Parsifal de Claus Guth en el Liceu

By Maria Sánchez, 28 May 2023

Esta coproducción del Liceu y el Opernhaus Zürich, estrenada en el 2011, vuelve al escenario catalán para devolver un Parsifal que cuestiona las promesas de un futuro mejor.

***11

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***11

Barcelona

28 May 2023

La herida que no sana: Parsifal de Claus Guth en el Liceu

By Maria Sánchez

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