Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Jean Kalman

Undernourished: English National Opera’s Bohème revival lacks red meat

By Dominic Lowe, 26 September 2024

Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of Puccini’s classic remains powerful, but ENO’s latest revival underwhelms at the Coliseum.

***11

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London

26 Sep 2024

Undernourished: ENO’s Bohème revival lacks red meat

By Dominic Lowe

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Aida Garifullina an exceptionally fine Violetta at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 07 September 2024

As Richard Eyre’s staging reaches its 30th anniversary, a new Violetta arrives on the Royal Opera block in what proves to be one of the best revivals in recent years.

****1

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London

07 Sep 2024

Aida Garifullina an exceptionally fine Violetta at Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger

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Geneva

Shopping trolleys in heaven: an arthouse staging for Messiaen's testament of beauty in Geneva

By Peter Quantrill, 11 April 2024

Installation art sounds a dissonant note with the sublime harmony of Saint François d’Assise in Adel Abdessemed's creation at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

****1

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Geneva

11 Apr 2024

An arthouse staging for Messiaen's testament of beauty in Geneva

By Peter Quantrill

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McBurney's delightfully batty Magic Flute returns to the Coliseum

By Susannah Moody, 28 February 2024

English National Opera brings back Simon McBurney's theatre of wonders for this Mozart classic.

****1

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London

28 Feb 2024

McBurney's delightfully batty Magic Flute returns to the Coliseum

By Susannah Moody

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Simon McBurney's Magic Flute makes a triumphant return to Dutch National Opera

By Clare Varney, 01 December 2023

After its Met Opera debut earlier in the year, Simon McBurney's popular staging returns to Amsterdam.

*****

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*****

Amsterdam

01 Dec 2023

McBurney's Magic Flute makes a triumphant return to DNO

By Clare Varney

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A satisfying Otello starring Jonas Kaufmann at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Ako Imamura, 25 October 2023

A revival of Adrian Noble’s abstract and dark production of Verdi’s Otello fields a strong cast led by Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier and Rachel Willis-Sørensen.

***11

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***11

Vienna

25 Oct 2023

A satisfying Otello starring Jonas Kaufmann at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Ako Imamura

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Edinburgh

Phaedra/Minotaur: the Edinburgh International Festival’s most upmarket song and dance event

By Kathy Elgin, 19 August 2023

Incest, family secrets, murder… this is a fiercely compelling evening of dance, drama and song.

*****

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*****

Edinburgh

19 Aug 2023

Phaedra/Minotaur: the EIF’s most upmarket song and dance event

By Kathy Elgin

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New York City

Simon McBurney’s richly inventive Zauberflöte arrives at the Met

By Susan Stempleski, 22 May 2023

With a stellar cast and fine orchestral playing, Mozart’s enigmatic fairy tale takes on a darker, more grown-up tone in its first new Metropolitan Opera staging in 19 years.

*****

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*****

New York City

22 May 2023

Simon McBurney’s richly inventive Zauberflöte arrives at the Met

By Susan Stempleski

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New York City

Ailyn Pérez triumphs as Tatyana in Met Opera's Eugene Onegin revival

By David Wolfson, 25 March 2022

Ailyn Pérez’ role debut as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera is a joy, with Piotr Beczała's Lensky the evening’s other standout.

***11

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New York City

25 Mar 2022

Ailyn Pérez triumphs as Tatyana in Met Opera's Onegin revival

By David Wolfson

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Chilly revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at English National Opera

By Kevin W Ng, 02 February 2022

A well-sung revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at the coliseum fails to catch fire.

***11

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London

02 Feb 2022

Chilly revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at ENO

By Kevin W Ng

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Milan

Female trio triumphs at La Scala: Oropesa, Crebassa and Scappucci shine in I Capuleti e i Montecchi

By Laura Servidei, 23 January 2022

Speranza Scappucci leads a dream team of singers in Bellini’s masterpiece, in a new production by Adrian Noble.

*****

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*****

Milan

23 Jan 2022

Oropesa, Crebassa and Scappucci shine at La Scala

By Laura Servidei

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Lisette Oropesa's Violetta proves to be one of the greats at Covent Garden

By David Karlin, 27 October 2021

Following success in New York and Madrid, Oropesa gives Covent Garden a Violetta that will be difficult to better.

****1

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London

27 Oct 2021

Lisette Oropesa's Violetta is one of the greats at Covent Garden

By David Karlin

Titon et l'Aurore at the Opéra Comique: flying sheep in a pastoral fantasy

By Philippe Ramin, 21 January 2021

In Basil Twist's staging of Titon et l'Aurore, William Christie shows the breadth of his talent in 18th century French repertoire, conducting an cast which excels in both main and supporting roles.

*****

*****

Paris

21 Jan 2021

Titon et l'Aurore: flying sheep at the Opéra Comique

By Philippe Ramin

A Clemenza to pardon at Theater an der Wien

By Chanda VanderHart, 17 October 2019

Sam Brown's sparse production leaves nothing to focus on but the individual protagonists on stage.

***11

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Vienna

17 Oct 2019

A Clemenza to pardon at Theater an der Wien

By Chanda VanderHart

A spirited Midsummer Night’s Dream from Irina Brook and Simone Young at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Chanda VanderHart, 09 October 2019

Countertenor Lawrence Zazzo is more than at home in the role of Oberon, and possesses a vocal quality ideal for the scheming king of the fairies, simultaneously eerie and seductive.

****1

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Vienna

09 Oct 2019

A spirited Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Chanda VanderHart

Mistrust, rage and colonialism: Adrian Noble’s new Otello at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Chanda VanderHart, 20 June 2019

During the “Salce” and “Ave Maria” in Act Four Bezsmertna turned this to magical effect, thinning out and floating her shimmering soprano into gossamer threads.

***11

***11

Vienna

20 Jun 2019

Mistrust, rage and colonialism: Otello at the Staatsoper

By Chanda VanderHart

Billy Budd finally drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

By Mark Pullinger, 23 April 2019

After nearly two decades away from the Covent Garden stage, it was time Britten's Billy Budd came home, in a new production from Madrid by Deborah Warner.

****1

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London

23 Apr 2019

Billy Budd finally drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

By Mark Pullinger

Milan

Beckett at La Scala: world première of Kurtág's Fin de partie

By Renato Verga, 15 November 2018

Never before has human impotence been so cruelly portrayed on stage.

****1

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Milan

15 Nov 2018

Beckett at La Scala: world première of Kurtág's Fin de partie

By Renato Verga

In Amsterdam, McBurney's Die Zauberflöte continues to delight

By Nicolas Nguyen, 12 September 2018

Back for its third run at Dutch National Opera, with a satisfying cast, McBurney's staging wins new converts.

****1

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Amsterdam

12 Sep 2018

In Amsterdam, McBurney's Die Zauberflöte continues to delight

By Nicolas Nguyen

Milan

No protests required: Deborah Warner's Fidelio returns to La Scala

By James Imam, 21 June 2018

Chung's mastery of orchestral colour and texture came into its own, the brooding introduction to Act 2 making for a harrowingly apocalyptic representation of tyranny.

****1

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Milan

21 Jun 2018

No protests required: Deborah Warner's Fidelio returns to La Scala

By James Imam

Spectacular Gurrelieder revived at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri, 18 April 2018

An exemplary cast, an opulent orchestra and unforgettable images in Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder.

****1

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Amsterdam

18 Apr 2018

Spectacular Gurrelieder revived at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri

Bergen

The Flying Dutchman sails into Bergen

By Dominic Lowe, 10 March 2018

Bergen National Opera’s new production allows the story to speak to itself, while strong performances from Eric Halfvarson and Elisabeth Teige gave the performance its edge.

****1

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Bergen

10 Mar 2018

The Flying Dutchman sails into Bergen

By Dominic Lowe

Tristan und Isolde smoulders at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri, 18 January 2018

A strong cast, a lyrically simmering orchestra and lucid staging make this a Tristan und Isolde to treasure.

****1

****1

Amsterdam

18 Jan 2018

Tristan und Isolde smoulders at Dutch National Opera

By Jenny Camilleri

Madrid

Deborah Warner's new Billy Budd sets a new standard in Madrid

By Fernando Remiro, 03 February 2017

Billy Budd triumphs in Madrid thanks to an inspired orchestra, a solid cast and a dream team of stage magicians.

****1

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Madrid

03 Feb 2017

Warner's new Billy Budd sets a new standard in Madrid

By Fernando Remiro

Pulsating new Andriessen with prosaic libretto at the Holland Festival

By Jenny Camilleri, 11 June 2016

Louis Andriessen’s new opera is a masterly expedition into the grand and grotesque mind of Athanasius Kircher, polymath and fantastist, but it is hampered by a clumsy libretto.

***11

***11

Amsterdam

11 Jun 2016

Pulsating new Andriessen at Holland Festival

By Jenny Camilleri

Antwerp

Understated elegance: Robert Carsen's sublime La bohème in Antwerp

By David Pinedo, 27 December 2015

Robert Carsen's understated elegance on stage counterbalances Puccini’s highly charged melodrama.

****1

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Antwerp

27 Dec 2015

Understated elegance: Robert Carsen's sublime Bohème

By David Pinedo

Robert Carsen’s shattering Dialogues des carmélites returns to Amsterdam for a last time

By Nicolas Nguyen, 07 November 2015

After showing in 13 theatres around the world, Robert Carsen’s Dialogues des carmélites returns again to Amsterdam, where it was premiered in 1997. Almost 20 years on, its finale remains a shattering theatrical experience.

****1

****1

Amsterdam

07 Nov 2015

Carsen's Carmélites returns to Amsterdam

By Nicolas Nguyen

Naples

Tosca: love, hope and tragedy in fascist times at the San Carlo

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 15 July 2015

Opera at its best. Lot of emotion in this fully melodramatic staging of Tosca in Naples, every performer was completely in their role.

****1

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Naples

15 Jul 2015

Tosca: love, hope and tragedy in fascist times

By Lorenzo Fiorito

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Valencia

Sorprendente e innovadora Flauta mágica en Les Arts

By Daniel Martínez Babiloni, 17 June 2024

Simon McBurney sorprende al público de Les Arts con una innovadora producción de La flauta mágica.

*****

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*****

Valencia

17 Jun 2024

Sorprendente e innovadora Flauta mágica en Les Arts

By Daniel Martínez Babiloni

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Ein kraftstrotzender Otello an der Wiener Staatsoper

By Isabella Steppan, 16 May 2024

Nicht mit der feinsten Klinge unterwegs, aber dennoch beeindruckend, war Andreas Schager in seinem Wiener Otello-Debüt.

****1

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Vienna

16 May 2024

Ein kraftstrotzender Otello an der Wiener Staatsoper

By Isabella Steppan

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The Shell Trial: Premiere einer umweltfreundlich produzierten Oper in Amsterdam

By Michael Klier, 16 March 2024

Ein modernes Opernsujet, welches zeitnah die politische Wirklichkeit einfängt. Doch leider scheitert die Inszenierung vor allem an praktischen Problemen der Ausführung.

***11

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***11

Amsterdam

16 Mar 2024

The Shell Trial: Premiere einer umweltfreundlich produzierten Oper

By Michael Klier

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Benjamin Bernheim triomphe dans Les Contes d'Hoffmann à Bastille

By Stéphane Lelièvre, 12 December 2023

Dans la mise en scène bien connue de Robert Carsen, le ténor français crève l'écran dans le rôle-titre de l'opéra d'Offenbach, au sein d'une distribution très satisfaisante.

***11

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***11

Paris

12 Dec 2023

Benjamin Bernheim triomphe dans Les Contes d'Hoffmann à Bastille

By Stéphane Lelièvre

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Une Tosca mitigée ouvre la saison de l’Opéra de Paris

By Erwan Gentric, 03 September 2022

Sous la direction convaincante de Gustavo Dudamel, l'interprétation de Saioa Hernández est remarquable dans le rôle-titre, mais une direction d'acteur erratique et la petite forme de Joseph Calleja tempèrent le succès espéré.

***11

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***11

Paris

03 Sep 2022

Une Tosca mitigée ouvre la saison de l’Opéra de Paris

By Erwan Gentric

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Barcelona

Deliciosamente monumental, impecablemente sublime: La flauta mágica conquista el Liceu

By Juan José Freijo, 20 June 2022

Capitaneada por Gustavo Dudamel, esta es una representación de lujo que ningún aficionado debería perderse y una perfecta oportunidad para crear afición.

*****

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*****

Barcelona

20 Jun 2022

Deliciosamente monumental, impecablemente sublime: La flauta mágica

By Juan José Freijo

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Enchanteresse Alcina au Palais Garnier

By Stéphane Lelièvre, 25 November 2021

Grand succès pour la reprise de cette production d'Alcina vue par Robert Carsen. Si le spectacle est désormais devenu un classique, la distribution réunie par l’Opéra de Paris réserve de très belles surprises.

****1

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Paris

25 Nov 2021

Enchanteresse Alcina au Palais Garnier

By Stéphane Lelièvre

Otello an der Wiener Staatsoper in beeindruckender Besetzung

By Snapdragon, 28 January 2020

Stephen Gould und Krassimira Stoyanova triumphieren in einer unaufregenden Wohlfühlinszenierung von Adrian Noble.

****1

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Vienna

28 Jan 2020

Otello an der Wiener Staatsoper in beeindruckender Besetzung

By Snapdragon

Bastille rouvre ses portes avec Les Contes d’Hoffmann selon Carsen

By Georgiana Hatara, 25 January 2020

Après un mois et demi d'annulations successives, l'Opéra de Paris a rouvert ses portes pour l'œuvre d'Offenbach, dans la célèbre mise en scène de Robert Carsen, toujours aussi ingénieuse.

****1

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Paris

25 Jan 2020

Bastille rouvre ses portes avec Les Contes d’Hoffmann selon Carsen

By Georgiana Hatara