Where to place Wagner’s first opera Die Feen? Not a typical comedy, but it’s also not a tragedy. Oper Leipzig's powerful production is one to fall in love with.
Oper Leipzig's co-production with Bayreuth Festspiele pulls off a delightful take on Wagner's Das Liebesverbot. With excellent vocals, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, and great wit, Wagner's comedy comes highly recommended.
Semyon Bychkov continued to develop his noble synergy with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in exemplary Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, although Kristine Opolais made for a tepid debut.
Sennu Laine brought out a richness and suspense in Dutilleux's Tout un monde lointain, I had not heard before tonight. With all three sets from Debussy’s Images pour orchestre and an ebullient Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Barenboim and his Staatskapelle intoxicated the audience.
For the centennial celebration of Max Reger’s death, American pianist Peter Serkin and Herbert Blomstedt travelled to Saxony, the composer’s birthplace, touring orchestras with his Piano Concerto in F minor.
Franz Welser-Möst made for great dissatisfaction in his postponed debut with the RCO. However, before the intermission in Mozart’s Second Horn Concerto, Laurens Woudenberg offered a remarkable solo.
Philippe Jaroussky stars in a new Kaija Saariaho—Peter Sellars collaboration: Only the Sound Remains. Not since Written on Skin has modern opera thrilled with such intensity.
For the silver jubilee of Ronald Brautigam’s history with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Sally Beamish composed a new piano concerto. Haydn, Mozart, and Elgar complemented the programme.
A dream matchup of Janine Jansen with Alexander Gavrylyuk spoiled the audience at the Concertgebouw in this must-hear collaboration. Tonight’s programme included sonatas from Brahms, Prokofiev, Poulenc and a sublime rendition of Szymanowski’s Trois Mythes.
With exceptional nuance, lead flautist Juliette Hurel demonstrated her Olympian skills in Bruno Mantovani's technically exhausting, often violent work. With the flute in mind, Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s wildly upbeat Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony in C-minor ‘Titan’ made for new discoveries in Bruckner.
Andris Nelsons returned to his Shostakovich cycle with an easy-going Sixth Symphony, followed by an exhilarating Suite for Variety Orchestra. Jean-Yves Thibaudet delighted audiences with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.
The unclear ideas and the excessive blackness in Thalheimer’s concept failed to convince, but Stoyanov and Joel’s presentation of Verdi’s score made up for those problems.
Philippe Herreweghe deftly coordinated the four vocalists, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and his Collegium Vocale Gent through Beethoven’s challenging score.
Christoph Eschenbach returned to the Concertgebouw with another smashing success, leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of Beethoven, Brahms, and Rihm.
Following their hugely successful Beethoven and Brahms cycles, Bernard Haitink and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe returned with Schumann’s symphonies and concertos.
