Bachtrack logo

Performer: Nicky Spence

Live EventsSee more...

LiverpoolElgar The Dream of Gerontius

© Clare Park
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Oratorio for soloists chorus and orchestra, Op.38
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Manze; Jess Dandy; Nicky Spence; James Platt; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir

LondonElder Conducts Weber’s ‘Oberon’Semi-staged performance

BBC Proms
Weber: Oberon
Sir Mark Elder; Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique; Monteverdi Choir; Nicky Spence; Jennifer Davis

LondonLast Night of the Proms 2026

BBC Proms
Wood, Arne, Elgar, Parry, Britten, Traditional
BBC Symphony Orchestra; Sakari Oramo; Nicky Spence; Yuja Wang; BBC Singers; BBC Symphony Chorus

BrnoFestival preview: The Excursions of Mr Brouček

National Theatre Brno
Janáček: The Excursions of Mr Brouček
Marko Ivanović; Robert Carsen; Janáček Opera NTB; Radu Boruzescu; Annemarie Woods; Peter van Praet; Janáček Opera NTB Orchestra

BrnoThe Excursions of Mr Brouček

National Theatre Brno
Janáček: The Excursions of Mr Brouček
Marko Ivanović; Robert Carsen; Janáček Opera NTB; Radu Boruzescu; Annemarie Woods; Peter van Praet; Janáček Opera NTB Orchestra

BambergJakub Hrůša: Leoš Janáček - Jenůfa

© Marian Lenhard
Janáček: Jenůfa
Bamberg Symphony; Jakub Hrůša; Corinne Winters; Eliška Weissová; Nicky Spence; Thomas Atkins
Latest reviewsSee more...

Opera by committee: Opera Philadelphia premieres Complications in Sue

Justin Vivian Bond (Sue) © Steven Pisano
Opera Philadelphia commissions ten composers to tell the story of an ordinary woman's idiosyncratic march from cradle to tomb.
****1
Read more

Karpman’s opera Balls tells a great story, but overshoots the line

Nikola Printz (Billie Jean King) © Philharmonia Orchestra | Marc Gascoigne
An entertaining portrayal of the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs is marred by ham-fisted amplification.
**111
Read more

Hrůša’s ambitious but uneven Night at Covent Garden

Jakub Hrůša © The Royal Opera | Tristram Kenton

Dvořák’s rarely heard oratorio The Spectre’s Bride fails to ignite, leaving a performance caught uneasily between respect and restlessness. 

***11
Read more

ENO, BBC join forces in stunning Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Amanda Majeski (Katerina Izmailova) © Andy Paradise
David Pountney's vernacular translation and Ruth Knight's vivid staging lent a thrilling immediacy to Shostakovich's chilling opera.
*****
Read more

Glyndebourne revives Michieletto’s Kátya Kabanová

Miryam Tomè (Angel), Kateřina Kněžíková (Kátya) and Rachael Wilson (Varvara) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Marc Brenner
Damiano Michieletto’s production of Janáček’s opera breaks a key tenet of high-concept opera: where it should reveal, it obfuscates. 
***11
Read more

Redemption Song: Jenůfa triumph signals a bright future for Hrůsa

Corinne Winters (Jenůfa) © ROH | Camilla Greenwell
Corinne Winters is phenomenal as the self-possessed Jenůfa in The Royal Opera's revival of Claus Guth's powerful staging. 
*****
Read more
Watch VideoSee more...

ParisMoses and Aron

© Bernd Uhlig
Schoenberg: Moses and Aron
Philippe Jordan; Romeo Castellucci; Opéra national de Paris; Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris

ParisThe Exterminating AngelNew production

The Exterminating Angel at the Opéra de Paris © Agathe Poupeney / Opéra national de Paris
Adès: The Exterminating Angel
Thomas Adès; Calixto Bieito; Opéra national de Paris; Courtney Lewis; Anna-Sofia Kirsch; Ingo Krügler; Reinhard Traub

PooleElgar's Dream

© Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op.38: Prelude
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Mark Wigglesworth; Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; Nicky Spence; Katie Bray; Marcus Farnsworth
Latest articles

The singing actor: Nicky Spence

Nicky Spence in Peter Grimes © Dafydd Owen
This year celebrated Scottish tenor Nicky Spence returns to the BBC Proms to perform in Oberon – and at the Last Night. But how does he feel about all the flag-waving?

Heartbreak in real time: Corinne Winters on Jenůfa

Corinne Winters as Jenůfa © RBO | Camilla Greenwell
The leading US soprano talks about her experiences singing one of opera’s most devastating roles, which she takes to Brno this autumn.