Handel’s Ariodante in Drottningholm's magical setting

By Laura Servidei, 05 August 2019

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“conductor Ian Page took some daring liberties in the slow arias”

Reviewed at Drottningholms Slottsteater, Drottningholm on 3 August 2019

Handel, Ariodante

Drottningholms Slottsteater

Ian Page, Conductor

Nicola Raab, Director

Linus Fellbom, Set Designer

Gesine Völlm, Costume Designer

Ann Hallenberg, Ariodante

Roberta Mameli, Ginevra

Christophe Dumaux, Polinesso

Francesca Aspromonte, Dalinda

Martin Vanberg, Lurcanio

Johannes Weisser, King of Scotland

Olof Lilja, Odoardo

Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra

Maria Lindal, Leader

The original two-soprano version of Norma in Martina Franca

Lorenzo Fiorito, 2nd August

Norma is presented in its original two-soprano version, in the new critical edition by musicologist Roger Parker.

***11

Click bait: an effective new Traviata at the Komische Oper

Hugo Shirley, 1st December

Nicola Raab's production doesn't quite provide the bold rethinking it promises, but stylish execution and a fine cast make for an effective modern Traviata.

****1

Il corsaro as The life of Byron

Mark Pullinger, 28th March

Nicola Raab puts Byron at the heart of Il corsaro in her new production for the Palau de les Arts, but doesn’t always know what to do with him.

***11

A Finnish swan song at Savonlinna

David Karlin, 22nd July

Matti Salminen and conductor Leif Segerstam come together, probably for the last time, to give us an excellent evening's opera which touched the heart of Boris Godunov – a Finnish swan song as potent as anything penned by Sibelius.

****1

The Pallor of Dorian Gray

Frank Kuznik, 19th May

A Slovak opera import brings brilliant music weighed down by dreary staging to the Prague Spring Festival.

***11

L'Opéra de Nice dans l'univers méconnu de Puccini avec Edgar

Manon Decroix, 8th November

Rarement représentée, l'œuvre bénéficie de la mise en scène sobre et éloquente de Nicola Raab, de la direction énergique de Giuliano Carella et d'une distribution cohérente.

****1

More reviews...

Laura Servidei

Mathematician, science nerd, translator of popular science books, obsessed opera fan since the teen years. Day job: business analyst in a software house developing systems for the financial industry. Amateur choral singer. Main musical interests: baroque music and Italian opera. Originally from Italy, currently based in Sweden. I make a mean eggplant parmesan.