“Gloire à DiDonato”: Les Troyens in Strasbourg

By Mark Pullinger, 18 April 2017

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“DiDonato... is a great tragedienne”

Reviewed at Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, salle Érasme, Strasbourg on 17 April 2017

Berlioz, Les Troyens (The Trojans) (Concert performance)

John Nelson, Conductor

Michael Spyres, Énée

Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Cassandre, Ghost of Cassandre

Hanna Hipp, Anna

Marianne Crebassa, Ascagne

Joyce DiDonato, Didon

Stéphane Degout, Chorèbe, Ghost of Chorèbe

Nicolas Courjal, Narbal

Agnieszka Sławińska, Hecuba

Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Helenus, Hylas

Cyrille Dubois, Iopas

Jean Teitgen, Mercure, Ghost of Hector

Philippe Sly, Panthée

Bertrand Grunewald, Priam

Chœur de l'Opéra national du Rhin

Chœur de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg

Badischer Staatsopernchor Karlsruhe

Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg

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Laura Servidei, 25th May

In Barrie Kosky's hyperactive staging, Il viaggio a Reims becomes a birthday tribute to Cecilia Bartoli complete with rewritten text, extravagant costumes, sexual escapades and a giant cake.

***11

A noble Norma trapped in a hollow dystopia

Andrew Larkin, 24th May

Salome Jicia delivers a vocally impressive and emotionally committed Norma, but Orpha Phelan’s post-apocalyptic staging fatally weakens Bellini’s sacred tragedy.

***11

Superb musical performances in Pinchgut’s Scarlatti rarity in Sydney

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd May

As usual, Pinchgut lavishes musical excellence on an obscure Baroque work... but why stage an oratorio?

****1

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Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

****1

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Late step-in Nicole Chevalier, baritone-turned-director Matthias Goerne and conductor Frank Beermann combine their talents to create a landmark production at the Capitole de Toulouse.

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The Met’s Frida y Diego proves visually stunning, musically thrilling

David Wolfson, 22nd May

Deborah Colker and her design team create visually vibrant worlds for the Met’s new production of El último sueño de Frida y Diego, by Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank.

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

“Gloire à DiDonato”: Les Troyens takes Strasbourg by storm