All aboard: a hopeful Noye’s Fludde opens the Baltic Sea Festival

By Aksel Tollåli, 26 August 2019

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Reviewed at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm on 24 August 2019

Britten, Noye's Fludde (Chester mystery play)

Andreas Hanson, Conductor

Dan Turdén, Director

Maria Peterson, Set Designer

Ulrika Tenstam, Mrs Noye

Johan Schinkler, Mr Noye

Adolf Fredriks Gosskör

Stockholms Ungdomssymfoniorkester (the Stockholm Youth Symphony Orchestra

Västerorts Ungdomssymfoniker (Västerort Youth Orchestra)

Members of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Petrenko and Serebrennikov forge a new Ring in Salzburg

Phillip Richter, 1st April

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s much-anticipated return to Salzburg gets off to an impressive musical start. Kirill Serebrennikov’s staging raises numerous questions, but answers few of them.

****1

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera brings Spanish to the Lyric Opera

Graham Meyer, 29th March

The Lyric Opera of Chicago's presentation of El último sueño de Frida y Diego brings the Mexican artists to life... or at least a life reminiscent of their real ones.

****1

Eyes wide shut for Berlin’s new Ballo

Mark Pullinger, 29th March

At the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Rafael R Villalobos addresses the problems he perceives with Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, although the musical performances – led by Anna Netrebko – compensate.

***11

Young stars shine in the Staatsoper Berlin’s Rosenkavalier

Mark Pullinger, 28th March

Patricia Nolz makes an outstanding role debut as Christian Thielemann conducts a thrusting Rosenkavalier to open the Staatsoper Unter den Linden's Festtage.

*****

Handel’s Belshazzar at Komische Oper Berlin

Zenaida des Aubris, 28th March

The Baroque confectionery of Herbert Fritsch's production of Handel's oratorio belies a serious core which is all too close to today's headlines.

****1

A Baroque Netflix evening: Zurich’s star-studded Giulio Cesare

Mengguang Huang, 28th March

Davide Livermore’s high-octane production transforms Handel into a lavish blockbuster. While the superstars shine, the relentless entertainment-first approach often sacrifices musical refinement and dramatic logic for Netflix-style spectacle.

***11

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Aksel Tollåli

Aksel is currently studying towards a degree in musicology at the University of Oslo. At the moment he is an exchange student at Goldsmiths College in London. He is also a choral singer and a trombonist. His musical interests include 20th-cenury French music, Baroque opera and the music of Richard Strauss.