Chills and thrills from Pappano and the Czech Philharmonic

Ángeles Blancas Gulín and Sir Antonio Pappano

Víkingur Ólafsson

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the Czech Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonic Choir

By Frank Kuznik, 28 November 2025

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“Ángeles Blancas Gulín made the strongest impression as a fierce, distraught mother of the prisoner”

Reviewed at Rudolfinum: Dvořák Hall, Prague on 27 November 2025

Dallapiccola, Il prigioniero (Czech premiere)

Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major "Emperor", Op.73

Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor

Czech Philharmonic

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Brian Mulligan, Il prigioniero (The Prisoner)

Ángeles Blancas Gulín, La madre (The Mother)

Valentyn Dytiuk, Il carceriere (The Gaoler)/ Il grande Inquisitore (The Grand Inquisitor)

Simon Halsey, Choirmaster / chorus director

Víkingur Ólafsson, Piano

Peter Grimes drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

Christopher Woodley, 5th May

Allan Clayton and Sir Bryn Terfel lead a strong cast in a revival of Deborah Warner's dark staging of Britten's signature work at Covent Garden.

****1

The early flowering of opera: a fragrant L’Orfeo at Schwetzingen

Mengguang Huang, 3rd May

Markus Bothe’s Botticelli-inspired production fuses tableau vivant aesthetics with Jörg Halubek’s surgical musical precision, offering a peerless, vivid tribute to the fragrant dawn of opera.

****1

Deep into the American psyche: Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men

Hilary Stroh, 1st May

Carlisle Floyd's operatic setting of John Steinbeck’s classic novella is given a new production in the composer's centenary year at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

****1

Boston Doodle Dandy: Boston Lyric Opera presents La Fille du régiment

Kevin Wells, 1st May

Very few singers can hold an audience in the palm of their hand the way Brenda Rae as Marie does in this rollicking frolic.

****1

Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

Eleanor Knight, 1st May

Tales of love and loss as operas by Elena Langer, Charlotte Bray and Elizabeth Maconchy form a varied triple bill in this showcase for The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists.

****1

The triumph of virtue: Rossini’s Cenerentola in Brisbane

Sandra Bowdler, 29th April

Margarita Gritskova leads a fine ensemble performance of Rossini’s most under-appreciated opera by Opera Queensland.

****1

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Frank Kuznik

Frank Kuznik is the former Editor-in-Chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post, Central Europe’s premier English-language weekly newspaper. He currently divides his time between Prague and his hometown in the US, Cleveland, where he covers northeast Ohio's dynamic classical music scene. In Prague he is an habitué of the Rudolfinum, National Theater, State Opera and other storied classical music venues, and an unabashed fan of Czech music.