All the fun of the fair: A vibrant, busy La bohème at the Royal Albert Hall

By Charlotte Valori, 28 February 2014

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 27 February 2014

Puccini, La bohème

Oliver Gooch, Conductor

Francesca Zambello, Director

Jessica Rose Cambio, Mimì

Anna Leese, Musetta

Sean Panikkar, Rodolfo

Michael Chioldi, Marcello

Paul Hopwood, Parpignol

Stefano de Peppo, Schaunard

Henry Waddington, Alcindoro, Benoît

Joshua Bloom, Colline

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Porgy and Bess: Catfish Row arrives in Kansas City

Hilary Stroh, 28th February

Francesca Zambello's magnificent production of the Gershwins’ American epic comes to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

****1

Brian Vu and Meredith Arwady shine in Glimmerglass Candide

David Wolfson, 8th July

Glimmerglass Opera Festival’s production of Candide leans heavily on a dry comedic sensibility, which most of the cast execute admirably.

***11

Gods and Mortals: a Wagnerian hit parade at Glimmerglass

Cameron Kelsall, 8th August

Soprano Alexandra Shiner displays extraordinary vocal promise and stage presence across a host of Wagner's great female roles.

****1

A streamlined Trovatore at the Glimmerglass Festival

Cameron Kelsall, 7th August

Rising mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis offers a gorgeously sung and grippingly acted portrait of Verdi's gypsy.

****1

Isabel Leonard soars in Glimmerglass Festival's Songbird

Cameron Kelsall, 6th August

Set in New Orleans during the Jazz Age, this riff on Offenbach's La Périchole captures the festive spirit of the summer, despite some tired jokes.

***11

La traviata's dazzling return to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour

Chantal Nguyen, 26th March

Fireworks, party boats, Violetta swooping from a giant chandelier: soprano Stacey Alleaume triumphs in this magnificent restaging of Francesca Zambello's spectacular waterfront La traviata.

****1

More reviews...

Charlotte Valori

Charlotte Valori read Classics at Christ Church, Oxford. As a classicist, her main interest is Greek tragedy and its reception by later cultures, which has led to a continuing passion for theatre and opera. Charlotte reviews for several online magazines, and won the Bachtrack Opera Award 2015 for Best Written English Review. Follow her on Twitter @operissima.