Tony Award winning production of Porgy and Bess arrives in Philadelphia

By Stephen Raskauskas, 20 February 2014

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“Stampley offers a nuanced performance, making the central love story believable, albeit bittersweet.”

Reviewed at Academy of Music, Philadelphia on 18 February 2014

Gershwin, Porgy and Bess

Alicia Hall Moran, Bess

Nathaniel Stampley, Porgy

Bang! Mozart's volcano erupts in Opera Holland Park’s Così fan tutte

Peter Quantrill, 28th May

Mount Vesuvius looms over Cecilia Stinton’s compelling new production of Così fan tutte.

****1

Viennese splendour in Garsington’s Rosenkavalier revival

Roy Westbrook, 28th May

Bruno Ravella's splendid 2021 production of Strauss' opera of Viennese manners returns with a fine cast.

****1

A witty hotel Don Giovanni opens Blackwater Valley Festival

Andrew Larkin, 27th May

Tom Creed’s witty production at Lismore Castle delivers strong singing, sharp comedy and lively orchestral playing, even if the opera’s darker supernatural edges are somewhat diminished.

****1

Garsington’s new La traviata ticks every musical and dramatic box

David Karlin, 27th May

Music Director Douglas Boyd conducts a performance of exceptional musical quality, and Louisa Muller's uncontroversial but passionate direction makes this Traviata one for the ages.

*****

Werther revived at San Carlo: an anatomy of emotional isolation

Lorenzo Fiorito, 26th May

Willy Decker’s psychologically intense Werther returns to the Teatro di San Carlo with a deeply human interpretation by Francesco Demuro and refined conducting by Lorenzo Passerini.

*****

Opera Holland Park makes a convincing case for La fanciulla del West

Dominic Lowe, 26th May

A thoughtful production from Martin Lloyd-Evans and magnificent playing from Matthew Kofi Walden and the City of London Sinfonia make the case for why Puccini's under-appreciated work is actually so sophisticated.

****1

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Stephen Raskauskas

Stephen Raskauskas is passionate about the performing arts. As a performer, he has collaborated on productions acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and Huffington Post. He has received numerous fellowships and awards, and holds degrees in music from the University of Chicago and Princeton University.