Mob mentality: a powerful La Juive at Opera Vlaanderen

By Mark Pullinger, 11 March 2019

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“regardless of creed or colour, we've all contributed to this mess”

Reviewed at Opera Vlaanderen, Antwerp, Antwerp on 10 March 2019

Halévy, La Juive

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Antonino Fogliani, Conductor

Peter Konwitschny, Director

Johannes Leiacker, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Roy Cornelius Smith, Éléazar

Corinne Winters, Rachel

Nicole Chevalier, Princess Eudoxie

Enea Scala, Prince Léopold

Riccardo Zanellato, Cardinal Brogni

Leon Košavić, Ruggiero

Koor Opera Vlaanderen

Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Rites in Antwerp: a towering triple bill for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Elsa Giovanna Simonetti, 17th January

In Rites, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen confirm its status as a leading contemporary dance company with a formidable triple bill, technically demanding for both dancers and orchestra.

****1

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s Parsifal: digital drama, celestial singing

Simon Thompson, 14th October

Digital projections make Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s Parsifal seem alienating and strange, but the singing is terrific and the orchestra sounds sensational.

***11

A powerhouse: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Shechter’s Grand Finale

Deborah Weiss, 26th September

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen powers its way through an exciting revamp of Hofesh Shechter’s inimitable Grand Finale.

****1

Marcos Morau’s Romeo + Juliet: lessons in volatility

Deborah Weiss, 3rd April

An unconventional dance take on Prokofiev's ubiquitous ballet for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Antwerp is not for the faint-hearted.

***11

Grotesque and gripping: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unveils a new Salome

Mark Pullinger, 29th December

Not a great day for the patriarchy: Ersan Mondtag's gripping new Salome emphasises grotesque caricatures and ends with a bloody, plot-twisting coup d’état.

****1

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: how to win over an audience

Deborah Weiss, 13th December

Two very diverse works that complement each other and show off the depth of talent within Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

****1

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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.