A cornered Káťa Kabanová in Charleston

By Susan Blood, 03 June 2014

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at College of Charleston: Sottile Theatre, Charleston on 31 May 2014

Janáček, Kátya Kabanová

Anne Manson, Conductor

Garry Hynes, Director

Betsy Horne, Kátya

Jennifer Roderer, Kabanicha

Rolando Sanz, Boris

Megan Marino, Varvara

Dennis Petersen, Tichon

Jan Opalach, Dikój

Glyndebourne’s first Tosca: vocally strong but imperfect

David Karlin, 21st May

Ted Huffman brings some interesting ideas to his first Glyndebourne production. Excellent singing is let down by indifferent physical acting.

***11

The ears have it: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas on the Cutty Sark

Mark Valencia, 21st May

Come away fellow sailors, your anchors be weighing! All board the Cutty Sark for a semi-staging of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists.

****1

The Drover's Wife brings Aboriginal Dreaming to opera audiences

Jeremy Eccles, 16th May

Emerging from different incarnations of Leah Purcell’s play, George Palmer’s opera develops traditional Dreaming elements from Aboriginal mythology, premiering in Brisbane.

****1

Anna Netrebko gatecrashes Riccardo Chailly’s La Scala farewell

Laura Servidei, 16th May

Riccardo Chailly’s final new production as artistic director is a celebration of Verdi and of a conductor whose relationship with the Milanese audience has clearly deepened over the years.

*****

Orlando revisited: Olga Neuwirth’s Woolf adaptation comes to Berlin

Elena Luporini, 16th May

The German premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Orlando at the Komische Oper cements it as a postmodern grand opéra – for better or for worse.

***11

Iolanta paired with Luonnotar in dramatic Helsinki double bill

No’a L. bat Miri, 15th May

In Helsinki, Antony McDonald pairs Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with a staged version of Sibelius’ tone poem Luonnotar, brilliantly voiced by soprano Silja Aalto.

*****

More reviews...

Susan Blood

Susan's experience includes art school administration, gallery management, music publicity and journalism which you can find in print and online with her blog here. As a reviewer she has attended theater, opera, ballet and symphony all her life and loves having the opportunity to share it with others.