Butterfly's castle: Puccini soars at Savonlinna

By Roy Westbrook, 10 July 2018

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“a convincing passage from childish naivety to a tragic acceptance”

Reviewed at Olavinlinna Castle, Savonlinna on 9 July 2018

Puccini, Madama Butterfly

Kalle Kuusava, Conductor

Henry Akina, Director

Dean Shibuya, Set Designer

Anne Namba, Costume Designer

Sae-Kyung Rim, Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly)

Gaston Rivero, Pinkerton

Claudio Otelli, Sharpless

Mareike Yankowski, Suzuki

Giorgi Kirof, The Bonze

Jussi Merikanto, Prince Yamadori

Dan Karlström, Goro

Maiju Vaahtoluoto, Kate Pinkerton

Raiko Raalik, Yakuside

Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir

Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra

Chiaroscuro extinguished: a self-indulgent Poppea in Copenhagen

Mengguang Huang, 26th April

Christoph Marthaler’s staging of Monteverdi’s Poppea for the Royal Danish Opera is a study in boredom.

**111

Romeo Castellucci directs a new Pelléas et Mélisande at La Scala

Laura Servidei, 26th April

The Italian director makes his long-awaited Italian operatic debut at the Teatro alla Scala in a production which perfectly mirrors Debussy’s most enigmatic creation.

****1

Lepage’s Bluebeard and Erwartung pairing remains compelling theatre

John Gilks, 25th April

Some 30 years after its first appearance, Robert Lepage’s double bill of Duke Bluebeards Castle and Erwartung is still strikingly effective and very modern-looking music theatre.

*****

Wretches like us: the LPO’s concert Wozzeck cuts to the quick

Peter Quantrill, 25th April

Beautifully prepared singing and playing brings out the tender side to Berg's modernist classic as part of the Southbank Centre’s Multitudes festival.

****1

Trojan’s Carousel: a magical night of dreams come true in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 23rd April

A vintage opera at the National Theatre offers charming adventures for children and musical sophistication for adults.

*****

A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April

A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.

**111

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Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.