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Nodoka Okisawa leads the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival into a new era

Nodoka Okisawa
© Michiharu Okubo | 2024OMF
Nodoka Okisawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra
© Takeshi Yamada | 2024OMF
Elza van den Heever and the Saito Kinen Orchestra
© Michiharu Okubo | 2024OMF
By Nahoko Gotoh, 13 August 2024
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“the characteristic string quavers were played with sparkling clarity and clockwork precision”
Reviewed at Kissei Bunka Hall, Matsumoto on 11 August 2024
Programme
Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61: excerpts
Strauss R., Don Juan, Op.20
Strauss R., Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
Performers
Elza van den Heever, Soprano
Saito Kinen Orchestra
Nodoka Okisawa, Conductor
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David Truslove, 15th January
Some thrilling moments in a memorable evening of Brahms and Weber, with the Philharmonia and Michael Collins on riveting form.  
****1
Claus Guth directs a tormented, harrowing new Salome at the Met
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Claus Guth's new production at the Metropolitan Opera, originally seen at the Bolshoi in 2021, moves the action from biblical Judea to the era of the opera's composition. 
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Metropolitan Opera revives a cartoonish Frau ohne Schatten
Cameron Kelsall, 29th November
Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's ode to humanity, returning after an eleven-year absence, suffers from generalized acting and inconsistent musical values.
**111
Nina Stemme stars in an unforgettable Elektra in Baden-Baden
Ako Imamura, 26th March
The Baden-Baden Easter Festival presents an extraordinary performance of Elektra, with Nina Stemme in the title role and the Berliner Philharmoniker, led by Kirill Petrenko, in a stark and modern production. 
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Otto Schenk's Tannhäuser returns to the Met
Kevin W Ng, 3rd December
Andreas Schager is the main reason to catch the latest revival of Otto Schenk's ultra-traditional Tannhäuser.
***11
More reviews...
Read reviews of
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61: excerptsDon Juan, Op.20Elza van den HeeverFelix MendelssohnNodoka OkisawaRichard StraussVier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
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Nahoko Gotoh
Nahoko Gotoh
Nahoko is a UK-based Japanese music journalist with a background in musicology. She writes regularly for various Japanese media including Ongaku no tomo and Mostly Classic magazines.