David McVicar and John Eliot Gardiner give us an enjoyable Figaro at Covent Garden

By Roger Smith, 20 September 2013

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Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 16 September 2013

Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

The Royal Opera

Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Conductor

Sir David McVicar, Director

Luca Pisaroni, Figaro

Lucy Crowe, Susanna

Renata Pokupić, Cherubino

Christopher Maltman, Count Almaviva

Maria Bengtsson, Countess Almaviva

Carlos Chausson, Doctor Bartolo

Alasdair Elliott, Don Curzio

Mary Bevan, Barbarina

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Don Basilio

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

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A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

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*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

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Turandot drowned in an orchestral tsunami at The Royal Opera

David Karlin, 15th December

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form.

***11

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Roger Smith

Roger Smith was born in London and studied for BA in Music at Kingston University, followed by an MMus in Music Theory and Analysis at Goldsmiths College. He studied opera at Birkbeck College, the City Lit and Morley College.