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Rewriting Rimsky: Daniel Kramer directs a dismal Sadko in Ghent

Zurab Zurabishvili (Sadko)
© Annemie Augustijns
Evgeny Solodovnikov (Duda), Zurab Zurabishvili (Sadko) and Michael J Scott (Sopel)
© Annemie Augustijns
Zurab Zurabishvili (Sadko), Betsy Horne (Volkhova) and Chorus
© Annemie Augustijns
Zurab Zurabishvili (Sadko) and Victoria Yarovaya (Lyubava)
© Annemie Augustijns
Anatoli Kotscherga (Sea King), Zurab Zurabishvili (Sadko) and Betsy Horne (Volkhova)
© Annemie Augustijns
By Mark Pullinger, 21 June 2017
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“there isn't a whiff of the sea in this most nautical of operas”
Reviewed at Opera Vlaanderen, Ghent, Ghent on 20 June 2017
Programme
Rimsky-Korsakov, Sadko
Performers
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
Dmitri Jurowski, Conductor
Daniel Kramer, Director
Annette Murschetz, Set Designer
Constance Hoffman, Costume Designer
Zurab Zurabishvili, Sadko
Betsy Horne, Volkhova
Victoria Yarovaya, Lyubava Buslayevna
Anatoli Kotscherga, King of the Ocean
Raehann Bryce-Davis, Nezhata
Tijl Faveyts, Viking merchant
Adam Smith, Hindu merchant
Pavel Yankovsky, Venetian merchant
Stephan Adriaens, Foma Nazarich
Patrick Cromheeke, Luka Zinovich
Michael J. Scott, Sopel
Evgeny Solodovnikov, Duda
Koor Opera Vlaanderen
Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
More Opera reviews
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
More reviews...
Read reviews of
Adam SmithAnatoli KotschergaAnnette MurschetzBetsy HorneConstance HoffmanDaniel KramerDmitri JurowskiEvgeny SolodovnikovKoor Opera VlaanderenMichael J. ScottNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-KorsakovOpera Ballet VlaanderenPatrick CromheekePavel YankovskyRaehann Bryce-DavisStephan AdriaensSymfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet VlaanderenTijl FaveytsVictoria YarovayaZurab Zurabishvili
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Mark Pullinger
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.