Putting a gloss on suffering: Sanström's Performance

By Simon Cummings, 31 August 2016

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“Grotesquery and bleak melancholy are everywhere”

Reviewed at Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm on 28 August 2016

Sandström, The Performance (World Premiere)

Royal Swedish Opera

Mattias Böhm, Conductor

Ellen Lamm, Director

Tomas Franck, Set Designer

Katija Dragojevic, Ann

Jeanette Köhn, Zora

Miriam Treichl, Henrika

Stemme leads an explosive Jenůfa at Royal Swedish Opera

David Karlin, 25th October

Janáček’s drama of infanticide is delivered at full power by Nina Stemme and Agneta Eichenholz in Annilese Miskimmon’s well-crafted production. The orchestra, however, are just too loud.

****1

Overpowering Candide at Royal Swedish Opera

David Karlin, 25th October

Ole Anders Tandberg's edgy take on Bernstein's satirical operetta is lifted by some good performances but marred by an overpowering orchestra.

***11

A dark, brutal Don Giovanni in Stockholm

Laura Servidei, 28th March

The Royal Swedish Opera revives Tandberg’s 2014 production with a solid cast of Swedish singers.

***11

Swedish première of Szymanowski’s King Roger in Stockholm

Laura Servidei, 19th March

Elin Rombo shines in a co-production of King Roger with the Royal Swedish Opera and Teatr Wielki, in Warsaw

***11

Anne Sofie von Otter dominates the scene in Stockholm's Carmélites

Laura Servidei, 6th February

The Royal Swedish Opera revives Garpe’s production of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with a committed cast.

***11

Carmen meets Tosca at the Royal Swedish Opera

Laura Servidei, 19th January

A semi-successful production with an interesting underlying idea and a solid cast brings Bizet’s masterpiece back to Stockholm.

***11

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Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings is a composer, writer and researcher based in the Cotswolds. He composes instrumental and electronic music, exploring aspects of algorithmic composition, and has recently completed a Ph.D. in composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Richard Causton and Howard Skempton. His musical tastes are ludicrously broad but are focused most on contemporary/avant-garde classical and electronic music. When not composing, he writes regularly about new music; Simon is the author of the contemporary music blog 5:4 (5against4.com), and regularly contributes articles for a variety of books, journals and websites. Follow him on Twitter @5against4.

Putting a gloss on suffering: a frustrating operatic start to the Baltic Sea Festival from Sven-David Sandström