A memorable 1857 Simon Boccanegra from Elder and The Hallé

Sir Mark Elder, Eri Nakamura and The Hallé

Sir Mark Elder conducts The Hallé

Sir Mark Elder conducts Simon Boccanegra

Germán Enrique Alcántara

By Rohan Shotton, 21 April 2024

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“Alcántara... traced a remarkable character development through the evening”

Reviewed at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 18 April 2024

Verdi, Simon Boccanegra (Original version 1857))

Sir Mark Elder, Conductor

The Hallé

Chorus of Opera North

Germán Enrique Alcántara, Simon Boccanegra

William Thomas, Jacopo Fiesco

Eri Nakamura, Amelia Grimaldi

Iván Ayón-Rivas, Gabriele Adorno

Sergio Vitale, Paolo Albiani

David Shipley, Pietro

Royal Northern College of Music Chorus

Petrenko and Serebrennikov forge a new Ring in Salzburg

Phillip Richter, 1st April

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s much-anticipated return to Salzburg gets off to an impressive musical start. Kirill Serebrennikov’s staging raises numerous questions, but answers few of them.

****1

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera brings Spanish to the Lyric Opera

Graham Meyer, 29th March

The Lyric Opera of Chicago's presentation of El último sueño de Frida y Diego brings the Mexican artists to life... or at least a life reminiscent of their real ones.

****1

Eyes wide shut for Berlin’s new Ballo

Mark Pullinger, 29th March

At the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Rafael R Villalobos addresses the problems he perceives with Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, although the musical performances – led by Anna Netrebko – compensate.

***11

Young stars shine in the Staatsoper Berlin’s Rosenkavalier

Mark Pullinger, 28th March

Patricia Nolz makes an outstanding role debut as Christian Thielemann conducts a thrusting Rosenkavalier to open the Staatsoper Unter den Linden's Festtage.

*****

Handel’s Belshazzar at Komische Oper Berlin

Zenaida des Aubris, 28th March

The Baroque confectionery of Herbert Fritsch's production of Handel's oratorio belies a serious core which is all too close to today's headlines.

****1

A Baroque Netflix evening: Zurich’s star-studded Giulio Cesare

Mengguang Huang, 28th March

Davide Livermore’s high-octane production transforms Handel into a lavish blockbuster. While the superstars shine, the relentless entertainment-first approach often sacrifices musical refinement and dramatic logic for Netflix-style spectacle.

***11

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Rohan Shotton

Rohan has reviewed concerts and opera across the UK and Europe, but chiefly in Manchester, where he enjoys conducting and playing percussion and piano. He works as a hospital doctor, having studied in St Andrews and Manchester, and tweets as @RohanShotton.

A memorable 1857 Simon Boccanegra from Sir Mark Elder and The Hallé