Beauty, comedy and intrigue in Tao of Glass

By Rohan Shotton, 16 July 2019

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“vast sheets of printed music... flutter from ceiling to ground like giant snowflakes”

Reviewed at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester on 15 July 2019

Glass, Tao of Glass

Phelim McDermott, Director

Kirsty Housley, Director

Fly Davis, Set Designer

Colin Grenfell, Lighting Designer

Taken for a ride: an energetic revival of Così fan tutte at ENO

Dominic Lowe, 6th February

English National Opera's revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular production is a blend of spectacle with some first-class singing, with Lucy Crowe emphasising her Mozartian credentials.

****1

The Tao of listening to – and with – Philip Glass

Kurt Gottschalk, 1st April

An engaging and inventive piece of theatre (sometimes tiringly so) that is, at least half the time anyway, about its titular subject.

***11

English National Opera revives Akhnaten to spectacular effect

Mark Valencia, 11th March

Philip Glass' operatic take on Ancient Egyptian history returns to the Coliseum in Phelim McDermott's hypnotic production, complete with jugglers...

*****

Star-studded gloom in Kevin Puts' The Hours at the Met

Robert Levine, 22nd November

Is it possible to have a minor success on every level? Kevin Puts' The Hours underwhelms in its world premiere production at the Metropolitan Opera.

***11

New-minted rather than dusted down: ENO opens season with Satyagraha

Mark Valencia, 14th October

Phelim McDermott's popular staging of Satyagraha, which verges on the lush and the voluptuous, is revived to open English National Opera's season.

****1

A musically ideal Così in The Met's revival

Robert Levine, 18th February

Phelim McDermott’s Coney Island Così fan tutte returns to The Met, in sparkling vocal performances.

****1

More reviews...

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.

Beauty, comedy and intrigue in Tao of Glass at Manchester International Festival