Herheim’s lavish Vêpres siciliennes returns

By Mark Pullinger, 13 October 2017

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“the ballet rehearsal scenes plucked straight from a Degas painting”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 October 2017

Verdi, Les Vêpres siciliennes (I vespri siciliani)

The Royal Opera

Maurizio Benini, Conductor

Stefan Herheim, Director

Philipp Fürhofer, Set Designer

Gesine Völlm, Costume Designer

Michael Volle, Guy de Montfort

Bryan Hymel, Henri

Malin Byström, Hélène

Erwin Schrott, Jean Procida

Michelle Daly, Ninette

Jihoon Kim, Robert

Neal Cooper, Thibault

Simon Shibambu, Bethune

Jeremy White, Le Comte de Vaudemont

Nico Darmanin, Danieli

Samuel Sakker, Mainfroid

André de Jong, Choreography

Dan Dooner, Revival Director

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

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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.

Herheim’s lavish Vêpres siciliennes returns to Covent Garden in triumphant style