Enescu Festival sheds light on another 18th-century gem

By Edward Sava-Segal, 10 September 2019

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Reviewed at Romanian Atheneum (Ateneul Român), Bucharest on 8 September 2019

Vivaldi, Il Giustino, RV 717 (Concert performance)

Ottavio Dantone, Conductor

Silke Gäng, Anastasio

Emőke Baráth, Arianna

Delphine Galou, Giustino

Ana Maria Labin, Leocasta

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, Vitaliano

Alessandro Giangrande, Andronico, Polidarte, voce di Vitaliano Seniore

Arianna Vendittelli, Amanzio

Accademia Bizantina

A noble Norma trapped in a hollow dystopia

Andrew Larkin, 24th May

Salome Jicia delivers a vocally impressive and emotionally committed Norma, but Orpha Phelan’s post-apocalyptic staging fatally weakens Bellini’s sacred tragedy.

***11

Superb musical performances in Pinchgut's Scarlatti rarity in Sydney

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd May

As usual, Pinchgut lavishes musical excellence on an obscure Baroque work... but why stage an oratorio?

****1

A deli-cious revival of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 23rd May

Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

****1

The Met’s Frida y Diego proves visually stunning, musically thrilling

David Wolfson, 22nd May

Deborah Colker and her design team create visually vibrant worlds for the Met’s new production of El último sueño de Frida y Diego, by Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank.

*****

Glyndebourne’s first Tosca: vocally strong but imperfect

David Karlin, 21st May

Ted Huffman brings some interesting ideas to his first Glyndebourne production. Excellent singing is let down by indifferent physical acting.

***11

Dudamel’s LA Phil Walküre proves worth the wait

Matthew Richard Martinez, 21st May

An enveloping performance of Die Walküre spans three consecutive evenings, featuring world class singing in Frank Gehry’s stunning space.

****1

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Edward Sava-Segal

Edward has been living in New York for the last 25 years, one of the reasons being the extraordinarily rich cultural life in this city. He has studied piano and classical music in his early years. He switched later on to computer science and data architecture but he kept an unwavering interest in following the classical music phenomenon here in New York and in his travels. Edward occasionally reviews fine arts events for the most prestigious literary magazine in Romania, his home country.

Vivaldi's Giustino: Enescu Festival sheds light on another 18th-century gem