The little-known Cendrillon of Franco-Maltese composer Nicolò Isouard is the opera on which Rossini based his blockbuster hit La Cenerentola, which swiftly pitched Isouard’s Cendrillon into obscurity. On the opening night, possibly the opera’s UK première, the rain poured unhelpfully down on Bampton’s exquisite Deanery Garden, but spontaneous umbrella jokes (rhyming nicely with ‘Cinderella’) were…
Julia Faulkner soprano Anne Sofie von Otter mezzo-soprano Matthew Rose bass John Fisher piano Kristian Bezuidenhout fortepiano Singers and pianists from the Britten–Pears Young Artist Programme (Starts 2:30pm; ends approx 5.30pm) Ahead of their recital on 23 June, internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Kristian Bezuidenhout, one of today’s most versatile keyboard, players join this Festival’s trio of course…
John Fisher piano Julia Faulkner soprano Matthew Rose bass Singers and pianists from the Britten–Pears Young Artist Programme (Starts at 2:30pm; ends approx. 5.30pm) A stellar trio of tutors come together with exceptional young artists to examine what it takes to ‘make it’ as a singer and artist in the 21st century. John Fisher is a legendary coach and…
‘And then they found me guilty, and then they pronounced me invisible, for a span of one year’ Robert Silverberg, To See the Invisible Man Condemned for a ‘crime of coldness’ by an authoritarian regime, The Invisible is cast adrift from society. All human interaction is outlawed. This life of isolation leads to strange, vicarious…
Tosca is one of the great evenings of opera, and from its strident opening chords conjures up a world of political instability and menace. Jonathan Kent’s production for The Royal Opera captures the dangerous political turbulence of Rome in 1800. Giacomo Puccini’s dramatic work was a hit with audiences at its 1900 première and it…
Some people get terribly, passionately serious about Wagner. This shouldn’t be a problem: truly great music of all kinds tends to attract obsessive adulation, especially whenever the artist is a controversial, genre-breaking genius (cf. the recent press reaction to the death of David Bowie). But the sad fact is that too often, this fervent Wagner-worship…
A little reflection, a little Greek myth-busting: my short article for Bachtrack traces Classical influences in opera, from the art form’s earliest beginnings to our latest contemporary works. Please click here to read it in full.
Opera Naked is cool, confessional cabaret from a singer’s point of view. Absolute devotion and dedication to opera – in the face of financial disaster, parental disapproval, physical problems and even moral dilemmas – is what gives this production its passionate, beating heart. The whole thing rolls along at a lick; moments of pathos are…
Simon Callow’s new show, part of the Deloitte Ignite Verdi/Wagner festival, curated by Stephen Fry, makes the strong and valid point that the reason some people hate Wagner so much is precisely because his art cuts so deeply into the human psyche, fearlessly confronting his anti-Semitism, his sexual voracity, his constant betrayals of those he…
A glorious, desperate love story with a dark twist, set in and starring a memorable river created by a trio of fabulous sopranos, Dart’s Love is a treat for the eyes and ears – and it may even inspire you to try wild swimming for yourself. A magical highlight of the Tête à Tête Festival at Riverside…