Author Archives: John

Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder conductor. Germán Enrique Alcántara baritone | Simon Boccanegra; Eri Nakamura soprano | Amelia; Iván Ayón-Rivas tenor | Gabriele Adorno; William Thomas bass | Jacopo Fiesco; Sergio Vitale baritone | Paolo Albianil David Shipley bass | Pietro; Beth Moxon mezzo soprano | Amelia’s maid. Chorus of Opera North Another Verdi operaContinue reading “Verdi Simon Boccanegra (original version 1857): Halle/Elder – Bridgewater Hall, 18/4/24”

Ruth Gipps Song for Orchestra; Nielsen Violin Concerto; Borodin Symphony No.2. RLPO – Andrew Manze conductor; Johan Dalene violin (Young Artist in Residence) This was a really good concert. Though it was a far from generous programme, and had at least two works which almost everyone in the audience hadn’t heard live before ( andContinue reading “Royal Liverpool Philharmonic: Gipps, Nielsen, Borodin: Philharmonic Hall – 11/4/24”

Director, Jude Christian; Designer, Charlotte Henery; Lighting, Ben Ormerod. Conductor, Gerry Cornelius. Manon, Jenny Stafford;  Des Grieux, ? (cover for Gareth Dafydd Morris); Lescaut, Aidan Edwards; Geronte, Edward Hawkins;  Edmondo, Brenton Spiteri Manon Lescaut is an early work of Puccini’s, composed between 1889 and 1892 (so a very long time before, say, Turandot).This production wasContinue reading “Puccini, Manon Lescaut – ETO, Buxton Opera House, 4/4/24”

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Peter Whelan director. Miriam Allan soprano, Rebecca Leggett mezzo-soprano, Ruairi Bowen tenor, Malachy Frame baritone, Choir of the Age of Enlightenment: Bach: Cantata No.66 `Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen’; Cantata No.6 `Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden’; Bach: Easter Oratorio, BWV.249 The QEH was sold out for thisContinue reading “Bach, Easter Oratorio: OAE, Whelan. QEH South Bank, 27/3/24”

Cast: Mark Le Brocq Gustav von Aschenbach;  Roderick Williams The Traveller | Elderly Fop | Hotel Manager | Hotel Barber | Leader of the Players | Voice of Dionysus; Timothy Morgan  Voice of Apollo; Antony César Tadzio; Diana Salles The Polish Mother. : Leo Hussain Conductor; Olivia Fuchs Director; Nicola Turner Designer; Robbie Butler LightingContinue reading “Britten, Death in Venice – WNO, Oxford: 26/3/24”

Conductor: Christian Thielemann; Director, David Bösch; Stage design Patrick Bannwart; Costumes Moana Stemberger; Lighting Fabio Antoci; The Emperor Eric Cutler; Empress, Camilla Nylund; The Nurse, Evelyn Herlitzius; The ghost messenger, Andreas Bauer Kanabas; A Guardian of the Threshold of the Temple, Nikola Hillebrand; Apparition of a Young Man, Martin Mitterrutzner; The Voice of the Falcon,Continue reading “R.Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten. Dresden Semperoper, 23/3/24”

Conductor: Johannes Fritzsch, Director, Josef E. Köpplinger, Stage design Walter Vogelweider, Costumes Dagmar Morell, Choreography Ricarda Regina Ludigkeit, Lighting Fabio Antoci. Cast: Sarastro, Dimitry Ivashchenko; Tamino, Joseph Dennis; Queen of the Night, Aleksandra Olczyk; Pamina, Elbenita Kajtazi; Papageno, Michael Nagl; First Lady, Roxana Incontrera; Second Lady, Sabine Brohm; Third Lady, Michal Doron; Monostatos, Simeon Esper; Speaker,Continue reading “Mozart: The Magic Flute. Dresden Semperoper, 22/3/24”

Keri-Lynn Wilson, Conductor; David Alden, Director; Charles Edwards, Set Designer; Jon Morrel, Costume Designer; Adam Silverman, Original Lighting Designer. Jennifer Davis, Jenufa; Susan Bullock, Kostelnicka; Richard Trey Smagur, Laca; John Findon, Steva; Fiona Kimm, Grandmother; Darren Jeffery, Mill Foreman; Freddie Tong, Mayor; Madeleine Shaw, Mayor’s Wife It was fascinating to experience a theatrical version ofContinue reading “Janacek, Jenufa – ENO: 20/3/24”

Wagner: Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries and Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music; Huldigungsmarsch; Das Rheingold: Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge; Götterdammerung: Prologue: Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey; Act I: Duet; Act III: Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music, Brünnhilde’s Immolation and Finale; Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I and Was duftet dochContinue reading “Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, V. Petrenko, Wagner extracts: Royal Albert Hall, 13/3/24”

Bruckner Symphony no 8; Halle Orchestra, Mark Elder As I have said elsewhere in this blog, I have been lucky to hear several very fine Bruckner 8s live over the years. This performance was the equal, at the very least, of nearly all of them, as I experienced it. Astonishingly, this run of performances withContinue reading “The Big Bruckner Weekend, Glasshouse, Gateshead    2/3/24 – Bruckner 8, Halle Orchestra”