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Director, Tim Albery; Choreography, Venusberg Scene, Jasmin Vardimon; Set Designer. Michael Levine; Costume Designer, Jon Morrell; Lighting Designer, David Finn. Conductor, Sebastian Weigle; Tannhäuser, Stefan Vinke; Elisabeth, Lise Davidsen; Wolfram Von Eschinbach, Gerald Finley; Venus, Ekaterina Gubanova; Hermann, Mika Kares; Biterolf, Michael Kraus; Walther Von Der Vogelweide, Egor Zhuravskii I have not seen this workContinue reading “Wagner: Tannhäuser; ROHCG, 7/2/23”

Schumann Genoveva: Overture; Schumann Piano Concerto; Caroline Shaw Music in Common Time; Mozart Symphony No.36 in C major ‘Linz’. Gábor Takács-Nagy, conductor; Klara Min, piano This was not my first choice for a musical outing. I had originally intended to go to a Stoller Hall concert with Ensemble 360 – some Vaughan Williams, Stainer andContinue reading “Manchester Camerata: Schumann, Shaw and Mozart. Sheffield City Hall, 04/2/23”

Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet;  Shostakovich String Quartet No.3 Op.73; Beethoven String Quartet Op.135, performed by Ensemble 360 This was a very good concert. When I arrived at the Upper Chapel, rather early at 6.30pm, I was amazed to see a queue forming outside the chapel. The house was completely full – this reallyContinue reading “Ensemble 360: Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Beethoven. Upper Chapel, Sheffield, 28/1/23”

Sonya Yoncheva, Fedora; Piotr Beczała, Count Loris; Rosa Feola, Countess Olga;  Lucas Meachem, De Siriex. Conductor,  Marco Armiliato; Director,  David McVicar; Set Designer, Charles Edwards; Costume Designer,  Brigitte Reiffenstuel; Lighting Designer, Adam Silverman. Rather to my surprise, I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. The reviews I saw were for the most part tepidContinue reading “Giordano: Fedora. Streamed live from the Metropolitan Opera, New York to Sheffield Curzon Cinema 14/1/23”

Respighi, Fountains of Rome, Szymanowski Violin Concerto No.2, Brahms Symphony No.2. Sir Mark Elder conductor, Nicola Benedetti violin. This was my first time in the Sheffield City Hall since a rather dispiriting concert in June. That had been a rather dismal occasion – the audience only just more in number than the assembled musicians andContinue reading “Halle, Elder: Respighi; Szymanowski, Brahms: Sheffield City Hall, 13/1/23”

London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle conductor; Amanda Majeski  Katya; Simon O’Neill  Boris; Katarina Dalayman  Kabanicha; Andrew Staples  Tichon; Ladislav Elgr  Kudrjas; Magdalena Kožená  Varvara; Pavlo Hunka, Dikoj; Claire Barnett-Jones, Glasha & Feklusha; Lukáš Zeman, Kuligin; London Symphony Chorus I’ve not seen many productions of this work. I got to know it through multiple visitsContinue reading “Janacek: Katya Kabanova. LSO/Rattle Barbican 11/1/23”

Kirill Petrenko conductor, Jonas Kaufmann tenor. Giuseppe Verdi La forza del destino: Overture; Sergei Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (excerpt); Nino Rota La strada, Orchestral Suite (excerpts); Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Capriccio italien, op. 45 and arias by Verdi, Mascagni, Zandonai and GiordanoThis was a very enjoyable concert. Beforehand, members of the BPO had formed themselves intoContinue reading “New Year’s Eve Concert 2022, Berliner Philharmoniker, streamed from Philharmonie Berlin to Sheffield Showroom cinema – 31/12/22”

These were (not in any particular order): 2022 Vivaldi: Bajazet – ROHCG; Linbury Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben – Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Barbican Wagner: Lohengrin – ROHCG Wagner : Parsifal – Opera North Janacek: Cunning Little Vixen – Bayern Staatsoper Handel: Alcina – ROHCG Wagner: Siegfried – Bayreuth Festival Mahler: Symphony No 7 – Berlin Philharmonic,Continue reading “Top ten performances I went to in 2022, and also 2021”

Martyn Brabbins, conductor; Ruth Knight, director; Ian Jackson-French, lighting designer. Cast – Christine Rice, Queen Elizabeth I; Robert Murray, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex; Paula Murrihy, Frances, Countess of Essex; Duncan Rock, Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy; Eleanor Dennis, Penelope (Lady Rich); Charles Rice, Sir Robert Cecil; David Soar, Sir Walter Raleigh; Claire Barnett-Jones,  a housewife;Continue reading “Britten, Gloriana – ENO London Coliseum 8/12/22”

Winterreise is yet another work I am not sure I have ever heard live in the concert hall (though I am pretty sure I have heard at various times Die Schone Mullerin and Schwanengesang). I got to know Winterreise as a student through the Britten / Pears recording so I always have a tenor inContinue reading “Schubert: Winterreise; Allan Clayton, Kate Golla: Barbican 07/12/22”