Director, Katie Mitchell; Costume Designer, Sussie Juhlin-Wallén; Lighting Designer, James Farncombe; Set Designer, Vicki Mortimer; Video Designer, Sasha Balmazi-Owen. Emilia Marty, Ausrine Stundyte; Albert Gregor, Sean Panikkar; Baron Jaroslav Prus, Johan Reuter; Dr Kolenatý, Henry Waddington; Vítek, Peter Hoare; Janek, Daniel Matoušek; Count Hauk-Šendorf, Alan Oke; Krista, Heather Engebretson; Stage door woman; Susan Bickley OfContinue reading “The Makropoulos Case, Janacek – ROHCG, 21/11/25”
Tag Archives: theatre
Verdi, The Sicilian Vespers, ROHCG, 26/925
Director, Stefan Herheim; Set designer, Philipp Fürhofer; Costume designer, Gesine Völlm; Lighting designer, Anders Poll; Choreographer, André de Jong. Conductor, Speranza Scappucci; Hélène, Joyce El-Khoury; Henri, Vladymyr Dytiuk ; Jean Procida, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo; Guy de Montfort, Quinn Kelsey; Robert, Vartan Gabrielian; Thibault, Neal Cooper; Le Sire de Béthune, Blaise Malaba; Le Comte de Vaudemont, ThomasContinue reading “Verdi, The Sicilian Vespers, ROHCG, 26/925”
Weill/Brecht, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 20/7/25
Conductor, Stefan Klingele; Director, Benedikt von Peter; Design, Katrin Wittig; Costumes, Geraldine Arnold; Lighting, Ulrich Niepel; Leokadja Begbick, Evelyn Herlitzius; Fatty, Thomas Cilluffo. Dreieinigkeitsmoses, Robert Gleadow; Jenny Hill, Annette Dasch; Jim Mahoney, Nikolai Schukoff; Jack O’Brian, Kieran Carrel; Bill, Artur Garbas; Joe, Padraic Rowan I spent the morning, as I have done whenever I haveContinue reading ” Weill/Brecht, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 20/7/25″
Poulenc/Bernstein. Buxton Festival, Buxton Opera House, 15/7/24
Iwan Davies Conductor, Daisy Evans Director, Loren Elstein Designer, Jake Wiltshire Lighting Designer. CAST – Trouble in Tahiti: Charles Rice – Sam, a businessman; Hanna Hipp, Dinah, his wife; La voix humaine – Allison Cook, Elle This was an absorbing evening which I very much enjoyed. The conductor Iwan Davies, and the director Daisy Evans,Continue reading “Poulenc/Bernstein. Buxton Festival, Buxton Opera House, 15/7/24”
R. Strauss, Salome. LSO, Pappano. Barbican, 13/7/25
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano conductor. Asmik Grigorian, Salome; Michael Volle, Jochanaan; Violeta Urmana, Herodias; Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Herod; Niamh O’Sullivan, Page of Herodias; John Findon, Narraboth This was my third Salome in 5 months, which is a bit bonkers really, even though it is a wonderful score. This had the attractions of being: ThisContinue reading “R. Strauss, Salome. LSO, Pappano. Barbican, 13/7/25”
Handel, Semele, ROHCG. 30/6/25
Conductor, Christian Curnyn. Semele, Pretty Yende; Jupiter, Ben Bliss; Cadmus/Somnus, Brindley Sherratt; Athamas, Carlo Vistoli; Juno, Alice Coote; Ino, Niamh O’Sullivan; Iris, Marianna Hovanisyan. Director, Oliver Mears; Designer, Annemarie Woods; Lighting designer, Fabiana Piccioli; Movement Director; Sarah Fahie This was the first night of a new production at ROHCG. It has been my greatest musical pleasureContinue reading “Handel, Semele, ROHCG. 30/6/25”
Wagner, The Flying Dutchman. Opera Holland Park. 12/6/25
Paul Carey Jones, The Dutchman; Eleanor Dennis, Senta; Robert Winslade Anderson, Daland; Neal Cooper, Erik; Angharad Lyddon, Mary; Colin Judson, Steersman. Peter Selwyn, Conductor; Julia Burbach, Director; Naomi Dawson, Set Designer; Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, Costume Designer; Robert Price, Lighting Designer. I haven’t been to the Holland Park Opera set-up since 2021 (when I saw excellent productionsContinue reading “Wagner, The Flying Dutchman. Opera Holland Park. 12/6/25”
Wagner, Parsifal. Glyndebourne Festival Opera: 6/6/25
Conductor, Robin Ticciati; Director, Jetske Mijnssen; Set Designer, Ben Baur; Costume Designer, Gideon Davey; Choreographer, Dustin Klein; Lighting Designer, Fabrice Kebour. London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus. Cast: Parsifal, Daniel Johansson; Gurnemanz, John Relyea; Kundry, Kristina Stanek; Amfortas, Audun Iversen; Klingsor, Ryan Speedo Green; Titurel, John Tomlinson In the essay ‘Religion and Art’ (1880) WagnerContinue reading “Wagner, Parsifal. Glyndebourne Festival Opera: 6/6/25”
Rossini, Barber of Seville. Met Opera HD screening, Sheffield Curzon Cinema, 31/5/25
Conductor, Giacomo Sagripanti; Rosina, Aigul Akhmetshina; Count Almaviva, Jack Swanson; Figaro, Andrey Zhilikhovsky; Dr. Bartolo, Peter Kálmán; Don Basilio, Alexander Vinogradov. Director, Bartlett Sher; Set Designer, Michael Yeargan; Costumes, Catherine Zuber It is a long time since I’ve heard the Barber of Seville – it’s probably 45-50 years since I’ve heard it live in theContinue reading “Rossini, Barber of Seville. Met Opera HD screening, Sheffield Curzon Cinema, 31/5/25”
Wagner: Das Rheingold. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 23/2/25
Woglinde: Jillian Finnamore; Wellgunde: Justine Viani; Flosshilde: Mae Heydorn; Alberich: Oliver Gibbs;Wotan: Ralf Lukas; Fricka: Ingeborg Børch; Loge: James Schouten; Donner: Andrew Mayor; Freia: Charlotte Richardson; Froh: Calvin Lee; Mime: Holden Madagame; Fasolt: Henry Grant Kerswell; Fafner: Craig Lemont Walters; Erda: Mae Heydorn; Ben Woodward: Music Director and Conductor; Caroline Staunton: Director; CJ Heaver: ProducerContinue reading “Wagner: Das Rheingold. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 23/2/25”
John's musical journey 