Photo credit: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. “La bohème”, as the archetypal verismo opera, tends to resist stagings that take it much beyond the confines of nineteenth-century Paris, and indeed non-naturalistic approaches to the work. (Audiences tend to resist them too.) The two most successful in London recently have been John Copley’s recently retired version at the Royal Opera House – {…}
(Credit: Richard Hubert Smith) Last week the English Touring Opera launched its spring tour. The tour includes “St. John Passion,” Rismky-Korsakov’s “The Golden Cockerel” at the opera’s London home of the Hackney Empire, and a revival of Puccini’s “La bohème.” James Conway’s production will be touring a myriad of venues until early June with Rodolfo, Marcello, Musetta, and Mimi double-cast. {…}
(Photo: © Clive Barda/Royal Opera House) “Tosca” is back at Covent Garden, for the second time this season, revived by Lucy Bradley and conducted by Marco Armiliato. It is especially notable as it marks thirty years since the house debut of Angela Gheorghiu, who returns in what is something of a signature role in a production over which she has {…}
© The Royal Opera, 2021. Photos by Tristram Kenton Jonathan Kent’s production of “Tosca” for Covent Garden is getting its tenth revival, under the baton of Oksana Lyniv. It’s a regular fixture and a top-seller – though this particular run has already faced down two dramas of its own. First, the cancellation of the original opening night owing to a {…}
(Credit: © Craig Fuller) When it comes to sex and death, timing is everything. The Royal Academy of Music is one of Europe’s leading conservatoires, with a renowned opera program for young singers whose stars are in the ascendant. This autumn they offered – across two casts – a double bill of Maurice Ravel’s mischievous farce “L’heure Espagnole” and Giacomo {…}
On Dec. 2, 2021, the Metropolitan Opera opened this season’s run of Puccini’s “Tosca” with Sir. David McVicar’s production remaining a breathtaking immersion into the unfolding drama, faithfully capturing the Italian setting in a way that celebrates the work’s verismo nature. Under the baton of Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the evening’s cast was comprised of highly-experienced artists who brought their gifts to {…}