(Photo: Pat Redmond) The 1950s saw the rollout of electricity across rural Ireland, a process that significantly changed not just the countryside but also the lives of its people. Electrical appliances such as kettles, cookers, hairdryers and lighting meant that life in many ways became more comfortable and freed up time for leisure activities. Moreover, it impacted traditional roles and {…}
Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan is due to return to her home city of Cork in early May, where she will be performing Charlotte in Irish National Opera’s nationwide tour of Massenet’s “Werther.” Over the past few years, the young singer has witnessed her profile rise quickly on the European opera circuit, notching up regular performances in Munich and Zurich as {…}
(Photo: INO, Kip Carroll) “Least Like The Other” continues the Royal Opera House’s partnership with Irish National Opera in Covent Garden’s Linbury Theatre, following last year’s “Bajazet.” This new work is centuries away from Vivaldi’s pasticcio and a world apart stylistically, but what binds them both is the unerring pursuit of bracing theatrical intensity. “Least Like The Other, Searching for {…}
In July 2019, Irish National Opera premiered “Least Like The Other” at the Galway International Arts Festival to a raft of fabulous reviews. The short opera, which lasts approximately 70 minutes, is an intensely disturbing work that explores the brutal and life-destroying system that led to Rose Kennedy having a lobotomy at the age of 23. She was born into {…}
(Photo: Pat Redmond) The reaction of the audience at Dundalk’s Táin Theatre to Irish National Opera’s performance of Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” said it all! Every scene, every joke, every overplayed reaction, every facial exaggeration was met with unaffected laughter. Rarely does one find an audience so totally engaged with a piece. At the final curtain, the performance was met with {…}
(Photo: Patrick Redmond) Soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson continues to notch up wonderful reviews for her performances across Ireland with Irish National Opera, Opera Collective Ireland, Blackwater Valley Festival and Wexford Festival Opera. At present, she is on tour with Irish National Opera wowing audiences with her Norina in the company’s riotous “Don Pasquale” OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw? {…}
The Irish National Opera is set to present the U.K. premiere of Brian Irvine and Netia Jones’ “Least Like the Other” on Jan. 15-19, 2023. The opera, which will take place at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre, explores the tragedy of Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of U.S. President J.F. Kennedy. She was starved of oxygen at birth and experienced {…}
“What is opera, and what does ‘operatic’ and ‘opera’ mean to you?” It is a question that has the potential to uproot tradition. No longer bound by traditional methods and procedures (not even 3-dimensions!), artists now use ‘opera’ in imaginative ways: a profession of some emotion and inner feeling that lies deep within their core. It is my goal, through {…}
(Photo: Patrick Browne) Opera in Ireland has recently been going through a boom time. Whereas only a few years ago, Irish singers were being forced to look abroad to establish a career, owing to the lack of opportunities at home, now, with the emergence of Opera Collective Ireland, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, and, most significantly, Irish National Opera, along {…}
In anticipation of Signum Classic’s new release of “La Bohème” I happily reminisced about Lithuanian tenor Merūnas Vitulskis’ performance of “Madama Butterfly” which I had the chance to witness at the Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg all the way back in 2015. It was an elegant voice, well placed, with a warm timbre and baritonal depth, albeit none of the customary {…}
(Photo: Pat Redmond) Irish National Opera continues to march forward. Although only in its fifth year, it has managed to establish itself as an innovative, forward-thinking company of high quality, which successfully mixes traditional productions with new works and modern presentation methods. Whereas many companies closed down during the COVID crisis, INO used it to showcase new short operas via {…}
