Stéphane Degout, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Véronique Gens & Danielle de Niese Lead London Philharmonic’s 2025-26 Season

The London Philharmonic has announced its 2025-26 season. Edward Gardner conducts Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Jennifer France. The program also includes Hans Abrahamsen’s “Let me tell you.” Performance Date: Oct. 3, 2025 Karina Canellakis conducts Stravinsky and L. Boulanger with soloists Véronique Gens, Andrew Staples, and Jean-Sébastien Bou. Performance Date: Oct. 22, 2025 Mark Elder teams up with Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha {…}

May 28, 2024

Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2024 Review: Carmen

(Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith/Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2024) The picnic hampers are packed, dinner jackets dry-cleaned, cufflinks wrangled, and drizzle forecast: the British country house opera season is back. It opens with a new production of Georges Bizet’s box-office stalwart “Carmen” from Glyndebourne Festival Opera, directed by Diane Paulus and conducted by Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati. This latest version, {…}

May 23, 2024

Glyndebourne Festival Announces Cast Change for ‘Carmen’

The Glyndebourne Festival has announced a cast change for its production of “Carmen” on May 23, 2024. The company noted that John Findon will sing the role of Don Jose replacing Dmytro Popov. Findon is a tenor who has performed at the Bayerische Staatsoper, the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra, {…}

May 21, 2024

Joyce El-Khoury, Adam Smith, Karine Deshayes & Sally Matthews Lead Opéra de Rouen Normandies 2024-25 Season

The Opéra de Rouen Normandie has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Joyce El-Khoury stars in Verdi’s “Aida” alongside Adam Smith, Alisa Kolosova, Adolfo Corrado, and Nikoloz Lagvilava. Pierre Bleuse conducts the production by Philipp Himmelmann. Performance Dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 5, 2024 Sally Matthews, John Findon, Paula Murrihy, and Caroline Wettergreen headline Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” with Ben Glassberg. The production {…}

Oct 6, 2023

English National Opera Announces Cast Change for ‘Peter Grimes’

The English National Opera has announced a cast change for its performance of “Peter Grimes” on Oct. 6, 2023. The company said, “Unfortunately, Gwyn Hughes Jones has not yet fully recovered and is unable to perform in ‘Peter Grimes’ tonight. Therefore the role of Peter Grimes will be performed by John Findon and the role of Bob Boles by Adam {…}

Oct 5, 2023

English National Opera 2023-24 Review: Peter Grimes

(Photo: ENO’s Peter Grimes 2023 © Tom Bowles) David Alden’s “Peter Grimes” begins with the curtain up. Upstage the people of the Borough mill about restlessly, occasionally breaking into shouts of anger and impatience. Alden’s 2009 production, on its second revival, breaks with any wistful or bucolic notions about the seaside community of the Borough, who drive the equally unrelenting {…}

May 30, 2023

Royal Opera House 2022-23 Review: Wozzeck

Photo: Tristram Kenton Expectations were high for Deborah Warner’s new production of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” at the Royal Opera House. Warner’s acclaimed treatment of “Peter Grimes” saw her in similar territory—indeed, the debt owed to Berg’s score by Britten is considerable—in a pair of twentieth-century operas about alienated outsiders, disturbed by the very society that despises them. Both pieces are {…}

Mar 9, 2023

English National Opera 2022-23 Review: The Rhinegold

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner English National Opera has had a stay of execution from the swinging cuts imposed on them by Arts Council England before Christmas. At least another year of funding is guaranteed, though it has not come without casualties; the “Siegfried” planned as the next installment of their burgeoning “Ring” has reportedly been pulled. A pity, as Richard {…}

Oct 11, 2022

English National Opera 2022-23 Review: Tosca

Photo: © Genevieve Girling Christof Loy’s new production of “Tosca” for English National Opera, which first appeared in Helsinki in 2018, replaces Catherine Malfitano’s show, which received two revivals during its tenure and last appeared on the Coliseum stage in 2016. The production sees Leo Hussain return to the Coliseum pit – a distinguished Music Director of Opéra de Rouen and {…}

Apr 24, 2022

English National Opera 2021-22 Review: The Handmaid’s Tale

(Photo: Catherine Ashmore) Such has been the success of Margret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” that, since its publication in 1985, it now finds itself positioned alongside other major 20th century dystopian novels, drawing comparisons with Orwell’s “1984” and Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Like them, it has entered the cultural mainstream, spawning plays, films, a ballet, a major television series, {…}

Mar 1, 2022

English National Opera 2021-22: The Cunning Little Vixen

Photo: © CLIVE BARDA/ArenaPAL Opening night was delayed due to a storm – very on brand for Leoš Janáček, though perhaps more apt for “Kat’a Kabanova” – so nature very much had the upper hand when this new production of “The Cunning Little Vixen” opened at the London Coliseum on Sunday. Director Jamie Manton has previously made an impact with {…}