Soraya Mafi, Daisy Brown, Robert Hayward & Roland Wood Lead Opera North’s 2024-25 Season

Opera North has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” with Claire Lees, Soraya Mafi, Egor Zhuravskii, Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, Anna Dennis, Msimelelo Mbali, Justin Hopkins, Emyr Wyn Jones, Pasquale Orchard, Colin Judson, and Andri Björn Róbertsson. Christoph Koncz, Patrick Lange, and Emilia Hoving share the podium and James Brining directs. Performance Dates: Sept. 27, {…}

Mar 11, 2023

Giselle Allen, Sébastien Guèze & Robert Hayward Lead Opera Norths’ 2023-24 Season

Opera North has announced its 2023-24 season, which will be split into autumn and spring. Henry Waddington, Helen Évora, Isabelle Peters, Egor Zhuravskii, Richard Burkhard, and Tichina Vaughn lead Verdi’s “Falstaff.” Garry Walker and Martin Pickard conduct the production by Jo Davies. Performance Dates: Sept. 28-Nov. 18, 2023 Andri Björn Róbertsson, Anna Dennis, James Laing, Patrick Terry, Callum Thorpe, Xavier Hetherington, and {…}

Jul 4, 2022

Opera North 2022 Review: Parsifal

(Photo: Mark Allan) Last time Opera North visited London’s Southbank Centre it was for an award-winning semi-staged Ring cycle, conducted by then music director Richard Farnes. They even made a gripping and hugely instructive recording for YouTube that shows the entire tetralogy from a camera placed right in front of the conductor. He returns to the Royal Festival Hall with {…}

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 11, 2022

Alice Coote, Elizabeth Llewellyn & Anna Denisova Lead Opera North’s 2022-23 Season

Opera North has announced its 2022-23 season with eight productions. The season opens with Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Anna Denisova, Nico Darmanin, Oliver Johnston, Stephen Gadd, and Damiano Salerno. Jonathan Webb and Manoj Kamps conduct the production by Alessandro Talevi. Performance Dates: Sept. 29-Nov. 17, 2022 “Orpheus After Monteverdi” is set to star Kezia Bienek, Jasdeep Singh Degun, Amy Freston, Ustad Shahbaz Hussain, Supriya {…}

Apr 23, 2021

Toby Spence, Eric Greene & Chrystal E. Williams Lead Opera North’s 2021-22 Season

Opera North in the United Kingdom has announced its 2021-22 featuring new productions and several classic works. The season launches with Bizet’s “Carmen“ conducted by Garry Walker and Anony Hermus. The production will open the Autumn season at Leeds Grand Theatre and will also be performed as part of the Winter season. The cast includes Chrystal E. Williams as Carmen, Antoine {…}

Jun 3, 2020

Wallis Giunta, Emma Bell Headline OperaVision’s June 2020 Slate

(Credit: Tristram Kenton / Alastair Muir / Monika Ritterhaus / Jon Persson) OperaVision has announced its programming for the first half of June which will be mainly focused on English-language operas. First up will be Opera North’s production of “Trouble in Tahiti” starring Wallis Giunta and Quirjin de Lang. Tobias Ringborg conducts. Streaming Dates: June 2, 2020 – June 30, {…}

May 6, 2020

Vasily Petrenko, Bryn Terfel & Adela Zahria Lead Royal Liverpool’s 2020-21 Season

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has announced its 2020-21 season marking the final season for music director Vasily Petrenko. For this article we will only focus on vocal performances. Ian Tracey conducts the Spirit of Christmas concert with John Suchet as the present and baritone Thomas Weinhappel. The Royal Liverpool Choir and youth choir will also participate in an evening of {…}

Feb 6, 2020

London Philharmonic 2019-20 Review: Siegfried

(Credit: Simon Jay Price) Wagner’s biography and character are all over his operas, often transparently so: the wandering, embittered outcast in “The Flying Dutchman;” the revolutionary artist in “Die Meistersinger;” the sensuous hedonist in “Tristan und Isolde.” This may be one of the reasons that some people find his work overbearing and suffocating. Rarely is he identified with the dwarf {…}

Jan 23, 2020

Natalya Romaniw, Toby Spence & Christine Rice To Feature In Garsington Opera’s 2020 Season

The Garsington Opera has announced its 2020 season which will feature four staged operas including two repertory staples and two rarities. Here is a look. Verdi and Romani’s “Un giorno di regno” gets a new staging by Christopher Alden with Tobias Ringborg conducting. Richard Burkhard, Henry Waddington, Christine Rice, Siobhan Stagg, Konu Kim, and Grant Doyle star in the production. Performance {…}

Oct 28, 2019

Vladimir Jurowski, London Philharmonic Orchestra Set For 2 Ring Cycles In 2021

(Credit: Simon Jay Price) The London Philharmonic Orchestra has announced that it will be performing two complete Ring Cycles this winter under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski. The two cycles are set to take place between Jan. 25-31 and Feb. 5-10, 2021 at the Royal Festival Hall. The cycles will be a culmination of a project that initiated back in {…}