| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 6-May-2012 Opéra Bastille | Rustic chivalry and clowns in Paris: Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci |
 In each case, you know the murder is coming. In each case the music is explosive and closes the opera: there is nothing left to say except Canio's simple words: "La commedia è finita." Thus ends opera's most celebrated double bill: Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, a pair of short operas that have been performed together almost exclusively since 1893, known affectionately as "Cav and Pag" to an older generation of operagoers.
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| 14-Jun-2011 Opéra Bastille | Otello in Paris, a night for the singers |
 Otello, Verdi’s penultimate opera, is a tightly-wound setting of Shakespeare’s familiar tragedy. From the opening storm to the title character dying upon a kiss, it is more fragmentary and emotionally cool than his earlier work, an opera that tends to be more admired than loved. The demanding leading roles, choruses, and orchestral writing pose a formidable challenge for any opera house, and it is performed relatively infrequently. But the Opéra National de Paris’s current revival is a welcome opportunity to savor its musical riches, thanks to some first-class singing.
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| 27-Oct-2010 Opéra Bastille | Puccini's Il Trittico at Opéra Bastille |
 Puccini's Il Trittico, performed last night at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, is a unique item in the repertoire: a series of three one act operas with little to link them except the composer's conceit of what would work together in an evening. Each opera clocks in at something under an hour, and despite the relatively short duration, each has plenty of time to develop its characters. And every one packs a powerful punch.Read full review... | |
