| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2012 La Scala | A dream cast united in La Scala's Lohengrin |
 The first opera of the season at La Scala is an event of huge cultural significance in Italy, so it raised some hackles when, for Giuseppe Verdi’s centenary year, the management passed over Verdi in favour of Wagner’s Lohengrin. But even Italians disappointed by the insult to their culture found it impossible to quarrel with the quality of the singing talent on show.Read full review... | |
| 15-Sep-2012 Theater an der Wien | Ulisse returns to the Theater an der Wien |
 Productions of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria which make the title character a returning war veteran, preferably one returning from a juicy topical war, are nothing new, and director Claus Guth doesn’t stretch the well-worn conceit much further in this listlessly vague staging for the Theater an der Wien.Read full review... | |
| 12-Feb-2012 Opernhaus | Ariadne in Zurich |
 Richard Strauss’ outstanding catalogue of operas is part of the staple diet of opera houses around the world. From the musically and dramatically intense scores of Salome and Elektra to the romantically lush, emotional sweepings of Der Rosenkavalier, there is something in his canon for all manner of opera enthusiasts. Ariadne auf Naxos (first performed in Stuttgart in 1912) has had many popular revivals, though may still be counted amongst Strauss’ rarer performed works – any opportunity in which to hear it should be taken.Read full review... | |
| 20-Dec-2011 Theater an der Wien | Music is the food of thought in L'Orfeo at the Theater an der Wien |
 and John Mark Ainsley (Orfeo) in LOrfeo; photo by Monika Rittershaus.jpg) The last production I saw of L’Orfeo explored the idea of music as a manipulative force, suggesting disturbing consequences to the docility it can engender. Director Claus Guth is less concerned with Orfeo the musician, and makes minimal acknowledgement of the work’s pastoral and mythic elements. He focuses instead on the consequences of Orfeo’s union with Euridice, suggesting that it is so powerful that their individuality has been subject to irreversible change.Read full review... | |
