| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 2-Mar-2013 Royal Opera House, Covent Garden | All round excellence in the Royal Opera's Tosca |
 Few operas are as specific in time and place as Puccini's Tosca: the date is 17th June, 1800, shortly after the battle of Marengo (in which Napoleon Bonaparte wrested control of Northern Italy from Austria), while each of the three acts is located in a specific landmark in Rome: the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese and the Castel Sant'Angelo. But few are as universal in theme: the brutal abuse of power in a police state, where a single weakness can cost your life and those of your loved ones.
Read full review... | |
| 30-Mar-2011 Royal Opera House, Covent Garden | Power and control in the Royal Opera's Aida |
COOPER.jpg) Attendees of last night's Aida may have been concerned that they would be seeing a stand-in soprano, with the Ukranian Liudmyla Monastyrska making her Covent Garden debut. They needn't have worried. Monastyrska gave a world class performance with great vocal control and huge power. Her cry of Ritorna vincitor!, enjoining the hero Radamès to return victorious, nearly blew the roof off the Royal Opera House - and I can say this safely, since I was fairly close to the roof in an amphitheatre seat.Read full review... | |
