| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 2-Mar-2013 Semperoper | The highs and lows of Stefan Herheim's Manon Lescaut at the Dresden Semperoper |
 Puccini is one of opera’s best loved composers. With so many popular titles to his name, it is somewhat surprising how infrequently his first great success, Manon Lescaut, is performed today. What makes this even more unusual is the opera’s universal appeal. It contains some wonderful music, with all the deep emotion of the mature Puccini combined with a youthful energy and simplicity, and its verismo plot is easily digestible, even for opera virgins.Read full review... | |
| 29-Nov-2012 Semperoper | A fresh take on Mozart's Idomeneo in Dresden |
 Mozart wrote 20 operas during his relatively short life, the first being performed in Salzburg in 1767, when the composer was just eleven years old. However, it is Idomeneo, written and premièred when Mozart was the ripe old age of 25, which is usually considered to be his first mature opera.
Read full review... | |
| 4-Oct-2012 Semperoper | A relentlessly dark Don Carlo at the Dresden Semperoper |
 There’s something relentlessly dark about Verdi’s Don Carlo. King Philippe and his son, the eponymous Don Carlo, are both very troubling characters, the former power-hungry and vengeful, the latter plagued by desire for his stepmother. Standing next to them are the stepmother herself, Elisabeth, and Don Carlo’s friend, Rodrigo, who are both models of selflessness, but suffer the consequences of their generosity of spirit. Light relief is provided by Princess Eboli, but as the drama progresses even she despairs her fate, suffering the consequences of her jealousy and loose tongue.Read full review... | |
| 15-Sep-2012 Semperoper | La bohème at the Dresden Semperoper |
 In his whole career as an opera composer Puccini only wrote one pure comedy, Gianni Schicchi, and even that forms part of his trilogy Il Trittico, of which the other parts could hardly be more tragic. However, La bohème is also a comedy in its own way, a comedy cut short by tragedy. It starts as all best rom-coms do, with a classic “boy meets girl” moment, when Mimì pops over to Rodolfo’s flat to borrow some matches. It’s love at first sight, and Rodolfo doesn’t let Mimì’s coughing or fainting spells bother him.Read full review... | |
