Opera
Kaija Saariaho obituary
Acclaimed composer who conjured shimmering sound worlds in operas such as L’Amour de Loin and Innocence
Keith Potter
04, Jun, 2023 @3:04 PM
Il trovatore review – cruelty played out with anarchic imagination
Adele Thomas’s visually arresting production mixes levity with tragedy, as fervent orchestral play is matched by expressive singing from a fine cast
Erica Jeal
04, Jun, 2023 @1:56 PM
‘We can’t just be in our ivory tower’: the Italian conductor aiming to open up the Royal Opera House to everyone
Speranza Scappucci hopes to demystify the art form for the English public when she becomes principal guest conductor
Miranda Bryant
03, Jun, 2023 @5:30 PM
Rigoletto review – Verdi’s jester locks horns with the Bullingdon Club
In an engaging but problematic staging, the Duke’s court is relocated to interwar Oxford, with Alison Langer’s beautifully sung Gilda a standout
Erica Jeal
31, May, 2023 @1:26 PM
Götterdämmerung review – conductor Anthony Negus is the lord of this Ring
The conductor’s authority and understanding permeate every bar, but the whole cast excel in this deeply satisfying production
Rian Evans
30, May, 2023 @3:06 PM
Carmen review – Paul Mescal’s moves will have his fanbase melting
Mescal and Melissa Barrera lead this modern-day version of Bizet’s opera, which awkwardly combines tough realism with high-gloss romance
Cath Clarke
30, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
John Dobson obituary
Stalwart opera singer who clocked up more than 2,000 performances in around 90 roles at Covent Garden
Barry Millington
29, May, 2023 @5:19 PM
The week in classical: Wozzeck; Don Giovanni – Christian Gerhaher and Anja Kampe thrill in five-star Berg
Direction and music are as one in Deborah Warner’s gripping new Royal Opera production, while a fine young cast redeems thoughtful if low-key Mozart
Fiona Maddocks
27, May, 2023 @11:30 AM
Changes to arts funding are always divisive – we were right to focus on access for all | Nicholas Serota
We’ve faced criticism for investing in areas outside London, but people around England told us they wanted to experience culture close to home, says Arts Council England chair Nicholas Serota
Nicholas Serota
25, May, 2023 @7:00 AM
John Nicholson obituary
Other lives: Director of music at Gordonstoun school who also created the Schubertline website
Sophie McCook
21, May, 2023 @4:35 PM
Don Giovanni review – obsession, distress and danger in uneven new production
Mariame Clément’s thoughtful staging brings depth and insights but feels, at times, at odds with the score’s sensuality and demonic fire. In the pit, conductor Evan Rogister favours speed over dramatic weight.
Tim Ashley
21, May, 2023 @2:14 PM
Wozzeck review – Gerhaher’s victim shuffles towards disaster in nuanced staging
Deborah Warner’s focused and vivid new production avoids caricature, and, with superb singing and Antonio Pappano’s conducting, drama and music dovetail perfectly
Andrew Clements
21, May, 2023 @11:53 AM
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