Opera

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Opera actor, 82, furious with critic for saying she looked a fright on first night
‘The “fright” look is all naturally mine,’ riposted Rose Knox-Peebles after FT reviewer assumed she had makeup on in Das Rheingold

Amelia Hill

20, Sep, 2023 @6:09 PM

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La Forza del Destino review – superb voices and slick dance routines for Loy’s reimagined Verdi
Christoph Loy’s 2019 staging staging feels more cogent in this, its first revival, and baritone Etienne Dupuis is stunning as Carlo

Tim Ashley

20, Sep, 2023 @12:54 PM

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The week in classical: Das Rheingold; Lucerne festival review – all about oil
From an all-consuming performance of Barrie Kosky’s fierce new Rheingold to a stage invasion in Lucerne, musical excellence and the climate emergency went hand in hand

Fiona Maddocks

16, Sep, 2023 @11:30 AM

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Protesters enraged as Berlin State Opera lifts ban on Russian-born soprano
Anna Netrebko to perform as Lady Macbeth on four dates at Staatsoper despite concern over Kremlin links

Kate Connolly in Berlin

15, Sep, 2023 @2:52 PM

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Ethel Smyth: Der Wald review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week
Smyth’s opera was the first by a woman to be performed at New York’s Met. One hundred and twenty years later this is its first recording

Erica Jeal

14, Sep, 2023 @2:00 PM

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‘I threw my pop records in the bin’: George Benjamin on his defining moments – and his latest opera
As Picture a day Like this comes to the London stage, the composer speaks about finding his dream collaborator, entering ‘a different dimension’ with Olivier Messiaen – and the day Disney changed his life

Charlotte Higgins

13, Sep, 2023 @2:51 PM

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Das Rheingold review – uncluttered staging is a compelling start to Kosky’s Ring cycle
With the figure of earth goddess Erda present throughout, the message – of the despoliation of the natural world – is clear. There’s no weak link in a uniformly strong cast, and in the pit Pappano has the measure of Wagner’s grandeur and intimacy

Andrew Clements

12, Sep, 2023 @11:12 AM

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Ainadamar review – a defiant and impassioned defence of freedom
Welsh National Opera mount Osvaldo Golijov’s opera about the assassinated Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca – a fiercely evocative piece with the feel of a passion play

Rian Evans

10, Sep, 2023 @3:43 PM

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Emerson String Quartet: Infinite Voyage review | Andrew Clements’ classical album of the week
This wonderful parting gift from the quartet features warm lustrous performances of Schoenberg’s Second Quartet (with soprano Barbara Hannigan) and Berg’s opus 3, plus two beautifully rendered rarities by Hindemith and Chausson

Andrew Clements

07, Sep, 2023 @2:00 PM

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‘The most dangerous stage I’ve ever been on’: the wildest performances of Wagner’s Ring
Gods! Dragons! Horned helmets! Swords! Valkyries! The 15-hour apocalyptic epic is about to explode onto the Royal Opera stage. But what’s the best way to tackle ‘the ultimate opera’?

Stuart Jeffries

06, Sep, 2023 @3:46 PM

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Daphne review – Scottish Opera’s semi-staged Strauss is in masterly hands
Skilfully cast and sung – tenor Shengzhi Ren a particular stand out – and beautifully played, this was the Scottish premiere of Strauss’s late one-act opera

Keith Bruce

06, Sep, 2023 @2:20 PM

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From pop to classical to avant-garde: the 15 best Sydney Opera House shows to stream for free
The venue is releasing 50 archival films across the next two months, to celebrate its 50th year. Our editors and critics have selected the top picks

Sian Cain, Andrew Stafford, Michael Sun, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Yvonne C Lam, Alyx Gorman, Steve Dow and Tim Byrne

04, Sep, 2023 @12:00 AM

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