Opera North

Classical music: Fiona Maddocks’s 10 best concerts and operas of 2022
Excellence and perilous funding went hand in hand, Salome sizzled, a piano great led the way, and India and Italy became musical neighbours
Fiona Maddocks
17, Dec, 2022 @1:00 PM

The week in classical: Orpheus; Apartment House review – rich, rewarding, different
Opera North’s teeming fusion of Monteverdi with Indian classical traditions is an inspired match. Elsewhere, more mind-bending harmonies from Apartment House
Fiona Maddocks
22, Oct, 2022 @11:30 AM

The best of both worlds: Opera North’s Orpheus reimagined
Monteverdi’s opera has been reinvented for an orchestra of baroque, classical and Indian instruments, and rescored for a cast of Indian and western classical singers. How? And why? And where to start if you don’t know your esraj from your elbow?
Tristram Kenton and Imogen Tilden
13, Oct, 2022 @2:28 PM

David Lloyd-Jones obituary
Founding conductor of Opera North and a champion of Russian operas and British symphonies
David Nice
12, Jul, 2022 @2:33 PM

A knight’s tale: Brindley Sherratt on the stamina and storytelling of Wagner’s Parsifal
The bass is singing Gurnemanz in Wagner’s epic final opera. How do you get to grips with the challenges of such a demanding role – and still not get the best dressing room?
Brindley Sherratt
15, Jun, 2022 @9:00 AM

The week in classical: Parsifal; Eugene Onegin; Scriabin: Poems of Ecstasy and Fire
Opera North’s new Wagner production is one to remember; OHP take on Tchaikovsky’s perfect opera; and Bold Tendencies go to town with Scriabin’s synaesthesia
Fiona Maddocks
11, Jun, 2022 @11:30 AM

Parsifal review – the shimmering beauty of Wagner’s score shines
Richard Farnes and the Opera North orchestra take centre stage in Sam Brown’s staging of Wagner’s final opera, with Brindley Sherratt a compelling Gurnemanz and Toby Spence a thoughtful lead
Andrew Clements
02, Jun, 2022 @1:57 PM

The week in classical: Alcina; Bajazet; Pavel Kolesnikov – review
In a tale of two 1735 works, Opera North miss a trick on Handel’s fantasy island while Irish National Opera explore every sizzling note of Vivaldi
Fiona Maddocks
12, Feb, 2022 @12:00 PM

Alcina review – Opera North clear clutter but there’s minimal magic on this enchanted isle
Handel’s opera is full of glorious music but its improbable plot makes it difficult to stage; Tim Albery’s intelligent production only fitfully succeeds
Martin Kettle
07, Feb, 2022 @12:55 PM

Rigoletto review – powerful update, led by stellar duo, is a revelation
Underlining the otherness of Verdi’s court jester by making him a black man is a masterstroke by Femi Elufowoju, the leads sung with potency by Eric Greene and Jasmine Habersham
Martin Kettle
23, Jan, 2022 @12:00 PM

Pamela Helen Stephen obituary
Mezzo-soprano who brought great dramatic insight to bear in operatic roles by composers ranging from Monteverdi to Britten
Barry Millington
19, Dec, 2021 @3:24 PM

Carmen review – Bizet’s opera goes on a camp bunny-hop with serious ambitions
Opera North’s colourful production zeroes in on female agency with Chrystal E Williams as a magnetic Playboy-styled Carmen
Erica Jeal
03, Oct, 2021 @10:23 AM
1 / 16 pages