ericajeal

Serse review – new ensemble bring circus, and scissors, to Handel’s Persian opera

Period instrument ensemble Figure’s semi-staging of an abridged version of Serse was full of good ideas and strong singing

Erica Jeal

01, Jul, 2022 @11:30 AM

Ferdinand Ries: Piano Trio and Sextets review – Beethoven’s biographer steps into the spotlight

Ries has been overshadowed by his master, but the pianist/composer had plenty of talent – and ego – of his own, as these chamber works show

Erica Jeal

30, Jun, 2022 @2:17 PM

La Bohème review – Death stalks Puccini’s lovers at Glyndebourne

Floris Visser’s new production puts a dark spin on this story of doomed lovers – which only heightens the life-affirming vibrancy of the music

Erica Jeal

12, Jun, 2022 @3:51 PM

Opera Holland Park's Carmen review – devil-woman clichés dispensed with as heroine radiates joy not lust

Kezia Bienek is a charismatic Carmen at the mercy of Don José’s obsessive control in Cecilia Stinton’s cogent and pacey new production

Erica Jeal

06, Jun, 2022 @11:49 AM

Reynaldo Hahn: Poèmes & Valses review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week

Reynaldo Hahn’s delicate piano miniatures become quiet, dreamy masterpieces in Kolesnikov’s hands

Erica Jeal

02, Jun, 2022 @2:30 PM

Samson et Dalila review – Saint-Saëns’ opera has style and a new star in SeokJong Baek

Richard Jones’ vibrant new production can’t compensate for the work’s dramatic weaknesses, but soloists and chorus alike are on top form, and conductor Antonio Pappano relishes the score’s melodiousness

Erica Jeal

27, May, 2022 @1:59 PM

‘I like being a maker of wonderful things’: composer Tom Coult on his opera Violet

With a libretto by Alice Birch, who adapted Normal People, this Aldeburgh festival opener revolves around a collapsing world. Apt, given that – with the pandemic – its creators didn’t know it would ever make the stage

Erica Jeal

26, May, 2022 @5:31 PM

Samuel Barber: The Complete Songs review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week

Every song Barber is known to have written is brought to life by 10 UK singers, including Nicky Spence and Mary Bevan

Erica Jeal

05, May, 2022 @2:00 PM

The Handmaid’s Tale review – ENO’s production of Atwood’s dystopia is chilling but slow to convince

Poul Ruder’s opera is at its most effective in its quietest moments, with the all-female production boasting strong performances from leads Emma Bell and Kate Lindsey

Erica Jeal

10, Apr, 2022 @12:30 PM

Diabelli Variations review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week

The pianist’s clarity and dexterity brings humour and insights to Beethoven’s contradictory colossus of a work

Erica Jeal

07, Apr, 2022 @2:00 PM

Meredith Monk with Bang on a Can All-Stars review – magnetic and precise playfulness

Monk’s mesmerising concert began with a sci-fi opera, took in a waltz and a cha-cha, and ended with the composer’s vocal and physical portrait of a mosquito

Erica Jeal

04, Apr, 2022 @10:22 AM

Emerson String Quartet review – Shostakovich offers consolation and equilibrium

The first of a trio of concerts focusing on Shostakovich’s string quartets saw the Emersons bring a persuasive intensity to the Russian dissident composer’s music

Erica Jeal

17, Mar, 2022 @4:05 PM