Salzburg generally does Mozart exceptionally well. But this year Salzburg did very little well, including Mozart. The Salzburg native’s seminal work is difficult to perform at the best of times. The story set in Crete after the Trojan War poses

The Grange Festival has dramatically risen from operatic ashes after the previous management team marched off in 2016 with the chairs, lighting, database and many of the all-important sponsors. The backers of the glorious but dilapidated venue in Hampshire quickly

Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino at the Royal Opera House was all about star appeal. With the irresistible double bill of Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann, the early performances were all hopelessly sold out, with tickets reportedly trading on

La Fenice Theatre, Venezia, 13 January 2019 Have you ever been to Venice? Well you must…. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world and if it is not listed as such it certainly should be. The Frecciarossa,

Why go to Padua in the heart of the winter, travelling five hours by train, and looking at a sad barren landscape of the Veneto to listen to an opera?

A standard evening at New York’s Metropolitan Opera is a healthy reminder why this opera house is casually referred to as the “Mighty Met”. The reprise of this Mefistofele production by Robert Carsen, last seen nearly twenty years ago, was

Teatro “Cesare Caporali” sits in Panicale Umbria. Panicale is a jewel of a historic town as so many are in Umbria. You’ve never heard of it just as I’ve never heard of it either until 4 years ago, in spite

Paris does glamour better than anyone. But clearly not at the opera. The Opéra National de Paris at the Bastille still looks like a second-tier suburban cinemaplex and the audience looks accordingly. Opening night has no dress code, no glamour,