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Paris, Texas & Pearls
Wim Wenders directs Bizet’s Pearl Fishers in Berlin
George Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers (Les Pȇcheurs de Perles) is a work of such notorious boredom that is it easy to understand the decision of the Berlin Staatsoper (still in its temporary home in the Schiller Theater) to spice it
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Jonas Kaufmann’s Otello at Royal Opera House
The hottest day in the United Kingdom in nearly 30 years. The day of the Queen’s Speech. And the hottest ticket in town was for opening night of the Royal Opera House’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello, featuring German
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Nearly a Meisterstueck: Kaspar Holten’s Meistersinger von Nuernberg
In his farewell production after a six year tenure as Director of Opera at Covent Garden, Kasper Holten managed a veritable hat trick. He turned Wagner’s notoriously overlong opera (at nearly five hours it is possibly the longest single opera)
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Lucia in Tel Aviv
Consider; opera based on text of XIX century with music of the same period produced and sang in Israel, a country reeling in inner battles; the ultra religious (haredim) against the institutions, the mitnahalim (settlers) against everybody, the right and
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Siegfried: Year Three of a Musical Marathon
Successfully performing Siegfried, the third and least accessible opera of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, cemented the growing reputation of the Hong Kong Philharmonic for this demanding material. The orchestra was in outstanding shape, comfortably cruising between the lyrically heart-wrenching passages
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Don Carlo at La Scala: Men in charge
The Peter Stein production of Verdi’s Don Carlo from the 2013 Salzburg Festival finally debuted this January at Teatro alla Scala of Milan. Somewhat controversially acquired by Alexander Pereira, formerly Artistic Director of Salzburg and now Sovrintendente of La Scala,
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Figaro at La Scala
The place : La Scala di Milano The Opera : Le nozze di Figaro Composer: Johannes Chrisostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb (Mozart!) Script: Lorenzo da Ponte Inaugurated in 1778 La Scala was the heart of musical Milano for the last 200 years.
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Cutting through the crosses: Yoncheva brings London’s Norma to life
The Royal Opera House’s new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma was one of the most anticipated performances of the season, principally due to the casting of Anna Netrebko in the title role. When the Russian diva pulled out shortly after
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