Harry Fehr’s New Production of The Elixir of Love at the London Coliseum

The answer to this question depends (as it usually does, and especially when it comes to a ‘belcanto’ opera) on the particular singer.  Barcelona has always seen, until now, the soprano version, the best known, but Malibran’s  voice was certainly not the kind of Ronzi de Begnis’ (furthermore, the latter had sung at Naples Buondelmonte  while Malibran was the first Stuarda at Milano when the opera appeared for the first time with its actual...

This rarely performed ballet of Richard Strauss is full of lovely late romantic music, enriched by expressionist and Vienese waltz contrasts. Schlagobers is the Austrian word for whipped cream and that brings you to the story. A little boy is invited by his aunt to the famous Vienese pastry shop Dehmel, on an all you can eat basis. This ends up with a visit at the hospital and traumatic encounters with all his sweet favorites. Based on the successful appearence of his first ballett...

La Scala’s season opening every 7 December is always a major event, but this year the excitement is especially high as it marks Daniel Barenboim’s farewell to this theatre to which he gave his all. And we must first of all admire his performance: his conducting, ample, powerful and taut without any superfluous showmanship, perfectly sums up the spirt of Beethoven's only opera, the morality of an upright man stated in clear and radiant sound by a constantly renewed dynamic,...

You could sense fear in the audience when Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera showed up on the stage with a microphone when everyone was expecting Ricardo Frizza to appear in the pit. Gelb had bad news and good news, as he said. Ramon Vargas had cancelled last minute but fortunately, the Met was able to fly in Bryan Hymel from Chicago earlier the same day. Gelb also announced that Sonya Yoncheva, the lead soprano, had a new born five weeks ago (general “awwww”...

After his successful operettes Fledermaus and Zigeunerbaron, old aged Johann Strauss was asked to compose one more "hit" to rescue a financially stressed impresario and theatre manager in Vienna. In order to complete the task Johann Strauss created a pasticcio of some of his beloved melodies. The well reputated librettist Leo Stein and Victor Leon delivered the amusing textbook full of irritations around a Vienese aristrocatic playboy serving several intriguing lovestories....

Simone Boccanegra accompagnied his creator Giuseppe Verdi for a lifespan. First presented in Venice in 1842 it was a failure. After mayor recompositions it became a success at its second premiere in 1880 which did not last long. Only in the seventies of the last century this masterpiece of Giuseppe Verdi found its way back to the stages of the opera houses. It is the exciting story of the Genoves Dogue Simon Boccanegra, his forbidden love affair with Maria, daughter of the mighty noble men...