Tim Ashley
Saariaho: La Passion de Simone - review
Upshaw/Tapiola Chamber Choir/Finnish Radio SO/Salonen (Ondine) Kaija Saariaho 's La Passion de Simone was premiered in Vienna in 2006 in a staging by Peter Sellars, which was widely believed to be the principal reason for its cool reception when it tr
La Bohème – review
Opera productions are changeable things. Some decline in quality after their opening run, others don't cohere until revival time. Jonathan Miller's English National Opera staging of La Bohème falls into the latter category. It was deemed baffling when ne
Juan Diego Florez - review
Barbican, London Ahead of his appearances in Rossini's La Donna del Lago at Covent Garden next month, Juan Diego Florez has been displaying his vocal prowess at a rather fine Barbican residency. He takes masterclasses this weekend. First of all, howeve
Philharmonia/Gatti - review
"While I'm no atheist, I'm certainly not much of a believer," Verdi once remarked.
Die Zauberfl
Royal Opera House, London The Royal Opera 's latest revival of David McVicar 's production of Mozart's Die ZauberflD'Indy Symphonie sur un Chant Montagnard Français; Médée; Saugefleurie – review
Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931) is a troubling figure. Antisemitic and anti-Dreyfusard, his far-right views place him beyond any ideological pale for many. Yet he was also a composer of considerable stature, and Chandos's ongoing retrospective of his orchestra
Anna Prohaksa: Enchanted Forest - review
Prohaska/Arcangelo/Cohen (DG Archiv) The enchanted forests of the Renaissance imagination - places of mystery and erotic confusion - haunted Baroque theatre composers, who often looked to earlier literary sources for inspiration. Soprano Anna Prohaska
Fibich: Symphony No 1; Impressions from the Countryside - review
This marks the start of Naxos's survey of Czech composer Zdeněk Fibich(1850-1900), whose work is much in need of reassessment. Standing in the shadow of Smetana and Dvořák, he has a reputation as a tragedy merchant whose fondness for Wagner was deemed
Schubert: Winterreise - review
Coote/Drake (Wigmore Hall Live) Despite its universality, Winterreise is usually deemed the province of male singers. Women have always sung it, however, and Alice Coote now adds her name to the distinguished list of female interpreters that includes