Intermezzo

Harteros out of Don Carlo

Not entirely unexpected news from the Royal Opera House: "Anja Harteros has withdrawn from singing the role of Elizabeth of Valois in Don Carlo for the performance on 8 May due to acute tonsillitis."

Don Carlo, Royal Opera House dreamteam style

Jonas Kaufmann wasn't ill; Anja Harteros turned up. Given that she'd marked half her lines at the general rehearsal earlier in the week (every singer's prerogative of course, but rare here)I had wondered.

First Proms change

The LSO Prom which was due to be given by Sir Colin Davis on Tuesday 20 August will now be conducted by Daniel Harding, the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor.

Jonas Kaufmann at the Royal Festival Hall

You can gauge the quality of a Wagnerian tenor by the size of his Wälse. Jonas Kaufmann has a big one.

Placido Domingo's Nabucco debut

Poor Placido Domingo. What a way to make a role debut. On top of one of the ugliest and least comprehensible productions of all time, he had to contend with clouds of swirling sand and what looked like a bad case of backache.

BBC Proms 2013 - my top 20 (and bottom 5)

At first glance, this year's Proms appeared to be depressingly heavy on forgettable 20th century British minnows, secondrate-by-nature 'light' music and Russian canon fodder.

Proms 2013 - a complete listing

I have created a separate page listing all Proms in the 2013 season, including casting, timing, and related events. (It's pretty long, so it may take a while to load).