The BBC Proms - London | 11 May 2024 |
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Performance reviews
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Il barbiere di SivigliaThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 |
Rossini would have loved the anarchic vigour of Glyndebourne’s The Barber Of Seville at its one night Proms appearance |
1 Aug 16 / Express |
Glyndebourne’s magnificent, entertaining Rossini at the Proms |
28 Jul 16 / Seen and Heard |
A Barber with bite as Glyndebourne goes to The Proms |
28 Jul 16 / Bachtrack |
more reviews [+]
Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s annual visit to the BBC Proms is always an object lesson in semi-staging |
27 Jul 16 / Music OMH |
Barber with bite as Glyndebourne goes to The Proms |
27 Jul 16 / Bachtrack |
All concerned brought off the conception superbly |
26 Jul 16 / Opera Today |
Surprisingly, this was the first complete Proms performance of Rossini’s indestructible version of Beaumarchais’s comedy |
26 Jul 16 / Classical Source |
Boris GodunovThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 |
A memorable evening, with inspired performances by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under Antonio Pappano |
24 Jul 16 / Express |
Bryn Terfel made Boris’ drama a very human one of vaulting ambition brought crashing down around him |
19 Jul 16 / Music OMH |
A splendid Boris Godunov at the Proms |
19 Jul 16 / Seen and Heard |
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Bryn Terfel is making a habit of performing Russian patriarchs at the Proms |
19 Jul 16 / Opera Today |
Royal Opera's spine-tingling Boris Godunov transfers to the Proms |
19 Jul 16 / Bachtrack |
Even in concert performance it was gripping throughout |
17 Jul 16 / Classical Source |
OrangoThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 |
The Royal Albert Hall was decked out as if for a Soviet rally during the performance of Orango |
30 Aug 15 / Express |
Waving the flag for Shostakovich's apeman |
26 Aug 15 / The Guardian |
The composer’s unfinished opera was a head-splitting experience |
26 Aug 15 / Financial Times |
more reviews [+]
Shostakovich’s Orango scores a huge hit at the Proms |
26 Aug 15 / Seen and Heard |
A satire to end all satires |
26 Aug 15 / Classical Source |
Shostakovich’s Orango keeps the Red Flag flying over South Kensington |
26 Aug 15 / Bachtrack |
Die Entführung aus dem SerailThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 |
As Konstanze, soprano Sally Matthews was in glorious voice |
23 Aug 15 / Express |
Glyndebourne very cleverly recreated their super production on the Albert Hall stage |
19 Aug 15 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Musically, the evening worked very well in the larger setting |
18 Aug 15 / Music OMH |
more reviews [+]
Too beautiful for our ears … and too many notes? |
17 Aug 15 / Seen and Heard |
Sally Matthews sang Konstanze with considerable technical address and some unexpectedly needle-sharp coloratura |
17 Aug 15 / Opera Britannia |
Turkish delight: Glyndebourne's Die Entführung aus dem Serail |
17 Aug 15 / Bachtrack |
Glyndebourne at the Proms |
16 Aug 15 / Classical Source |
L'OrfeoThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 11 |
A rewarding evening - wonderful |
12 Aug 15 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Mantua translated to South Kensington: A memorable Orfeo at the Proms |
7 Aug 15 / Seen and Heard |
All of the soloists were perfectly cast |
7 Aug 15 / Music OMH |
more reviews [+]
A collaborative, ensemble piece on all levels |
7 Aug 15 / Opera Britannia |
Monteverdi's Orfeo forever fresh in Gardiner's hands |
7 Aug 15 / Bachtrack |
Opulence and animation in abundance |
6 Aug 15 / Classical Source |
The power of music: a young cast in a semi-stage account of Monteverdi’s first opera |
6 Aug 15 / Opera Today |
Monteverdi’s masterpiece was performed with a sense of wonder |
6 Aug 15 / Financial Times |
A capacity audience was clearly enthralled |
6 Aug 15 / Telegraph |
Monteverdi's Orfeo offers moments of magic |
6 Aug 15 / Independent |
Achingly moving but hampered by clumsy staging |
6 Aug 15 / The Guardian |
Fiddler on the RoofThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 5 |
The BBC Concert Orchestra under conductor David Charles Abell brings zest to the familiar songs |
3 Aug 15 / Express |
Grange Park Opera triumph at the Proms with Fiddler on the Roof |
30 Jul 15 / Seen and Heard |
Terfel received a rapturous reception at the curtain call |
28 Jul 15 / Opera Today |
more reviews [+]
A charismatic musical theatre prom with Bryn Terfel and the Fiddler on the Roof |
28 Jul 15 / Bachtrack |
Grange Park’s blend of comedy and poignancy brought the audience to its feet |
27 Jul 15 / Classical Source |
ElektraThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 13 |
Both the Proms performances of Elektra and Salome get full marks |
11 Sep 14 / The Spectator |
Les Atrides ont de beaux jours devant eux |
4 Sep 14 / Forum Opéra |
A highlight of the season |
3 Sep 14 / The Guardian |
more reviews [+]
Semyon Bychkov presides over a magnificent 'Elektra' |
3 Sep 14 / Independent |
In the end it was Christine Goerke’s compelling madness that swept all before it |
3 Sep 14 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Supreme Straussians Christine Goerke and Semyon Bychkov bring the composer's fieriest opera to the BBC Proms |
2 Sep 14 / What's on Stage |
Second Strauss horror-opera of the Proms weekend fails to hit home |
2 Sep 14 / The Arts Desk |
Enthralling |
2 Sep 14 / Telegraph |
The Proms celebrated Strauss’s 150th anniversary with a hair-raising duo of operas |
2 Sep 14 / Financial Times |
The evening was gripping from the first question to the final despairing cry |
2 Sep 14 / Music OMH |
There will be blood! Christine Goerke's Elektra stuns at the BBC Proms |
2 Sep 14 / Bachtrack |
Christine Goerke’s Elektra announced herself in deeper voice than one often hears |
2 Sep 14 / Boulezian |
What can one say, but elektrafying! |
1 Sep 14 / Classical Source |
SalomeThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 11 |
Both the Proms performances of Elektra and Salome get full marks |
11 Sep 14 / The Spectator |
Une princesse couronnée en Angleterre |
5 Sep 14 / Forum Opéra |
Donald Runnicles produced effortless power from his superbly controlled orchestra |
3 Sep 14 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
more reviews [+]
Nina Stemme is an engaging and sympathetic Salome |
2 Sep 14 / Classical-music.com |
The Proms celebrated Strauss’s 150th anniversary with a hair-raising duo of operas |
2 Sep 14 / Financial Times |
Nina Stemme gives a career-defining performance as Strauss' wayward Princess |
1 Sep 14 / What's on Stage |
A supremely confident interpretation of Richard Strauss's decadent masterpiece |
1 Sep 14 / Telegraph |
A sensational Salome from Nina Stemme |
1 Sep 14 / Bachtrack |
Nina Stemme gave as powerful and uplifting a portrayal as one could hope to hear |
1 Sep 14 / Classical Source |
Lithe, youthful and intensely dramatic performance of the title role |
1 Sep 14 / Planet Hugill |
Nina Stemme stuns in a giddying account of Strauss's incredible score |
31 Aug 14 / The Arts Desk |
associated articles [+]
Salomé's feminine wiles
Salomé's feminine wiles have inspired writers, painters and musicians for 2,000 years.
Salomé's feminine wiles have inspired writers, painters and musicians for 2,000 years.
Der RosenkavalierThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 |
Glyndebourne was absolutely right to choose Tara Erraught for Octavian |
30 Jul 14 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Magnificent performances in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier as part of the Proms |
27 Jul 14 / Express |
Tara Erraught looks convincing and sounds terrific in this semi-staged version |
24 Jul 14 / Evening Standard |
more reviews [+]
Musically this was a terrific performance |
24 Jul 14 / Classical Source |
Broad comedy eclipses the emotional heart of Glyndebourne’s Prom Rosenkavalier |
24 Jul 14 / Bachtrack |
Glyndebourne's five-star triumph is repeated at the BBC Proms |
24 Jul 14 / What's on Stage |
The Albert Hall may not be ideal for opera but Glyndebourne's latest visit fizzed with energy |
24 Jul 14 / The Arts Desk |
Billy BuddThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 5 |
The silence at the end bore testament to the musical and dramatic force |
1 Sep 13 / The Observer |
Another strong year for opera at the BBC Proms |
30 Aug 13 / What's on Stage |
A performance of guts and energy rather than high polish |
30 Aug 13 / Telegraph |
more reviews [+]
Cast, orchestra and conductor come fresh and on-song from Glyndebourne |
29 Aug 13 / Evening Standard |
A neat craft sails into the Proms, and the Captain shines, but there's always some defect |
28 Aug 13 / The Arts Desk |
ParsifalThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 9 |
Elder’s majestic Parsifal spoilt by cast weaknesses |
31 Aug 13 / Seen and Heard |
The last of the Proms’ seven Wagner operas only fitfully took flight |
28 Aug 13 / Financial Times |
The Manchester-based Hallé brought the Proms’ Wagner series to a rousing climax |
28 Aug 13 / Evening Standard |
more reviews [+]
Bitterly disappointing on many levels |
28 Aug 13 / What's on Stage |
Under the baton of Sir Mark Elder, the Hallé was on wondrous form |
28 Aug 13 / Music OMH |
The Hallé played like a company of angels |
27 Aug 13 / Classical Source |
A shining inner light, and another great use of vast space, in the Proms' final Wagner opera |
27 Aug 13 / The Arts Desk |
A fitting climax to the series of Wagner operas that has dominated this year's Proms |
27 Aug 13 / Telegraph |
Elder and the Halle deliver a majestic Parsifal |
27 Aug 13 / Independent |
The Midsummer MarriageThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 8 |
Tippett's music in all its odd glory, with blazing music but a dog's dinner of a libretto |
23 Aug 13 / The Arts Desk |
Tippett’s first opera is staged at Royal Albert Hall |
21 Aug 13 / New York Times |
It's hard to imagine the piece receiving a better performance than it did here |
20 Aug 13 / What's on Stage |
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Tippett’s libretto is so much psychobabble, but his score bursts with radiant musical ideas |
20 Aug 13 / Financial Times |
An admirable semi-staging by Kenneth Richardson and BBC forces under Andrew Davis |
20 Aug 13 / Evening Standard |
A semi-staged performance of Michael Tippett's opera was wonderfully rich |
19 Aug 13 / Telegraph |
Musically, it’s a rewarding listen |
19 Aug 13 / Opera Britannia |
Sporting no baton, Davis scored a personal triumph |
18 Aug 13 / Classical Source |
TannhäuserThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 8 |
Kansas-born tenor Robert Dean Smith is a convincing, emotionally touching Tannhäuser |
12 Aug 13 / Express |
Under Donald Runnicles’ baton, the BBCSO found the drama and expression in Wagner’s opera |
7 Aug 13 / Financial Times |
When it was good, it was very good |
7 Aug 13 / What's on Stage |
more reviews [+]
As with the Ring, a notable feature of this Tannhäuser was the quality of the conducting and playing |
7 Aug 13 / Music OMH |
The playing was beautifully clear and sensuous |
7 Aug 13 / The Guardian |
The great Scots conductor matches Barenboim in another Wagner bicentenary spectacular |
6 Aug 13 / The Arts Desk |
The chorus was the crowning glory of this performance |
6 Aug 13 / Telegraph |
Triumph for the Deutsche Oper's Tannhauser at the Proms |
6 Aug 13 / Independent |
Tristan und IsoldeThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 5 |
Without exception, the cast was superb |
2 Aug 13 / Music OMH |
Of the singers, the Isolde of Violeta Urmana provided the evening’s fulcrum |
30 Jul 13 / Opera Britannia |
Violeta Urmana made a warm, seductive Isolde, capping her performance with a glassily serene Liebestod |
30 Jul 13 / What's on Stage |
more reviews [+]
This performance was something very special |
29 Jul 13 / Classical Source |
More Wagner at the Proms |
29 Jul 13 / Telegraph |
associated articles [+]
10 questions for Semyon Bychkov
The Russian maestro on preparing to conduct Tristan und Isolde at the Proms.
The Russian maestro on preparing to conduct Tristan und Isolde at the Proms.
GötterdämmerungThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 |
The Proms' first ever staging of the entire Ring Cycle came to a dramatic climax |
1 Aug 13 / What's on Stage |
Every one of my preconceptions has been proved wrong |
30 Jul 13 / The Guardian |
Barenboim’s conducting is an odd, faux-Furtwänglerian mixture of extreme stasis and flailing frenzy |
30 Jul 13 / Opera Britannia |
more reviews [+]
Daniel Barenboim concludes his 'Ring', and achieves a defining moment in Proms history |
30 Jul 13 / The Arts Desk |
Nina Stemme was a glorious Brünnhilde |
30 Jul 13 / Classical Source |
The Proms may never be the same again |
29 Jul 13 / Independent |
Nina Stemme crowned the evening with an Immolation Scene that flooded out into the auditorium in an unending stream of perfection |
29 Jul 13 / The Guardian |
SiegfriedThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 |
Lance Ryan is rapidly becoming the Siegfried du jour |
30 Jul 13 / Opera Britannia |
Lance Ryan was matched by Nina Stemme's radiantly vulnerable Brunnhilde, sung with pinpoint accuracy |
30 Jul 13 / What's on Stage |
Heldentenor Lance Ryan showed why he is the Siegfried of choice presently |
27 Jul 13 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
Not quite the transcendent evening many of us were hoping for |
27 Jul 13 / Telegraph |
Proms setting enhances an opera that glories in the orchestra |
27 Jul 13 / The Arts Desk |
Another hot evening in the hall, but worth every second |
27 Jul 13 / Independent |
Siegfried's growing pains sound wonderful |
27 Jul 13 / The Guardian |
Die WalküreThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 11 |
Spellbinding |
29 Jul 13 / The Observer |
There were no weaknesses in this second instalment of the ‘Ring’ |
26 Jul 13 / Financial Times |
A Walküre fit for the gods |
26 Jul 13 / The Opera Critic |
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News & Articles
BBC Proms spotlights opera in 2023 programme |
The BBC Proms has announced it’s festival programme for 2023, with a special focus on operatic and choral works. |
21 Apr 2023 / Opera Now |
BBC Proms announces its 2022 season |
Freddie De Tommaso, Alice Coote, Lise Davidsen, Anthony Roth Costanzo and Angel Blue lead BBC Proms' 2022 season |
28 Apr 2022 / OperaWire |
BBC Proms announce 2020 programme |
Musical greats, from the past and the present, will be brought together in one extraordinary Proms season, 17 July - 12 September 2020. |
4 Jul 2020 / Opera Today |
BBC Proms announces revised summer season plans |
The 2020 season will offer a mix of broadcasts from their extensive archives and a two week season of live music. |
30 May 2020 / OperaWire |
BBC Proms delays season announcement |
BBC Proms hopes to remain 'part of the summer' despite delayed season announcement amid coronavirus crisis. |
10 Apr 2020 / Evening Standard |