Barbican, London - London | 11 May 2024 |
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Performance reviews
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Duke Bluebeard's CastleBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 3 |
Karabits’ pacing of the hour-long work was masterly |
17 Mar 15 / Music OMH |
Bluebeard’s Castle was given a fine performance |
17 Mar 15 / Boulezian |
A viscerally exciting Bluebeard’s Castle |
15 Mar 15 / Classical Source |
Alice in WonderlandBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 11 |
Unsuk Chin’s Alice is lost in music |
16 Mar 15 / The Observer |
Too much miaowing |
13 Mar 15 / The Spectator |
Baldur Brönniman’s unflappable, eagle-eyed conducting was boundless |
11 Mar 15 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
You have to be in the right mood to enjoy this piece |
11 Mar 15 / Opera Britannia |
Unsuk Chin’s score is dazzling |
10 Mar 15 / Evening Standard |
An opera 'Alice' in London, worthy of the book's 150th |
10 Mar 15 / Reuters |
The Korean composer's trippy adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic is a loud and garish nightmare |
10 Mar 15 / Telegraph |
Netia Jones’s ingenious staging can’t disguise dramatic flaws |
10 Mar 15 / The Guardian |
Zany, anarchic and subversive, and also hilariously funny |
10 Mar 15 / Opera Today |
The magic of Lewis Carroll’s book is lost in a slow-moving opera |
10 Mar 15 / Financial Times |
Unsuk Chin brings an inexhaustible array of orchestral tricks out of her hat |
9 Mar 15 / Independent |
HerculesBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 8 |
Alice Coote gave a blistering performance as Dejanira |
9 Mar 15 / The Observer |
Alice Coote’s performance as Hercules’s unhinged wife dwarfed all her colleagues’ efforts |
9 Mar 15 / Financial Times |
More concert performances would be most welcome |
9 Mar 15 / Opera Britannia |
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Not quite heroic |
9 Mar 15 / Bachtrack |
All the elements of Handel’s overlooked masterpiece were marvellously served here |
6 Mar 15 / Classical Source |
Handel’s neglected opera is an extraordinary study in marital jealousy |
6 Mar 15 / The Guardian |
The emotional poignancy of the piece was caught wonderfully in this staging of the drama |
6 Mar 15 / Evening Standard |
Hercules may have flopped in London in 1745, but at the Barbican it is brilliantly virtuosic |
6 Mar 15 / Telegraph |
AlcinaBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 7 |
It was Joyce DiDonato in the title role who the audience had come to see and hear |
15 Oct 14 / Music OMH |
DiDonato enchants in her first live Alcina |
14 Oct 14 / Bachtrack |
Three great mezzos lead an all-star cast in Handel's late masterpiece |
13 Oct 14 / What's on Stage |
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The ever-accumulating appropriation of soprano repertory by Joyce DiDonato continues apace |
13 Oct 14 / Opera Britannia |
What’s the collective noun for mezzo-sopranos? |
13 Oct 14 / The Arts Desk |
There were musical fireworks and drama aplenty |
13 Oct 14 / Classical Source |
Full of stars and hot on drama, finely involving account of Handel's masterpiece |
13 Oct 14 / Planet Hugill |
GawainBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
Gawain marks Birtwistle’s 80th birthday |
21 May 14 / Seen and Heard |
Fully restored, pointlessly staged, superbly performed |
19 May 14 / The Guardian |
Heroically intense |
19 May 14 / Telegraph |
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Birtwistle's opera based on Arthurian legend receives an outing in honour of the composer's 80th birthday |
19 May 14 / What's on Stage |
The music in all its dark, unremitting intensity, was extremely well served |
19 May 14 / The Arts Desk |
Les Indes galantesBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
Christophe Rousset presided – from the harpsichord – with his customary punchy flair |
17 Mar 14 / Opera Britannia |
The period ensemble was full of joie de vivre and, at three hours, the score was all too complete |
10 Mar 14 / Financial Times |
Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opéra-ballet is charged with a wicked energy and panache |
8 Mar 14 / Telegraph |
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A fluent and stylish performance of Rameau’s third opera |
8 Mar 14 / Evening Standard |
Glorious score and well-nigh perfect cast |
8 Mar 14 / The Guardian |
TheodoraBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
As Theodora, Rosemary Joshua’s radiant voice positively glowed |
12 Feb 14 / Music OMH |
The English Concert gave a brisk account of Handel’s oratorio under the baton of Harry Bicket |
11 Feb 14 / Financial Times |
Flawless and uplifting |
11 Feb 14 / Independent |
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An enthralling series of highlights |
10 Feb 14 / Telegraph |
What little the performance lacked in coherence or contrast, it certainly made up for in sincerity |
10 Feb 14 / Classical Source |
Albert HerringBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 6 |
The Barbican's Albert Herring was a perfect evening |
28 Nov 13 / The Spectator |
The BBCSO's choice of Britten's Suffolk-village comedy as its centenary swansong was safe, but enthusiastically received |
27 Nov 13 / The Guardian |
A curate's egg of a Herring |
27 Nov 13 / Opera Britannia |
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Delivered with lucidity |
26 Nov 13 / Evening Standard |
Flawless team of singers and players makes Britten's comic masterpiece work a treat |
25 Nov 13 / The Arts Desk |
The vividness of the singing kept the attention |
25 Nov 13 / Classical Source |
associated articles [+]
Interview with baritone Roderick Williams before ‘Albert Herring’
The baritone talks about the importance of exploring the unknown.
The baritone talks about the importance of exploring the unknown.
La Damnation de FaustBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 4 |
There was something strangely compelling to behold |
9 Nov 13 / Classical Source |
A Londres Berlioz et le LSO continuent l'idylle |
7 Nov 13 / ResMusica |
The performance failed to capture the drama and imaginative power of the composer's take on Goethe |
6 Nov 13 / The Guardian |
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A damned shame |
6 Nov 13 / What's on Stage |
RigolettoBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
High-voltage intensity and fierce insight powered this superb concert performance of Verdi's masterpiece |
18 Sep 13 / The Guardian |
The Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias has hugely extended his emotional range as the jester |
17 Sep 13 / Classical Source |
The LSO open their season with a thrilling performance of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' |
17 Sep 13 / What's on Stage |
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Orchestra home from Aix supplies all the effects for a conductor on a trampoline |
17 Sep 13 / The Arts Desk |
Fast, furious, frothy and frenetic |
16 Sep 13 / Opera Britannia |
ImeneoBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
Handel's operatic low point made for a dull evening |
1 Jun 13 / Telegraph |
A truly superb night of Handel |
1 Jun 13 / Music OMH |
Handel's sparkling Shakespearean romance always engages despite an uneven cast |
31 May 13 / The Arts Desk |
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Christopher Hogwood’s concert performance of Handel’s opera balanced energy and elegance |
31 May 13 / Financial Times |
The performance lacked drive and energy |
31 May 13 / Classical Source |
The Turn of the ScrewBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
A ghost story told in broad daylight |
2 May 13 / New Statesman |
All credit to Richard Farnes, who turned out to have an absolute and complete grip of the score |
23 Apr 13 / Opera Britannia |
Britten opera performance dedicated to Sir Colin |
22 Apr 13 / Seen and Heard |
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Sally Matthews’s Governess appeared riven by angst from her first entry |
19 Apr 13 / Classical Source |
This LSO performance of Britten’s opera featured a fine cast but lacked atmosphere |
19 Apr 13 / Financial Times |
BelisarioBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 4 |
Elder delivered a performance of inexorable momentum and considerable power |
31 Oct 12 / The Guardian |
BBC Symphony Orchestra played flawlessly in Opera Rara's production of Belisario |
31 Oct 12 / Telegraph |
What gave these considerable performances lift-off was the inspirational conducting of Mark Elder |
30 Oct 12 / Classical Source |
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Sir Mark Makes a convincing case for Belisario |
30 Oct 12 / Seen and Heard |
Einstein on the BeachBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 16 |
Is it an opera? |
15 May 12 / Opera Britannia |
The belated UK premiere of Philip Glass's epic 1976 opera really wasn't worth the wait |
14 May 12 / Telegraph |
The level of concentration required to perform this work defies imagination |
13 May 12 / The Observer |
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How do you compare multiple Einsteins? Well, it's all relative |
13 May 12 / Independent on Sunday |
Einstein on the Beach is not an easy watch, but it had moments of sublime brilliance |
12 May 12 / Telegraph |
It was intensely emotional |
10 May 12 / What's on Stage |
In many ways it’s an evening of nostalgia |
9 May 12 / The Stage |
A raft of technical problems failed to break the spell of this superbly delivered opera |
9 May 12 / Evening Standard |
Flatulently pretentious and asphyxiatingly tedious |
8 May 12 / Telegraph |
A relic of an earlier era |
7 May 12 / Classical Source |
Off-beat production fascinates despite technical difficulties |
7 May 12 / Music OMH |
As operas go, Einstein on the Beach is a rich and strange one |
7 May 12 / Musical Criticism |
If you’re looking for 'meaning', this is a monumentally boring show |
7 May 12 / Independent |
The ensemble under Glass stalwart Michael Riesman gives the score verve and drive |
7 May 12 / The Guardian |
The longer it goes on, the more you fall under its spell |
7 May 12 / Londonist |
Technical cock ups can't obscure the genius of this Glass-Wilson-Childs collaboration |
7 May 12 / The Arts Desk |
associated articles [+]
Bianca Jagger and theatre critic's spat at the opera
Accusations fly as critic Mark Shenton blasts Jagger's use of flash photography during Einstein on the Beach, while she makes assault claim.
Accusations fly as critic Mark Shenton blasts Jagger's use of flash photography during Einstein on the Beach, while she makes assault claim.
The Importance of Being EarnestBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 6 |
Barry’s operatic reworking of Wilde features megaphones, plate-smashing and lots of German |
30 Apr 12 / Financial Times |
Gerald Barry's adaptation of 'a trivial comedy for serious people' merits a full staging |
29 Apr 12 / Independent on Sunday |
The music smiles scurrilously; the audience laughs back |
29 Apr 12 / The Observer |
more reviews [+]
One wonders what Wilde's play gains by being painted in music |
28 Apr 12 / The Guardian |
It’s all completely bonkers, but I went in grumping and came out grinning |
28 Apr 12 / Telegraph |
Barry’s dangerous and quicksilver take on Wilde proved to be a great night out |
27 Apr 12 / Classical Source |
Der FreischützBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
A rare performance of a rarer opera that went off without a hitch |
27 Apr 12 / Musical Criticism |
Sir Colin Davis gives us Der Freischütz at the Barbican |
24 Apr 12 / Music OMH |
LSO’s Concert performance of Der Freischütz lacks drama |
23 Apr 12 / Seen and Heard |
more reviews [+]
Sir Colin Davis feels great fondness for the work |
21 Apr 12 / The Guardian |
Der Freischütz suffered from poor presentation |
21 Apr 12 / Telegraph |
La clemenza di TitoBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 6 |
Excellent performances in concert version of La Clemenza |
29 Feb 12 / Seen and Heard |
Stunning performance of Mozart's maligned final opera proves it is no dud |
25 Feb 12 / The Arts Desk |
Alice Coote stole the show in the trouser-role of Sextus |
24 Feb 12 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
The most satisfying opera performance of the year |
24 Feb 12 / Telegraph |
The performance attained a remarkable sharpness of musical and psychological focus |
24 Feb 12 / The Guardian |
Michael Schade dispatched his virtuoso arias with aplomb |
24 Feb 12 / Evening Standard |
The JakobinBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 5 |
A curious case ... |
15 Feb 12 / Musical Pointers |
Jiøí Bĕlohlávek takes leave of BBC Orchestra with Dvorak opera |
8 Feb 12 / Seen and Heard |
A joy and a privilege to hear |
6 Feb 12 / The Guardian |
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Jiøí Bĕlohlávek’s performances of Czech opera have proved a highlight of his tenure with the BBC Symphony Orchestra |
6 Feb 12 / Classical Source |
A rendering as balanced as it was sumptuous |
6 Feb 12 / Music OMH |
Wagner DreamBarbican, LondonNo. of reviews: 8 |
Half-opera, half-play, Wagner Dream is a beguiling, perplexing work |
5 Feb 12 / Independent on Sunday |
Distant Wagnerian harmonies are fractured, splayed and reimagined as through an aural prism |
5 Feb 12 / The Observer |
Let down by an inadequate text |
4 Feb 12 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
Outmoded old hippie stuff |
2 Feb 12 / Telegraph |
Harvey’s Buddhist opera shackles a slowly building luminous score to a clunky libretto |
1 Feb 12 / Financial Times |
Banal libretto lets down Harvey’s Wagner Dream |
1 Feb 12 / Seen and Heard |
Jean-Claude Carrière's libretto has moments of triteness |
1 Feb 12 / The Guardian |
The vocal writing is simple and direct |
1 Feb 12 / The Stage |
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News & Articles
Barbican's 2008-09 programme announced |
Handel and Purcell operas, Keenlyside and Kirchschlager, Quasthoff and Chailly flank new season. |
2 Nov 2007 / Musical Criticism |