The Royal Opera - London | 19 January 2021 |
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Performance reviews
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AriodanteThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 9 | ![]() |
Handel’s Ariodante makes a captivating return to Covent Garden |
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A lockdown’s worth of intensity |
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Excellent cast crowns The Royal Opera's Ariodante in concert |
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Paula Murrihy dazzles in Handel's dark drama |
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Accomplished ensemble tries its best to cross the footlights in livestream-only Handel |
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This was a truly lovely performance. A smashing ‘night out’ |
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Una buona esecuzione grazie a un cast ben assortito |
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Handel's opera returns to Covent Garden after over 280 years with a terrific international cast |
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Musical splendours in a wonderful performance of Handel’s Ariodante livestreamed from the Royal Opera House |
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New Dark AgeThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 8 | ![]() |
Un art en mutation |
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A new opera that deserves more than one outing |
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One must commend Covent Garden for committing its main stage, in these difficult times, to an out-and-out experimental programme |
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A New Dark Age from three female composers is the Royal Opera’s requiem for the world we have lost in 2020 |
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Evening dedicated to female composers that felt like a space-filler |
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Royal Opera's A New Dark Age is a powerful cantata for our time |
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Gewagte Mischungen in der Oper |
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Isolation meditations |
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4/4The Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 6 | ![]() ![]() |
A tasty four-course meal |
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A stripped-back return and a surprising reminder of what opera can do |
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A live audience returns to Covent Garden, but those watching at home get the better deal |
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The Royal Opera’s 4/4 is a real cabinet of musical curiosities |
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A powerhouse of a programme from the Royal Opera |
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Desire, loss and lunacy in four surprising acts |
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FidelioThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 21 | ![]() |
Lise Davidsen’s Fidelio is a treat |
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Lise Davidsen’s compellingly expressive singing doesn’t entirely rescue Tobias Kratzer’s Fidelio |
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Delirios de grandeza, mediocridad y algo de talento |
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Lise Davidsen was an overwhelmingly thrilling Leonore from start to finish |
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«Fidelio» und die Krise: Wer rettet Florestan jetzt aus diesem Labyrinth? |
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The playing was absolutely incandescent |
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The new production at Covent Garden of Beethoven's only opera leavers a curious impression |
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Lise Davidsen, astre au zénith dans le Fidelio de Beethoven |
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Marzelline ou l'amour de l'humanité |
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In chains and feeling below par, star attraction Jonas Kaufmann was eclipsed by the soaring power of Lise Davidsen |
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Musical peaks |
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In scary times, opera has the power to cut through and set us free |
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Monumental Lise Davidsen dominates controversial production starring sick but solid Jonas Kaufmann |
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Al termine della recita, applausi calorosi da una sala gremita per tutti gli interpreti |
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Lise Davidsen is magnificent in the Royal Opera’s new Fidelio |
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As they say in football, it’s a game of two halves |
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An original take on Beethoven’s opera |
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Davidsen approaches greatness in uneven production |
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Fitfully vivid singing in a dramatic void |
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Incoherence mars ambitious interpretation of Beethoven’s only opera |
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Leonore no.1: Lise Davidsen leads a revolutionary Fidelio at Covent Garden |
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associated articles [+]
Lise Davidsen on learning to handle the high life
Hailed as one of the greatest voices of her generation, the Norwegian soprano is taking on Beethoven’s freedom-loving heroine at Covent Garden. She talks about family, friends and facing her fears.
Hailed as one of the greatest voices of her generation, the Norwegian soprano is taking on Beethoven’s freedom-loving heroine at Covent Garden. She talks about family, friends and facing her fears.
Royal Opera House sparks outrage over tickets for Fidelio
The Royal Opera House has sparked outrage after selling most of the tickets to its biggest show of 2020 - Fidelio starring Jonas Kaufmann - before they go on sale to the public.
The Royal Opera House has sparked outrage after selling most of the tickets to its biggest show of 2020 - Fidelio starring Jonas Kaufmann - before they go on sale to the public.
Die ZauberflöteThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 11 | ![]() |
The Magic Flute – our house to your house |
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Siobhan Stagg gave a glorious performance as Pamina |
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Roderick Williams is irresistibly impressive as Papagano |
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Radiant and eternal |
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It still packs its punch |
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The cast includes some class acts |
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Roderick Williams’ charming birdcatcher leads a spirited revival of The Magic Flute at Covent Garden |
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Julia Jones directs the Royal Opera in an extraordinary Die Zauberflöte |
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David McVicar's visually exquisite Enlightenment production returns in its sixth revival |
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Timelessly elegant |
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An evening of both intelligence and geniality |
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SusannaThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 7 | ![]() |
Jette Parker Young Artists take centre-stage in Susanna at the Royal Opera House |
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UnHandelian star quality from Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha saves this endurance test |
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Susanna finally returns to Covent Garden |
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Young artists shine in cluttered Handel staging |
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A thought-provoking production of rare Handel is a mixed affair |
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Handel’s Susanna returns to Covent Garden after 271 years in an enjoyable staging |
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JPYA make a decent fist of Handel's Susanna in the Linbury Theatre |
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La TraviataThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 12 | ![]() |
Aleksandra Kurzak impresses in latest Covent Garden Traviata revival |
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Bella interpretazione per Hrachuhi Bassenz, Violetta intensa |
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Conductor, Daniel Oren time-beats as far away from the visceral intensity of Georg Solti as it's possible to imagine in La Traviata |
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Hrachuhi Bassenz powers through with solid support from Simon Keenlyside, Liparet Avetisyan, and Richard Eyre’s reliable production |
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Can it really be 25 years since this production first graced the stage of the Royal Opera House? |
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The power of this performance is testament to the longevity of the Royal Opera’s La traviata |
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“Libiam!” Raising a glass to 25 years of Covent Garden's glorious Traviata |
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Una produzione che, per il momento, non ne vuole sapere di andare in pensione |
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Beautiful voices are not enough |
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This much revived production deserves many plaudits, not least here for a show-stealing performance by Bassenz |
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"If it's not broke, don't fix it!" |
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Bassenz’s triumphant Violetta in Eyre’s timeless production |
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‘It’s got everything’
Director Richard Eyre explains why his take on Verdi’s story of heartache and betrayal is still thrilling Covent Garden after a quarter of a century.
Director Richard Eyre explains why his take on Verdi’s story of heartache and betrayal is still thrilling Covent Garden after a quarter of a century.
Alice's Adventures Under GroundThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 15 | ![]() |
Alice’s Adventures Underground is wonderfully framed |
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In the pit, honours go to conductor Thomas Adès and The Royal Opera’s Orchestra |
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For an hour’s giddy, family-friendly entertainment, it’s bliss |
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Gerald Barry brilliantly makes Lewis Carroll his own |
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Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass as an opera is glorious |
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An unconventional rollercoaster ride of frenetic energy, madcap humour and increasingly unlikely classical music |
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Even crazier than the books |
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Gerald Barry’s kaleidoscopic Alice’s Adventures pushes musical boundaries at Covent Garden |
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This bold, accessible and entertaining production will delight anyone who heeds the call to follow the White Rabbit |
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A fine cast sent on a cacophonous helter-skelter ride to nowhere |
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Alice's Adventures Underground is opera for the entire family |
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Deserves to become a modern classic |
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Just under an hour’s worth of unrelenting, unbridled madness |
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Brilliant in every surreal detail |
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Alice aux pays des merveilles revisitée au Royal Opera House |
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La bohèmeThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 12 | ![]() ![]() |
La Bohème s’installe chaudement au Royal Opera House |
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Royal Opera’s revival of La bohème sees Puccini emerge triumphant at Covent Garden |
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Richard Jones’s snowy 2017 La bohème is settling in at Covent Garden |
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Beautiful, impactful and musically wonderful |
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L’intima Bohème firmata Jones inaugura il 2020 alla ROH |
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La Bohème à Londres, la fumée de mille cheminées |
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Finely cast revival |
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Exuberant and persuasive revival performed with elan |
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Richard Jones' La bohème returns to Covent Garden |
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A well-balanced cast bring a sense of enjoyment to Richard Jones' highly theatrical production |
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Garifullina's Musetta the highlight of Covent Garden's Bohème |
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In through one ear, out the other |
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OtelloThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 15 | ![]() |
Keith Warner’s 2017 Otello returns to London’s Royal Opera House |
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A strong cast for Verdi’s take on Shakespeare’s Otello |
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Nel ruolo del titolo si impone uno strepitoso Gregory Kunde |
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Verdi repressed in reductive production with disappointing turns from Kunde, Alvarez and Jaho |
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Superb singing defies Warner’s uneven production |
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Covent Garden does glorious justice to this fine work |
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Kunde, Jaho, and Pappano make Warner’s Otello at Covent Garden show what great opera is all about |
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A production which mostly depends upon three starry performances for its success |
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A production that underwhelms |
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Three outstanding performances from production's Iago, Otello and Desdemona |
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This ugly production lacks grandeur |
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A strong cast in a lacklustre production |
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The ugly truth about Otello at the Royal Opera House |
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“Esultate!” Kunde's Otello impresses at Covent Garden |
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Antonio Pappano’s account of the score bristles and blisters excitingly |
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Death in VeniceThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 19 | ![]() |
¡La muerte se divierte! |
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La decontestualizzazione di Death in Venice |
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Royal crush |
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Mark Padmore and Gerald Finley are otherworldly in Britten masterwork |
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In a rich week of Britten, his glittering final opera overflows with feeling in David McVicar’s impressive new production |
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Handsome and revivable but I wasn't moved |
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The new staging of Britten’s final opera is a sell out |
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Death in Venice a disconcerting but beautiful opera |
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Mark Padmore’s Aschenbach is a rather modern interpretation |
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A fluent and fluid production |
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Death in Venice comes home in style to the Royal Opera House |
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Mark Padmore regala un’interpretazione magistrale del ruolo del titolo |
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There are no weak links |
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Britten's opera dazzles and glows |
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It's quite a show |
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Great Britten: Death in Venice returns to Covent Garden in superb new staging |
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David McVicar’s A Death in Venice has no new insights into Britten’s valedictory opera |
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An hypnotic Death in Venice at the Royal Opera House |
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Mort à Venise, Triomphe à Londres |
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Mark Padmore reflects on Britten's Death in Venice
“At the start, one knows ‘bits’ of it,” says tenor Mark Padmore, somewhat wryly.
“At the start, one knows ‘bits’ of it,” says tenor Mark Padmore, somewhat wryly.
The Lost ThingThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 3 | ![]() ![]() |
A versatile and hard-working cast |
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Opera/dance translation loses picture-book verve |
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A hodgepodge of styles that never quite satisfies |
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Die ZauberflöteThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 11 | ![]() |
La Flûte enchantée et colorée par David McVicar à Londres |
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David McVicar’s tried and trusted production of Die Zauberflöte returns to Covent Garden |
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Die Zauberflöte brings mixed delights at the Royal Opera House |
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Applausi calorosi vengono riservati a tutti gli interpreti |
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The Magic Flute at Royal Opera House is a classy night out |
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David McVicar's crowdpleaser (back for the umpteenth time) still shines with its clarity of storytelling |
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Revival director Bárbara Lluch and director David McVicar beautifully capture all the subtleties and complexities of this masterpiece |
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Magical Flute: McVicar's Zauberflöte returns to Covent Garden |
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Perfectly blends seriousness and comedy |
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Too many question marks left hanging in the air |
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An ideal if imperfect Christmas prelude |
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Don PasqualeThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 19 | ![]() |
Don Pasquale o ¿qué hacemos con el tío? |
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A muted take on an old comedy |
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Sterk spel redt Don Pasquale in Londen |
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Il Don Pasquale dolcemaro di Damiano Michieletto |
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Olga Peretyatko steals Don Pasquale’s money and the show in Michieletto’s new Covent Garden production |
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The cast, led by the magnificent Bryn Terfel in the title role, all do their jobs wonderfully |
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The Royal Opera’s new production of Donizetti’s comic masterpiece is a musical delight |
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Everything revolves around Bryn Terfel’s tremendous, tragicomic Don Pasquale |
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Distractingly dreamy, yet rescued by its performances |
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Musically, the evening is in the deft hands of Evelino Pidò |
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Don Pasquale à Londres : lumières, caméra, action! |
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Sir Bryn Terfel’s Don Pasquale was masterful |
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Donizetti's Don Pasquale packs a psychological punch at the ROH |
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On the pull |
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Bryn Terfel softens Donizetti's hard edges |
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You won’t see anything funnier in an opera house |
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Bryn Terfel is a delight in Don Pasquale at the Royal Opera House |
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Don Pasquale falls flat in Michieletto’s cruel comedy at Covent Garden |
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Admirable musical performances but an effortful new Don Pasquale production at Covent Garden |
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ZauberlandThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 4 | ![]() |
The Zauberland of the title is the singer’s dreamworld of memory, desire, war and, above all, loss |
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Second-guessing Schumann |
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Little magic in Zauberland at the ROH's Linbury Theatre |
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Less than the sum of its parts |
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WertherThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 14 | ![]() |
Werther: de Kraus a Flórez |
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The rigour and detail is genuinely awe inspiring |
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Il pubblico riconosce il valore dell’esecuzione riservando calorosi applausi a Flórez e Leonard |
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Goethe’s tragic hero Werther — a musical treat at the Royal Opera |
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A satisfying evening, certainly |
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Isabel Leonard was perfect as Charlotte |
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The new season has opened with two productions of differing quality |
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Thanks to Juan Diego Flórez and Edward Gardner Covent Garden’s rare Werther revival should not be missed |
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Juan Diego Flórez hugely moving as obsessive romantic |
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Juan Diego Flórez lights up an otherwise staid evening |
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Royal Opera House season opens with worthwhile Werther and Don Giovanni |
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Flórez’s voice is not large enough for a role on the Verdi or Puccini spectrum |
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A thought-provoking ROH revival of Massenet’s Werther |
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Massenet the arch-romantic: Werther returns to Covent Garden |
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AgrippinaThe Royal OperaNo. of reviews: 17 | ![]() |
Kosky esalta l‘incredibile modernità dell’Agrippina di Handel |
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Quand Haendel pétille |
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Joyce DiDonato, come Agrippina, è una vera e propria forza della natura |
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A must for Handel lovers- but an expensive one |
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Triomphe pour Joyce DiDonato avec Lucy Crowe |
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Joyce DiDonato seduces you within the first 10 minutes |
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Glorious musicality in Handel’s Agrippina succumbs to a frenetic Royal Opera production |
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Mommie dearest |
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Joyce DiDonato’s stop-at-nothing empress leads a top ensemble cast in Barrie Kosky’s enthralling Agrippina |
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The American soprano Joyce DiDonato is outstanding in the title role |
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A showcase for vocal and dramatic virtuosity of which Kosky’s cast take wicked advantage |
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Over-acted and over-sung, with gratuitous yelps, whimpers, and irritating pauses from the singers for good measure |
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The singing is what really makes the evening |
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DiDonato formidable as power-hungry empress |
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Royal Opera House cancels ‘Tosca’ |
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