Barbican, London - London
28 March 2024

Company search

click here for more photos for
this opera company
there are no videos for this
opera company

You've been granted free access to this page.

Take a FREE 7 DAY TRIAL or SUBSCRIBE today to access the full content of theoperacritic.com.

Free access

Performance reviews

Key Photo gallery Production details Video link
Duke Bluebeard's Castle

Barbican, London


No. 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 Wonderland

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Hercules

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Alcina

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Gawain

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 galantes

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Theodora

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Herring

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Interview with baritone Roderick Williams before ‘Albert Herring’
The baritone talks about the importance of exploring the unknown.
La Damnation de Faust

Barbican, London


No. 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
Rigoletto

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Imeneo

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Screw

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
Belisario

Barbican, London


No. 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
Sir Mark Makes a convincing case for Belisario
30 Oct 12 / Seen and Heard
Einstein on the Beach

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
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.
The Importance of Being Earnest

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Freischütz

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Tito

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Jakobin

Barbican, London


No. 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
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 Dream

Barbican, London


No. 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
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
<< back | No more reviews
Reviews search
Use this search to find historical reviews in our database
Performance schedule
No future performances found

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