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Category Archives: Cultural Matters
ENDNOTES, July 2019
ENDNOTES, July 2019 A great conductor at 90, by Stuart Millson A packed auditorium, whether in London, Amsterdam, Boston, Berlin or Chicago and sustained applause which continues for much longer than is usual – the chances are that the … Continue reading
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Tagged Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw, Debussy, Mahler
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Topsy-Turvy
Topsy-Turvy Review of La Fille du Régiment, Opéra Comique in two acts, music by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges & Jean-François-Alfred Bayard, conducted by Evelino Pidò, directed by Laurent Pelly, fourth revival of the 2007 production, Royal Opera … Continue reading
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Tagged Donizetti, Javier Camarena, Laurent Pelly, Sabine Devieilhe, Top C
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Spellbound
Spellbound Un Ballo in Maschera, music composed by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Antonio Somma, Investec Opera Holland Park, City of London Sinfonia conducted by Matthew Kofi Waldren, new production of the original, uncensored version directed by Rodula Gaitanou, based on … Continue reading
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Tagged Alison Langer, Donizetti, Opera Holland Park, Shakespeare, Un Ballo in Machera, Verdi
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The Boyars, Back in Town
The Boyars, Back in Town Boris Godunov, opera in seven scenes, original version (1869), music by Modest Musorgsky, libretto by Musorgsky adapted from the historical tragedy by Alexander Pushkin, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Marc Albrecht, directed … Continue reading
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Tagged Boris Godunov, Bryn Terfel, Musorksky, Pushkin, Shakespeare
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Casting Back
Casting Back The Estancia, Martín Cullen, Adelphi, ￡20, hb, 399 pp, reviewed by Stoddard Martin As a rule, this reader finds tales of childhood dull. True growing-up happens with first love, sexual encounters, jobs, facing the adult world on one’s … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Cultural Matters, QR Home
Tagged Buenos Aires, Martín Cullen, Proust, Stoddard Martin, The Estancia
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Death by Des Grieux
Death by Des Grieux Review of Manon Lescaut, dramma lirico in four acts, music composed by Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica, directed by Karolina Sofulak, conductor Peter Robinson, new production at Investec … Continue reading
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Tagged Elizabeth Llewellyn, Karolina Sofulak, Manon Lescaut, Opera Holland Park, Puccini
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ENDNOTES, June 2019, Choral Music of Norway
Endnotes, June 2019, Choral Music of Norway; Sergey Levitin plays Stanford at the English Music Festival, reviewed by Stuart Millson Recorded in the impressive acoustic of Domkirken, Bergen, a new CD from Chandos Records highlights the achievements of Norwegian composers, … Continue reading
In a Place of Tears
In a Place of Tears Review of Tosca, melodrama in three acts, music by Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, conducted by Alexander Joel, directed by Jonathan Kent, Royal Opera, 27th May 2019, reviewed by Leslie Jones … Continue reading
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Tagged Bryn Terfel, Kristine Opolais, Puccini, Tosca
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Leaving Sneddonland
Leaving Sneddonland On Michael Jackson, Margo Jefferson, Granta, £9.99, reviewed by Stoddard Martin It is unfortunate, if perhaps inevitable, that great creators, not least of music, should morph into personalities to be analysed to death, or beyond. Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner … Continue reading →
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