Djamileh – origins and synopsis

Djamileh – origins and synopsis

by | Last updated May 22, 2019 | Published on Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Opera

Djamileh or Bizet’s lost slave   Here I am, yet again, deeming with the intricacies of a period of time I particularly love: Paris in the second half of the 19th century. This era has always fascinated me: it’s the time of Rodin and Camille Claudel, of...
The art of training and developing the voice

The art of training and developing the voice

by | Last updated May 22, 2019 | Published on Nov 20, 2015 | Articles, Education, Opera

James McCray was one of the greatest dramatic tenors of all times. After a career which saw him singing everywhere in the world, with conductors such as James Levine and Zubin Metha and colleagues such as Eileen Farrel and Jessye Norman, he became a highly respected...
Does size matter?

Does size matter?

by | Last updated Oct 2, 2016 | Published on Oct 13, 2015 | Articles, Opera

Who says opera should only be staged and performed by big opera houses? When it comes to small opera companies there is a certain preconception – coming from a pure comparison of budgets – in looking at them as second rate producers: what the Met or La...
Diverging rails

Diverging rails

by | Last updated May 4, 2019 | Published on Jul 22, 2015 | Articles, Opera

A recent interview to Franz Welser-Möst got me thinking about Karl Böhm. Welser-Möst set a new rule for himself when it comes to opera: “I reached a point where I will only work with a director if he lets me explain the music to him. What he does then, that’s his...
The rape of Opera

The rape of Opera

by | Last updated Oct 2, 2016 | Published on Jul 7, 2015 | Articles, Opera

The recent production of Guillame Tell at ROH marked a threshold: the literalisation of a woman’s rape on stage. We all know that opera is a violent artform: Gilda gets stabbed, Tosca kills Scarpia who has Mario tortured and killed and then in turn she kills herself...
On singers’ size

On singers’ size

by | Last updated Oct 2, 2016 | Published on Jun 12, 2015 | Articles, Opera

Dear music critics of the London Times, I have read quite a few of your opera critiques: more often than not, they seem to carry on the dangerous habit of focusing on something unrelated to the core of a performance. Going back only one year, in your opinion Tara...

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