Reviews
Oper Leipzig’s staging of Puccini’s 1903 opera Madama Butterfly proved yet again how effectively theatre can enhance music, with imaginative sets, good casting and extremely good acting. The story is (almost too) familiar: a US Navy officer, Benjamin Franklin (!) Pinkerton, hungry to ‘make his own/the flowers of
Reviews
A prelude to his appointment as Gewandhauskapellmeister this autumn, Andris Nelsons’ 2nd June concert with the Gewandhaus Orchestra at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, had all its familiar magic. That he continues to hold his Music Directorship at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in parallel, allows for fruitful musical cross-fertilisation, an example of
Reviews
The highlight of the 19 May concert performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Christian Thielemann at the Theatre de Champs Elysées, Paris, was undoubtedly Renée Fleming’s rendition of Strauss’s Four Last Songs. It took on a special poignancy because Ms Fleming is in the process
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In their recent collaboration, Neemrana Music Foundation, along with Embassy of Spain and Instituto De Cervantes presented works by a prominent 20th Spanish composer, Manuel de Falla. The operas that were selected for the Indian audience were Pedros’s Puppet Show (El retablo de Maeso Pedro; 1923) and the 1904
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Out of many Western Musical genres, what is the most special aspect of Jazz? This genre evolves itself for every performance and in that process, innovates by itself and thereby gets better. Perhaps this feature is most unique and gifting for Jazz more than any other World genres in that
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A group of students from the Nottingham Trent University, ranging from 19-22 years, charmed a packed audience at the theatre of the British Council on Wednesday, the 5th of April, 2017. The youngsters are pursuing different courses ranging from Architecture to Geography. Music is simply for the purpose of leisure.
Reviews
Even the second time around this year, Helene Grimaud’s Acqua (Water) concert felt new to the ear, as though refreshed by a spritz of fresh insights. The pieces in the programme are almost all thematically related to water, and intricately interconnected: Luciano Berio’s Wasserklavier was inspired by a
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Ton Koopman’s version of Handel’s Messiah at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, was rather different from the ones typically heard all over the Anglo-Saxon world; and it was unusual enough to prompt some detailed research into the musicology of what most classical music lovers think of
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The Oslo Opera House is a fine example of contemporary architecture, quite a contrast to the opera venues which I have been to in the past. The performance of Bizet’s Carmen too, was far from traditional. The opera tells the story of a woman who breaks the stereotypes of
Reviews
This concert series should have an attached disclaimer: it’s a series that is based on some of the songs sung by the original three tenors – Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras – whose current singers are Carlo Napolitano, Gian Carlo Polizzy and Emil Alekperov, all of whom have moved
Reviews
On 16th March 2017, I found myself sitting at Mumbai’s iconic Tata theatre in ring side seats to watch a fabulous choral evening. Visiting Mumbai from the USA was the Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415. Yale Schola Cantorum is a chamber choir that performs sacred music from the sixteenth
Reviews
CARLO RIZZI | SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF INDIA 30 JANUARY 2017 Included in this season were three performances of a semi-stage production of Puccini’s early masterpieces depicting bohemian life among six friends in Paris. As a curtain raiser to the opera were two concerts – an orchestra concert and a gala vocal