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Opera

La Traviata

This Sir Richard Eyre production was streamed last night by Covent Garden. It was – thank goodness – a traditional representation of Verdi’s masterpiece based on Alexandre Dumas’s The Lady of the Camelias.   It benefits from a strong story line of Violetta (Hrachuki Bajseoz) a [...]

May 9, 2020 // 0 Comments

Cosi Fan Tutte/streamed from Royal Opera House

As part of the collective arts effort to continue to operate in the face of social distancing and then the lockdown, the Royal Opera House are streaming opera on Friday night. Last night was Cosi Fan Tutte, the last co-operation of Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Ponte. Opera goers and lovers [...]

April 11, 2020 // 0 Comments

Some things keep changing – and some don’t

It is of these things that in the world of entertainment some of the standard rules of business apply and some don’t. In one sense it’s an obvious point to make – and no doubt most sectors (e.g. fishing, fashion, flying and … er porn) would probably claim similar – but few have been more [...]

March 8, 2020 // 0 Comments

I think I’m turning Japanese … [Not?]*

(Note: * above is a reference to the worldwide single hit Turning Japanese by The Vapors, taken off their 1980 album New Clear Days). Despite our Rust delegation out in Japan continuing to set new standards of reporting excellence, overnight I spotted a piece in the British media suggesting that [...]

October 30, 2019 // 0 Comments

Elisir D’Amore/ Glyndebourne on tour

After the road crash that was Rigoletto my faith in Glyndebourne was restored last night by its production of Donizetti’s comic opera Elisir d’Amore. It was respectful of the text of the story, had a good set and the singing was excellent, especially the South Korean tenor Sehoon Moon as [...]

October 23, 2019 // 0 Comments

Rigoletto/ Glyndebourne on Tour

Rule One of the New York Stock Exchange: “Know your client. ” It’s something the director of Rigoletto Christiane Lutz might have taken on board. The audience at Glyndebourne is elderly. I saw few there last night under 65. They expect a traditional Rigoletto but this is not what they [...]

October 15, 2019 // 0 Comments

Magic Flute/Glyndebourne & related PC issues

Yesterday I did something I rarely if ever do, namely to cancel my trip to Glyndebourne to see The Magic Flute. The driver who takes me – normally most reliable – called at midday to report he was unwell. This meant I had to find alternative transport. Other factors in my decision were [...]

July 31, 2019 // 0 Comments

Verona Opera

Since the raison d’etre of the trip was opera I have been given my very own post on it. It’s unique among international opera for being in an open arena, not an Opera House. This does create problems as the facilities are poor, especially the loos for which you had to queue and were smelly. The [...]

July 27, 2019 // 0 Comments

Fourth day in Verona

It was another full-on day- some achievement as here too we had temperatures in the high 30s. We walked to Castelvecchio. Grandcarne, the greatest of the ruling Scala family, built this castle but it’s now a museum. This contained many art works by Mantegna, Veronese and Tintoretto but sadly no [...]

July 26, 2019 // 0 Comments

Tombs churches & opera

The many reasons I love Italy are reflected in this hotel: there is the connection and pride in Italy’s classical antiquity. On the bed the turn-down service had left a booklet on the tombs of the ruling Scala family which we visited first thing and very fine sepulchres these were too. Second, [...]

July 24, 2019 // 0 Comments

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