In review: Alek Shrader at Wigmore Hall

Review

There seemed to be two versions of Alek Shrader, one who was invested in singing well and communicating deeply, and another who was humble, perhaps a bit shy, and who relished the chance to move the spotlight onto Vignoles for the fun piano part in Rossini's tarantella.

In review: Così fan tutte at ROH

Review

It's not a bad solution to look to the show's theatrical context, itself a way of addressing the suspended disbelief. If the action takes place in a theatre, each scene can be something new, even heavy-handed in its symbolism. There are chorus members and stage crew to help create scenes that depict temptation, or a fab wedding banquet, or an entire train station.

In review: Renée Fleming joins opening night at the TSO

Review

After three encores that included a sing-along of "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "Summertime", her third encore closed the show with a touching and soaring rendition of "O mio babbino caro". The ovation went on for what seemed like several minutes and people were reluctant to leave their seats.

Actual opera buzz: The Swarm, in review

Review

Themes of community, even sisterhood, poured through The Swarm, and we begin to get a sense of the relationship among the individuals in the hive. They were curious together, scared together, and when they finally take flight together, there was something reminiscent of Wagner's Valkyries.

In review: Norma at ROH

Review

Ollé's production slowly revealed itself to be much more than a collection of provocative symbols, yet it still left us with questions. There were unnecessary distractions: he let swing a giant, swinging thurible just before Norma's infamous "Casta diva" aria; and when Norma's kids fall asleep watching television, the flat-screen TV blared (silent) cartoons throughout her entire act II scene with Adalgisa.

In review: Pretty Yende's debut album, A Journey

Review

It's easy to feel as though you're standing beside Yende in the studio, watching her bright smile and thoughtful musicianship at work. Yende has clear love for communicating with her audience, and with these recordings, she's also letting listeners into something that's quite personal.

New recordings: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Review

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat is not a technically a tragedy, though; deaths do not a tragedy make. The opera is based on Oliver Sacks's case study (1985), with a libretto by Sacks, Christopher Rawlence, and Michael Morris, and tells of a neurologist's study of his patient, Dr. P.

In review: The Barber of Seville at ROH

Review

In theory, having a cast of big, hall-filling voices can seem like a pointless exercise (a futile precaution?), when the whole opera is designed to clear the way for easy, flexible, and funny singing. Yet this cast was a complete win from top to bottom; as they each sang their first notes of the evening, we were struck (and satisfied) with how these rich, go-big-or-go-home voices managed everything from dizzying coloratura to cackling comedy.

In review: Hannigan & Gražinytė-Tyla at the BBC Proms

Review

Abrahamsen's score is full of novel and surreal sounds, including an extraordinary moment of what feels like a heavenly choir and orchestra, shimmering with texture and treats for the ear. Throughout the score is a vocal motif, stretching words through repeated syllables, almost like a slow-motion version of a Baroque goat-trill.

In review: Béatrice et Bénédict at Glyndebourne

Review

In the great gag scenes with the Glyndebourne Chorus, Lionel Lhote was a big bite of extra comedy as Somarone, the music master. Lhote seemed a delightful buffo combination of the Komponist from Ariadne auf Naxos, Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Bartolo from Il barbiere di Siviglia.