‘Opera that does not look away’ is the theme of English National Opera’s 2026/27 season – and in the case of ‘Angel’s Bone’, one might wonder ‘where to look?’ This one-act lightning bolt of a piece by composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek feels like an alchemical conversion of adrenaline to music. Hardly pausing…
Category: opera
Clairvoyants: ‘Oracle’, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London
‘Oracle’ is a controlled explosion of an opera, a simmering cauldron of folly and fury. By turns a dark comedy, paranormal thriller, biting satire and apocalyptic horror, it kicks against its description as a chamber piece. Racing through a dazzling array of ideas in its 40-odd minutes (which feel more like a 4-minute warning), it…
Through the fire and flood: ‘Siegfried’ and ‘The Turn of the Screw’, Royal Ballet & Opera
From fights to frights at the RBO, as I managed to escape from reality there twice in a week: first to see ‘Siegfried’, the third instalment in Barrie Kosky’s ongoing Ring cycle for the company. While we’re talking very narrow margins, ‘Siegfried’ has tended to be my least favourite of the four Ring operas. I’ve…
Opera for Everyone: Debunking the elitism myth
By examining the changing perception of opera over the past century – cultural, political and social – Wilson’s book demonstrates that opera has never gone truly out of fashion. It remains popular in its many guises – from country-house opera at Glyndebourne to cheap or free tickets for under-30s and students, and opera in pubs or other non-standard venues.
Major breakthrough for Burstein’s opera
Keith Burstein may be a respected British composer, but his Manifest Destiny has given him a major headache since it first premiered in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh 2005. The opera, set in the geopolitical context of the Middle East, is the tale of Daniel, a British Jewish composer; Leila, a Palestinian poet, and Mohammed,…
“Why, I auteur…”: ‘The Makropulos Case’ (mostly), Royal Ballet & Opera, London
The latest in the Royal Opera’s Janáček cycle, this is their first production of ‘The Makropulos Case’ – and mine, too. I was excited to be seeing at last this piece that I’d read about but, appropriately enough, had difficulty imagining as a real experience. Please note that this write-up includes ‘spoilers’ to a certain…
Graphic content: François Berthoud’s posters for Opernhaus Zürich
A real ‘picture post’ from me here. Our recent visit to Opernhaus Zürich coincided with an exhibition of the memorable posters designed for the company by illustrator François Berthoud over the last 13 years. Each poster features an image of a single item linked to the work in question – on some the connection is…
Darkness divisible: ‘L’Orfeo’ and ‘Elias’, Opernhaus Zürich
Our recent Swiss holiday closed with a lightning visit to Opernhaus Zürich, to catch two performances in one day: a matinée of Monteverdi’s ‘L’Orfeo’, followed by a staged version of Mendelssohn’s ‘Elias’ (or ‘Elijah’). Both were rewarding experiences. I had never seen a production of ‘L’Orfeo’ before (a rather important omission, now happily rectified) and…
Blood ties: ‘Festen’, Royal Opera; ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’, English National Opera
It’s been an intense week. Two operas, over two consecutive evenings, spent with two explosively dysfunctional onstage families. Time to decompress. If you keep an eye on London operantics, you’ll be aware of the world première of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s ‘Festen’ (libretto by Lee Hall, directed by Richard Jones) at Royal Ballet & Opera. And if…
Thirst class: ‘The Elixir of Love’, English National Opera, London
ENO’s new production of ‘The Elixir of Love’ is a witty and affectionate take on Donizetti’s comic romance, beautifully realised and performed. On entering the auditorium of the Coliseum, you immediately notice something a little out of the ordinary. Instead of the normal safety curtain, a big screen spans the stage, showing a stylised drawing…
