2026 marks the 400th anniversary of John Dowland’s death. Although it’s an appropriately melancholy milestone, once can only rejoice if it prompts more beautiful concerts like this one throughout the year. I confess that I’m frequently wary of the idea that the worth of music, art or literature from the past rests on its ‘relevance’…
Tag: Ian Bostridge
An Enlightened Staging of Gluck’s ‘Armide’, a Tale of a Tough Woman Scorned at L’Opéra Comique Paris.
This weekend I travelled to Paris to the newly restored Opéra Comique where a new production of Gluck’s Armide has opened. You could be forgiven for not ever having heard of Armide. It was conceived in the 17th century with a score by Lully before Gluck came up with a new musical setting in the late 18th century. Taken…