Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder translation Kit Hesketh-Harvey Conductor: Tobias Ringborg Director: Sir Thomas Allen Designer: Simon Higlett Lighting: Mark Jonathan Reviewer: Lauren Humphreys Set in a steampunk landscape inspired by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne: a wicked queen, a handsome prince, a damsel in distress, high priests, a comedy side-kick, magical instruments, a serpent and some sorcerers ...
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Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Justin Brown Soloist: Jeni Bern (soprano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The model for all the Straussian celebrations in the New Year is, of course, the Vienna Philharmonic’s concert on New Year’s Day and, by the time of Justin Brown’s third concert with the Orchestra of Opera North, we had nearly got to the day itself. ...
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Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Conductors: Jessica Cottis/James Holmes Soloists: Jeni Bern (soprano)/Quirijn de Lang (baritone) Reviewer: Ron Simpson A Night at the Opera, the second event of the three-night Opera North in the City Festival, showed once again the canniness of the company’s programming. The evening was not perfect: the orchestral sound conjured up for the outdoor performance was ...
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Writers: Bella and Samuel Spewick Composer &Lyricist: Cole Porter Director: Jo Davies Reviewer: Kris Hallett Kiss Me Kate, the third and final show of Welsh National Opera's Shakespeare 400 season, is like an effervescent sugar hit. Anyone with a soul will find a massive grin etched permanently to their face for the entirety of its three- hour running time. Cole ...
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Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Bella and Samuel Spewack Director: Jo Davies Conductor: James Holmes Reviewer: John Roberts Last year the Welsh National Opera brought their dark and foreboding production of Sweeney Todd to the Empire, this year to celebrate Shakespeare's 400th Celebrations the company bring a vibrant and engaging (if a little too long) revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me ...
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Composer: Richard Wagner Concert staging and design concept: Peter Mumford English titles: Simon Rees Conductor: Richard Farnes Reviewer: Charlotte Broadbent Tonight is the culmination of an intensive week of opera and Opera North have maintained a level of outstanding quality from start to finish that would be difficult to match by most opera companies in the country. The Ring Cycle ...
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Composer: Richard Wagner Concert staging and design concept: Peter Mumford Conductor: Richard Farnes English titles: Simon Rees Reviewer: Charlotte Broadbent It's strange to think that Wagner began with the opera Siegfried as a starting point for the entire Ring Cycle. He believed that out of all of them, this would be performed in isolation the most. Ironically history has shown ...
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Book: Bella and Samuel Spewack Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Director: Jo Davies Reviewer: Laura Jayne Bateman Kiss Me, Kate revolves around the most controversial of Shakespeare’s plays, The Taming of the Shrew. Created by Cole Porter, it premiered on Broadway in 1948and won the inaugural Tony Award for Best Musical. A successful film version followed in 1953, and the ...
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