Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio presents an Enlightenment-eye view of the Orient filled with the curiosity of the West for a culture that had receded from warlike enemy to mesmerising neighbour. David McVicar’s genius is to set it in period in this superbly acted production from Glyndebourne. Vicki Mortimer’s warm, detailed designs capture the lure of the Ottoman Empire while McVicar explores the tension between the Pasha (a convert to Islam – a fact usually cut) and Europeans whose ideas of freedom are challenged by a seductive captivity. Konstanze must choose between a sexy, decent man and a contracted marriage to a bit of a stuffed shirt. The dangerous reality of cultural incompatibility is played out between the feisty Blonde and the unmannerly Osmin. Robin Ticciati conducts the period Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with style and verve. Sally Matthews is a noble-voiced Kostanze, secure of coloratura. Martern aller Arten, set dangerously in the Pasha’s bedroom is electric. Edgaras Montvidas is slightly open-toned as Belmonte, but captures the prig who thinks shouting makes foreigners understand him better. Tobias Kehrer is a magnificent Osmin, a vocal dead ringer for Gottlob Frick, perfectly matched by Mari Eriksmoen’s… Continue reading Get unlimited…

Thoughtful second part to Armfield's Ring transports us to soprano heaven.

The American soprano reflects on the dangers of typecasting and the status of Gershwin’s opera today. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

★★★★☆ The showgirls return as Ring revival kicks off in style. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

US composers last century sought something distinctively American. Was it under their noses the whole time?

Opera Australia’s Valkyrie talks about the highs, the lows, the hojotohos and how Anna Wintour inspires her interpretation. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

From found music and fart noises to finding your voice, four emerging dancemakers embrace the chance to invent the new. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Despite a sprawling plot that offers precious little in the way of hope for humanity, La Forza del Destino is blessed with one of Verdi’s finest scores. Martin Kušej’s psychologically complex staging for Bavarian State Opera won’t appeal if you’re looking for a chocolate-box production, but it packs a punch and makes much sense of this rambling Spanish Revengers Tragedy. Set in a world of scrappy urban warfare, the kind haunting many a modern war zone, it conveys a constant threat of terrorist atrocities. The direction has its unrealistic moments – people leap, roll and slide on and off the family dining table like nobody’s business, while simulated sex and Verdi don’t always gel – but its visceral nature tallies with the opera’s grim themes of honour and revenge, and  graphic imagery of modern-day massacres will strikes chords. Musical standards are very high indeed, with Asher Fisch leading a dramatically punchy reading of the score. Kaufmann is thrilling, yet subtle as Don Alvaro and, despite a silly wig, puts in a convincing portrayal. Anja Harteros is a perfect, neurotic Leonora, voice rich and text imaginatively handled. Ludovic Tézier is a robust Don Carlo, Vitalij Kowaljow plays powerful double roles, and…

★★★★½ Weilerstein’s Dvořák demands to be seen as well as heard. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

State Symphony Orchestra Chairmen express collective disappointment at station’s less talk, more music direction. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The German Heldentenor in Opera Australia’s Ring talks stamina, directorial decisions and the joys of being dead. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

50 years on from his tragically early death, Clive Paget talks to Barbara Wunderlich about her father’s golden legacy. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in