★★★★★☆ REVIEW TURANDOT: PUCCINI REBOOTED IN VALENCIA
TURANDOT • PALAU DES ARTS VALENCIA ★★★★★☆ REVIEW TURANDOT: PUCCINI REBOOTED IN VALENCIA Puccini meets Wagner in this exceptionally powerful production of Turandot at Valencia’s unique opera house, staged in a sombre, almost Hunger Games-like universe, largely stripped...
★★★★★★ REVIEW: ROMEO & JULIET, MADRID: AN ABSOLUTELY FORMIDABLE OPERA SHOW
ROMEO & JULIE •TEATRO REAL MADRID ★★★★★★ REVIEW: ROMEO & JULIET, MADRID: AN ABSOLUTELY FORMIDABLE OPERA SHOW A truly magnificent performance at the Teatro Real in Madrid: an opera evening on a grand scale, which ranks among the season’s highlights both vocally...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW DSCH: A SENSORY BOMBARDMENT OF SHOSTAKOVICH
DSCH • CPH STAGE ★★★★★☆ REVIEW DSCH: A SENSORY BOMBARDMENT OF SHOSTAKOVICH The theatrical concert DSCH, which has been performed twice at the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage as part of CPH Stage, is a visual and musical bombardment of gems from Shostakovich’s treasure...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CRONIQUES: CONTEMPORARY DANCE MARINATED IN BRUTAL VIOLENCE AND MYTHICAL PUNISHMENT
CRONIQUES • COPENHAGEN DANCES ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CRONIQUES: CONTEMPORARY DANCE MARINATED IN BRUTAL VIOLENCE AND MYTHICAL PUNISHMENT Peeping Tom has arrived at Østre Gasværk with *Chroniques*—a fast-paced, dark, and visually intense performance in which the space’s raw,...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE – A VISUAL CASTELLUCCI SPECTACLE AT LA SCALA
PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE • LA SCALA MILANO ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE – A VISUAL CASTELLUCCI SPECTACLE AT LA SCALA The controversial Italian director Romeo Castellucci walks a fine line between inclusion and exclusion in his spectacular, deeply symbolist, and...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: NUREYEV BERLIN: A DAZZELING TOP OF THE LEAGUE BALLET THEATRE
NUREJEW • DEUTSCHE OPER ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: NUREYEV BERLIN: A DAZZELING TOP OF THE LEAGUE BALLET THEATRE The acclaimed Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is known for his daring, often politically charged opera productions, but his talent readily crosses genres. Right...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW WUNDERKAMMER BERLIN: MARCOS MORAU TRIUMPH
WUNDERKAMMER• BERLIN SCHILLER THEATER ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: WUNDERKAMMER BERLIN: MARCOS MORAU TRIUMPH Spanish super-choreographer Marcos Morau is currently in Berlin with WUNDERKAMMER—a new hit with audiences, even those who don’t usually call themselves dance enthusiasts. A...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW BERLIN: DEMYSTIFIED NIGHTMARE
THE TURN OF THE SCREW • STAATSOPER UNTER DEN LINDEN ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW BERLIN: DEMYSTIFIED NIGHTMARE Where the Royal Opera House let Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw drift into a dark, hallucinatory pool of doubt, paranoia, and unease, Claus...
★★★★★★ REVIEW AIDA IN BERLIN: OPERA BURNING WITH RELEVANCE
AIDA • BERLIN ★★★★★★ REVIEW AIDA IN BERLIN: OPERA BURNING WITH RELEVANCE Calixto Bieito takes the thesis theater to its purest form in his production of Aida*at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. A production that, since its premiere in 2023, has drawn both boos and...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER, FLORENCE: A RARE, BOLD AND INTENSE OPERA EXPERIENCE
THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER • FLORENCE ★★★★★☆ Foto: Michele Monasta REVIEW THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER, FLORENCE: A RARE, BOLD AND INTENSE OPERA EXPERIENCE The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opera festival opened with a rare and bold production of John Adams’s notorious...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW AVENUE Q: NAUGHTY CULT HIT IN 20TH-ANNIVERSARY LONDON REVIVAL
AVENUE Q • LONDON ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW AVENUE Q: NAUGHTY CULT HIT IN 20TH-ANNIVERSARY LONDON REVIVAL The shamelessly raunchy Avenue Q shares its comedic DNA with The Book of Mormon, and that’s no coincidence. Both are the brainchild of Robert Lopez, the 51-year-old...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MANON LESCAUT: IMPRESSING OPERA FESTIVAL OPENER IN LYON
MANON LESCAUT • OPÉRA DE LYON ★★★★☆☆ Photo: Jean-Louis Fernandez REVIEW MANON LESCAUT: IMPRESSING OPERA FESTIVAL OPENER IN LYON The 2026 Lyon Opera Festival opened with a particularly beautiful—yet also controversial—production of Puccini’s Manon Lescau, one of the...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW MAMMA MIA!: STILL GOING STRONG
MAMMA MIA! • LONDON NOVELLO THEATRE ★★★★★☆ REVIEW MAMMA MIA!: STILL GOING STRONG If only everything held up as well as ABBA’s music. I’ve just revisited the West End production of the Mamma Mia! musical, which has been running in London for 27 years, and I’m blown...
★★★★★★ REVIEW INTO THE WOODS: BRITISH MUSICAL THEATER AT ITS VERY BEST
INTO THE WOODS • LONDON ★★★★★★ Photo: Johan Persson REVIEW INTO THE WOODS: BRITISH MUSICAL THEATER AT ITS VERY BEST The Tony-nominated revival of Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre is British musical theater at its very best. A production delivered...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW: TERRIFYING OPERA HALLUCINATION IN LONDON
THE TURN OF THE SCREW • LONDON ★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW: TERRIFYING OPERA HALLUCINATION IN LONDON The main stage at the Royal Opera House in London offers grand productions full of pomp, splendor, and red velour. But if you’re not averse to something darker...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW IDOMENEO: CAPTIVATING MOZART AND NEUROLOGY IN BRUSSELS
IDOMENEO • BRUXELLES ★★★★☆☆ Photo: Simon Van Rompay REVIEW IDOMENEO: CAPTIVATING MOZART AND NEUROLOGY IN BRUSSELS At first, it almost seems as if there is more vitality in Mozart’s 300-year-old Idomeneo than in Calixto Bieto’s three-week-old production at La Monnaie...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW BILLY BUDD: FORBIDDEN FASCINATION IN A STORMINGLY BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION
BILLY BUDD • LYON OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★☆ REVIEW BILLY BUDD: FORBIDDEN FASCINATION IN A STORMINGLY BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION The affable French director and opera director Richard Brunel is usually inclined toward radical interpretations, but here he focuses on clarity and...
★★★★★★ REVIEW: SIEGFRIED—A NEW ARTISTIC TRIUMPH FOR BARRIE KOSKY
SIEGFRIED • LONDON ★★★★★★ REVIEW: SIEGFRIED—A NEW ARTISTIC TRIUMPH FOR BARRIE KOSKY In a brilliant opening scene, Erda, the goddess of the earth, swings naked, long-haired, and emaciated from a charred ash tree, where Mime lives with the young Siegfried in a shattered...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW WERTHER: IN GOETHE’S OWN CITY, THE TYRANNY OF EMOTION BECOMES IRRESISTIBLE
WERTHER • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★★☆ Photo: Barbara Aumüller REVIEW WERTHER: IN GOETHE’S OWN CITY, THE TYRANNY OF EMOTION BECOMES IRRESISTIBLE I have seen Werther several times before without ever being truly moved. But Oper Frankfurt has changed that for me. In Goethe’s...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: WRITTEN ON SKIN IN FRANKFURT: FOR SOME, A REVELATION; FOR OTHERS, A CHALLENGE; FOR EVERYONE, AN EXPERIENCE
WRITTEN ON SKIN • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: WRITTEN ON SKIN IN FRANKFURT: FOR SOME, A REVELATION; FOR OTHERS, A CHALLENGE; FOR EVERYONE, AN EXPERIENCE George Benjamin’s Written on Skin has been called a masterpiece of modern opera, and it’s not hard to see why. It...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW NÜBLING’S CARMEN: PRIVATE PARTY IN STUTTGART
CARMEN • STUTTGART OPERA ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW NÜBLING'S CARMEN: PRIVATE PARTY IN STUTTGART Barrie Kosky has done it. Calixto Bieito has done it. But Sebastian Nübling's Carmen at the Staatsoper Stuttgart is still considered by many hardcore opera aficionados to be the most...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS: KNOCKOUT WIN IN BERLIN
THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS • DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN ★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS: KNOCKOUT WIN IN BERLIN Mexican star tenor and director Rolando Villazón knocks out the Berlin audience with a completely crazy wrestling staging of Rossini's second...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW LA TRAVIATA: SOMETHING NAUGHTY IS MISSING
LA TRAVIATA • DEUTSCHE OPER ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW LA TRAVIATA: SOMETHING NAUGHTY IS MISSING La Traviata at the Deutsche Oper Berlin unfolds in Götz Friedrich's classic staging, a production that has been running for more than two decades and still attracts large audiences....
★★★★★★ REVIEW LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK: DISGUSTING, BRUTAL, FANTASTIC!
LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK • BERLIN ★★★★★★ REVIEW LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK: DISGUSTING, BRUTAL, FANTASTIC! Barrie Kosky's current Berlin staging of Shostakovich's scandalous opera from 1934 is a disgustingly brutal, hideous examination of human nature – and a fantastic...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW DON PASQUALE: AN OPERA THAT SMILES
DON PASQUALE • COPENHAGEN ★★★★★☆ REVIEW DON PASQUALE: AN OPERA THAT SMILES Donizetti's comic opera Don Pasquale unfolds at the Copenhagen Opera in French director Mariame Clément's playful production from the Glyndebourne Festival — with a melodious international cast...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW BENVENUTO CELLINI BRUSSELS: SCENIC OVERHEATING
BENVENUTO CELLINI • LA MONNAIE ★★★★★☆ REVIEW BENVENUTO CELLINI BRUSSELS: SCENIC OVERHEATING La Monnaie's Benvenuto Cellini is a baroque bombardment, a scenic overheating, a regietheatre centrifuge spinning so fast that Berlioz's flimsy story has to cling to the...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MONSTER’S PARADISE: GAMECHANGER SHAKES UP THE HAMBURG STATE OPERA
MONSTER'S PARADISE • HAMBURG ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MONSTER'S PARADISE: GAMECHANGER SHAKES UP THE HAMBURG STATE OPERA The premiere of Monster's Paradise is a lavishly staged piece of political satire that storms through the Hamburg State Opera, leaving the astonished audience...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW EUGEN ONEGIN PARIS: A BEAUTIFUL WELL-BEHAVED EXPERIENCE
EUGEN ONEGIN • PARIS ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW EUGEN ONEGIN PARIS: A BEAUTIFUL WELL-BEHAVED EXPERIENCE Ralph Fiennes makes his debut as an opera director at the Opéra Garnier with Eugene Onegin – a choice that is both surprising and makes sense. The result is just well-behaved...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MASKED BALL PARIS: NETREBKO SHOWS HER CLASS
MASKED BALL • OPÉRA BASTILLE ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MASKED BALL PARIS: NETREBKO SHOWS HER CLASS Supersoprano Anna Netrebko is the star attraction in the Bastille Opera's revival of Verdi's Masked Ball in Gilbert Deflos' monumental, but also somewhat conservative, staging. The...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW SIEGFRIED AT OPÉRA BASTILLE: PRELUDE TO A WAGNERIAN BLAST
SIEGFRIED • OPÉRA BASTILLE PARIS ★★★★★☆ REVIEW SIEGFRIED AT OPÉRA BASTILLE: PRELUDE TO A WAGNERIAN BLAST Since the beginning of his Ring cycle at Opéra Bastille, Calixto Bieito has attempted to create a techno-universe that rewrites Wagner's mythology into a modern...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW WERTHER: TOP SOLOISTS SHINE AT THE OPÉRA COMIQUE
WERTHER • PARIS ★★★★★☆ REVIEW WERTHER: TOP SOLOISTS SHINE AT THE OPÉRA COMIQUE Exceptionally beautiful symphonic opera music unfolds in the magnificent acoustics of the Opéra Comique, where outstanding soloists elevate Ted Huffman's production of Massenet's tearjerker...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: COMPANY IN AVIGNON – SONDHEIM MUSICAL FOR SINGLES AND SKEPTICS
COMPANY • OPÉRA GRAND AVIGNON ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: COMPANY IN AVIGNON – SONDHEIM MUSICAL FOR SINGLES AND SKEPTICS When musical phenomenon Stephen Sondheim wrote Company in 1970, he could hardly have imagined how well it would capture the spirit of the times 55 years later –...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW HOFFMANN’S TALES LYON: LOVE DISASTERS IN BRILLIANT STAGING
HOFFMANN'S TALES • LYON ★★★★★☆ Photo: Paul Bourdrel REVIEW HOFFMANN'S TALES LYON: LOVE DISASTERS IN BRILLIANT STAGING Hoffmann's Tales unfolds in an extraordinarily entertaining production at the opera in Lyon, where top director Damiano Michieletto and his regular...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW TOSCA IN PARIS: THE FINALE NO ONE ASKED FOR
TOSCA • OPERA BASTILLE PARIS ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW TOSCA IN PARIS: THE FINALE NO ONE ASKED FOR The Bastille Opera's revival of Tosca is a beautiful, faithful, and effective production of Puccini's beloved thriller opera. But what exactly is going on with Pierre Audi's finale?...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO PARIS – THE SOME REVOLUTION LIVE
FIGARO'S WEDDING • OPÉRA GARNIER, PARIS ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO PARIS – THE SOME REVOLUTION LIVE BOOM! Netia Jones breaks the mold with a Marriage of Figaro that feels like a live-streamed revolution in the middle of Paris' most iconic opera house.An...
