★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE GREEK PASSION : IMPRESSIVE MASS CHOREOGRAPHY AND TECHNICAL MIRACLES
THE GREEK PASSION - SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2023 ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE GREEK PASSION : IMPRESSIVE MASS CHOREOGRAPHY AND TECHNICAL MIRACLES The Salzburg Opera Festival presents a visually and technically impressive Simon Stone production of the contemporary opera rarity The...
★★★★★☆ GOT TO SEE THIS /DET SKU’ DU SE REVIEWS SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE 2022
SALZBURG FESTSPIELE 2022 ★★★★★☆ GOT TO SEE THIS /DET SKU’ DU SE REVIEWS SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE 2022 Highlights from this year's most prestigious opera event. Jens Winther takes you to 7 remarkable performances and a festival that once again exceeded even the most...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW HERCULES DISAPPOINTS IN FRANKFURT
HERCULES • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW HERCULES DISAPPOINTS IN FRANKFURT Star director Barrrie Kosky disappoints expectations with a tame Frankfurt production of Hercules, where a semi-concertante, under-dramatized opera/oratorio hybrid, despite strong soloists, an...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW ELEKTRA: TOPS IN ALL DISCIPLINES OF OPERA ART
ELEKTRA • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★★☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus REVIEW ELEKTRA: TOPS IN ALL DISCIPLINES OF OPERA ART Brilliantly beautiful orchestral playing sets fire to Strauss' challenging but also deeply fascinating Elektra score, which in the internationally...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE TSAR WANTS HIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN/ THE CLEVER WOMAN: DELIGHTFULLY ABSURD OPERA MODERNISM IN FRANKFURT
THE TSAR/THE CLEVER WOMAN • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE TSAR WANTS HIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN/ THE CLEVER WOMAN: DELIGHTFULLY ABSURD OPERA MODERNISM IN FRANKFURT Keith Warner's Frankfurt staging of two modernist operas is at the same time delightful boulevard theater...
★★★★★★ REVIEW ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD: MAGICAL KOSKY OPERETTA BONANZA
ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD - KOMISCHE OPER BERLIN ★★★★★★ REVIEW ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD: MAGICAL KOSKY OPERETTA BONANZA Star director Barrie Kosky's frivolous take on the Offenbach operetta Orpheus in the Underworld blew away the 2019 Salzburg Festival at its world...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW ROMEO & JULIA: SHARPLY CUT, WELL CRAFTED BERLIN MUSICAL ROCKS SHAKESPEARE
ROMEO & JULIA THE MUSICAL - BERLIN ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW ROMEO & JULIA: SHARPLY CUT, WELL CRAFTED BERLIN MUSICAL ROCKS SHAKESPEARE The German musical version of Romeo & Juliet at Berlin's musical hotspot Theater des Westens surprises with an impressive large-scale...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF THE ROSENKAVALIER: GLITTER WITHOUT SPARKLE
ROSENKAVALIER • BERLIN STATE OPERA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF THE ROSENKAVALIER: GLITTER WITHOUT SPARKLE An understated set design with too little Viennese rococo, together with a strangely problematic casting, makes the acclaimed Austrian director André Heller's staging of Der...
★★★★★★ REVIEW JENUFA: STAR-STUDDED CAST OF SINGERS IMPRESSES IN BERLIN
JENUFA • BERLIN STATE OPERA ★★★★★★ REVIEW JENUFA: STAR-STUDDED CAST OF SINGERS IMPRESSES IN BERLIN An ultra-minimalist designer set draws the story of Jenufa out of its claustrophobic village context and distills tragedy into condensed despair. A star-studded cast of...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CABARET: WELL-OILED MUSICAL MACHINE LACKS NERVE
CABARET • GOTHENBURG OPERA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CABARET: WELL-OILED MUSICAL MACHINE LACKS NERVE Impressive large-scale scenography, marvelous costumes and swirling, beautifully executed ensemble numbers send the popular Love & Dance musical Cabaret flying on this rainy...
★★★★★★ REVIEW DIE SCHWEIGSAME FRAU: BARRIE KOSKY RULES
DIE SCHWEIGSAME FRAU • GOTHENBURG ★★★★★★ REVIEW DIE SCHWEIGSAME FRAU: BARRIE KOSKY RULES It's simply fabulo what goes on in star director Barrie Kosky's staging of Richard Strauss' Die Schweigsame Frau (The Silent Wife) at Göteborg Opera. A veritable firework display...
★★★★★★ REVIEW ELEKTRA: HIGH PULSE IN MURDEROUSLY GOOD THRILLER OPERA
ELEKTRA • OPERA • COPENHAGEN ★★★★★★ Photo: Miklos Szabo REVIEW ELEKTRA: HIGH PULSE IN MURDEROUSLY GOOD THRILLER OPERA World-class soloists, superb orchestral playing, set design de luxe and a hair-raising plot twist make the Opera's production of Strauss' Elektra a...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW AIDA: THUNDEROUSLY BEAUTIFUL
AIDA – COPENHAGEN OPERA ★★★★★☆ REVIEW AIDA: THUNDEROUSLY BEAUTIFUL A thunderously beautiful Aida almost blows the roof off the opera, with Italian conducting scoop Paolo Carignani elevating the to international class, which, together with a powerful, international...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW THE BARBER OF SEVILLE: UNAMBITIOUS TOURIST OPERA
THE BARBER IN SEVILLE - VENICE ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW THE BARBER OF SEVILLE: UNAMBITIOUS TOURIST OPERA La Fenice, perhaps the most beautiful opera house in the world, fails to live up to expectations in this Venice staging of The Barber of Seville, which, despite a delightful...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW LA BOHEME: ULTRA CLASSIC CROWDPLEASER IN COLOGNE
LA BOHÊME • COLOGNE OPERA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW LA BOHEME: ULTRA CLASSIC CROWDPLEASER IN COLOGNE A sympathetic singing team without the big profiles momentarily convinces in Cologne's production of la Bohême in the ultra-classic version of Puccini's Parisian tearjerker by the...
★★★★★☆ GIULIO CESARE REVIEW: AMAZING CALIXTO BIEITO HI-TECH DESERT HÄNDEL IN AMSTERDAM
GIULIO CESARE • AMSTERDAM OPERA ★★★★★☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus GIULIO CESARE REVIEW: AMAZING CALIXTO BIEITO HI-TECH DESERT HÄNDEL IN AMSTERDAM With an immensely spectacular and almost infantilely provocative version of Händel's Baroque masterpiece...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW BORIS GODUNOV LA SCALA: KASPER HOLTEN TRIUMPH IN MILANO
BORIS GODUNOV • LA SCALA MILANO ★★★★★☆ REVIEW BORIS GODUNOV LA SCALA: KASPER HOLTEN TRIUMPH IN MILANO Kasper Holten's staging of Boris Godunov at La Scala opera house in Milan is a triumph on a grand scale. An insanely beautiful set frames Musorgsky's beautiful...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE MASTER SINGERS: FORMIDABLE FRANKFURT PERFORMANCE IN BRILLIANT STAGE DESIGN
THE MASTER SINGERS – OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE MASTER SINGERS: FORMIDABLE FRANKFURT PERFORMANCE IN BRILLIANT STAGE DESIGN The most entertaining and intelligent stage design I've seen in an opera house for a long time. That's what Wagner's somewhat sultry The...
★★★★★★ MANON LESCAULT REVIEW: ASMIK GRIGORIAN BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE IN FRANKFURT
MANON LESCAULT • OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★★★ MANON LESCAULT REVIEW: ASMIK GRIGORIAN BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE IN FRANKFURT LOVE is written there, so there's no mistaking it. Each letter is almost 10 metres high and seems carved out of concrete. A six-star version of Puccini's...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE SORCERER: MESSY SOAP OPERA IN FRANKFURT
THE SORCERER- OPER FRANKFURT ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE SORCERER: MESSY SOAP OPERA IN FRANKFURT A disturbed Russian princely family in an disturbed staging of The Sorcerer doesn't really take off in the Frankfurt opera, despite committed orchestral playing and a first-rate...
★★★★★☆ OPERA CHECK BERLIN
OPERA CHECK • BERLIN ★★★★★☆ OPERA CHECK BERLIN Three current performances feature outstanding singers in extraordinary productions Jens Winther and Det Sku' Du Se take the temperature of Berlin's opera scene right now - and award up to five stars. Join us for The...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW KOSKY’S CARMEN: SEDUCTIVE REUNION
CARMEN • OPERA ★★★★★☆ REVIEW KOSKY’S CARMEN: SEDUCTIVE REUNION Imagine creamy, dark maple syrup drifting down through crystal clear icetea. That's the sound of Swedish mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Jansson seducing the Royal Opera House in this well-received revival of star...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW: NABUCCO AS A SOFT MAN IN ZURICH
NABUCCO • ZÜRICH ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW: NABUCCO AS A SOFT MAN IN ZURICH Nabucco is one of Verdi's first operas, and the one with which he made his breakthrough as an opera composer in the 1840s. Rossini had given up his career, Bellini had died, Donizetti was ill with...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW IL TROVATORE: DEVILISHLY GOOD VERDI IN ZURICH
IL TROVATORE • ZÜRICH ★★★★★☆ REVIEW IL TROVATORE: DEVILISHLY GOOD VERDI IN ZURICH A hellishly vicious plot, staged with a sea of actors, a stellar cast of international soloists and a sublimely well-performing orchestra led by chief conductor Paolo Carignani. That's...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW DIE WALKÜRE: RIGOR MORTIS IN ZURICH
VALKYRIEN • ZÜRICH ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW DIE WALKÜRE: RIGOR MORTIS IN ZURICH Death catches up with everyone over the course of the four mega-operas with a combined running time of almost 20 hours that make up Wagner's Ring. At the gala premiere of the Ring's second part, Die...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW MADAME BUTTERFLY BREGENZ: OPERA SHOW IN MASTER CLASS
MADAME BUTTERFLY • BREGENZ ★★★★★☆ Photo: Anja Koehler REVIEW MADAME BUTTERFLY BREGENZ: OPERA SHOW IN MASTER CLASS A gigantic flagpole with the American Stars and Stripes on top erects through a piece of crumpled paper weighing about 300 tons. That’s how you rape a...
★★★★★☆ GOT TO SEE THIS /DET SKU’ DU SE REVIEWS SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE 2022
SALZBURG FESTSPIELE 2022 ★★★★★☆ GOT TO SEE THIS /DET SKU’ DU SE REVIEWS SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE 2022 Highlights from this year's most prestigious opera event. Jens Winther takes you to 7 remarkable performances and a festival that once again exceeded even the most...
★★☆☆☆☆ REVIEW DE TEMPORANUM FINE COMOEDIA: IMMENSELY SELF-RIGHTEOUS AND KILLINGLY LONG-WINDED
DE TEMPORANUM FINE COMOEDIA • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★☆☆☆☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus REVIEW DE TEMPORANUM FINE COMOEDIA: IMMENSELY SELF-RIGHTEOUS AND KILLINGLY LONG-WINDED It starts with a stoning. Disgustingly effectively executed by a handful of...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW OF THE MAGIC FLUTE: MOZART MISTREATED IN THIS YEAR’S SALZBURG FESTSPIELE
THE MAGIC FLUTE • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW OF THE MAGIC FLUTE: MOZART MISTREATED IN THIS YEAR'S SALZBURG FESTSPIELE Mozart mistreated in Salzburg. The Magic Flute in a convoluted, confused and twisted version was what the stunned festival audience had to...
★★★★★☆ AIDA REVIEW: STAGE DESIGN OF THE YEAR in SALZBURG – TOO BIG TO FAIL
AIDA • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★★★☆ AIDA REVIEW: STAGE DESIGN OF THE YEAR in SALZBURG - TOO BIG TO FAIL Salzburg's giant staging of Aida assumes unprecedented dimensions of set design and spectacular tableaux of sharply choreographed mass processions in...
★★★★☆☆ DUKE BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE REVIEW: CASTELLUCCI BEHIND THIS YEAR’S SCOOP IN SALZBURG
DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE - SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★★☆☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE REVIEW: CASTELLUCCI BEHIND THIS YEAR'S SCOOP IN SALZBURG Wildly hyped, avant-garde Italian director Romeo Castellucci is known for taking a radical approach when...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE BARBER IN SEVILLA: BARTOLI SALZBURG’S DARLING IN THIS YEAR’S AUDIENCE HIT
THE BARBER OF SEVILLA • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★★★☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus REVIEW THE BARBER IN SEVILLA: BARTOLI SALZBURG'S DARLING IN THIS YEAR'S AUDIENCE HIT Cecilia Bartoli has it like a fish in the water in Salzburg's five-star deluxe version of The Barber in...
★★★★★★ KATjA KABANOVA REVIEW: KOSKY DELIVERS OPERA OF THE YEAR IN SALZBURG
KATJA KABANOVA • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★★★★ KATjA KABANOVA REVIEW: KOSKY DELIVERS OPERA OF THE YEAR IN SALZBURG Who killed Katya Kabanova? You and I did. The answer slowly dawns on you in Barrie Kosky's refined production of Katja Kabanova, which, with mountainous...
★★★★★★ REVIEW IL TRITTICO: SINGER OF THE YEAR TAKES PUCCINI TO THE SKIES IN SALZBURG
IL TRITTICO • SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2022 ★★★★★★ REVIEW IL TRITTICO: SINGER OF THE YEAR TAKES PUCCINI TO THE SKIES IN SALZBURG Lithuanian soprano star Asmik Grigorian delivered this year's most captivating performance at the Salzburg Festspiele. With her performance as the...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW ALCINA, NORMA AND PLATÉE: MIXED OPERA-CANDY IN STUTTGART
ALCINA, NORMA OG PLATÉE • STUTTGART OPERA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW ALCINA, NORMA AND PLATÉE: MIXED OPERA-CANDY IN STUTTGART Staatsoper Stuttgart is one of Europe's leading opera houses, and one of the venues to keep an eye on as an opera fan. With a rich repertoire, a bold...
