La Traviata
Royal Opera House, London, 16th January to 4th July
Richard Eyre’s production of Verdi’s classic is 20 years old but remains one of the Royal Opera’s safest bets. The traditional staging has drawn criticism for its emotional aridity but much of this depends on the singers’ acting ability. The Royal Opera is taking no chances with three sterling casts including Joyce El-Khoury, Ekaterina Bakanova and Corinne Winters taking turns as Violetta. The tale of an aristocrat who falls for a courtesan dying of consumption caused a sensation on its debut in 1853 in Venice. What it lacks in shock value now, it makes up for in tragedy.
La Grand Macabre
London Symphony Orchestra, Barbican 14th to 15th January
György Ligeti’s riotous “anti-anti-opera” pastiches musical conventions. Snatches of Mozart, Monteverdi and Rossini are all in there somewhere from the notorious car horn overture onwards. Premiered in 1978, its position as the greatest avant-garde opera ever composed is unassailable. Undeterred by the composer’s dislike for his 1997 production set in the aftermath of Chernobyl, Peter Sellars has another shot at it with Simon Rattle and the LSO.
The Snow Maiden
Opera North, 21st January to 24th February. Then UK tour until 24th March
With a hat-tip to Disney’s Frozen, Opera North delivers their first production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s delightful fairy-tale opera about a girl who will die if her ice-heart is melted by love. Accented by Russian folk music and staged with inventive videos, this is a rare opportunity to see the composer’s favourite work.
Royal Opera House, London, 16th January to 4th July
Richard Eyre’s production of Verdi’s classic is 20 years old but remains one of the Royal Opera’s safest bets. The traditional staging has drawn criticism for its emotional aridity but much of this depends on the singers’ acting ability. The Royal Opera is taking no chances with three sterling casts including Joyce El-Khoury, Ekaterina Bakanova and Corinne Winters taking turns as Violetta. The tale of an aristocrat who falls for a courtesan dying of consumption caused a sensation on its debut in 1853 in Venice. What it lacks in shock value now, it makes up for in tragedy.
La Grand Macabre
London Symphony Orchestra, Barbican 14th to 15th January
György Ligeti’s riotous “anti-anti-opera” pastiches musical conventions. Snatches of Mozart, Monteverdi and Rossini are all in there somewhere from the notorious car horn overture onwards. Premiered in 1978, its position as the greatest avant-garde opera ever composed is unassailable. Undeterred by the composer’s dislike for his 1997 production set in the aftermath of Chernobyl, Peter Sellars has another shot at it with Simon Rattle and the LSO.
The Snow Maiden
Opera North, 21st January to 24th February. Then UK tour until 24th March
With a hat-tip to Disney’s Frozen, Opera North delivers their first production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s delightful fairy-tale opera about a girl who will die if her ice-heart is melted by love. Accented by Russian folk music and staged with inventive videos, this is a rare opportunity to see the composer’s favourite work.
