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HISTORICAL FACTS: 3 | History Defined

Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera review: this could be a Ring to savour as it unfolds in the coming years

Christopher Maltman is well on the way to becoming a truly great Wotan

Evening Standard

‘The most dangerous stage I’ve ever been on’: the wildest performances of Wagner’s Ring

Gods! Dragons! Horned helmets! Swords! Valkyries! The 15-hour apocalyptic epic is about to explode onto the Royal Opera stage. But what’s the best way to tackle ‘the ultimate opera’?

The Guardian - UK

The week in classical: 74th Aldeburgh Festival; Werther – review

From thundering Thorvaldsdóttir to late-night Bach, it’s a standout year for Britten’s music festival, while at the ROH Jonas Kaufmann made a subdued Werther

The Guardian - UK

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Werther review – Kaufmann heads strong cast in stylishly sung and fabulously played revival

This revival of Benoît Jacquot’s 2004 staging of Massenet’s tragedy sees Antonio Pappano and his orchestra on top form. Kaufmann was not at full strength but Aigul Akhmetshina’s Charlotte shone

The Guardian - UK

Il trovatore; The Planets; Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed at the Orchestra review – from Bosch to Bash Street

Spellbinding Jamie Barton and company excel in Adele Thomas’s clear-sighted take on volatile Verdi; to the final frontier via Peckham; and kazoos at the ready for a Beano Concerto

The Guardian - UK

Il trovatore review – cruelty played out with anarchic imagination

Adele Thomas’s visually arresting production mixes levity with tragedy, as fervent orchestral play is matched by expressive singing from a fine cast

The Guardian - UK

Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne and Wozzeck at the Royal Opera House mark a glorious start to the season

A pair of nuanced and contemporary reimaginings

Evening Standard

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Wozzeck review – Gerhaher’s victim shuffles towards disaster in nuanced staging

Deborah Warner’s focused and vivid new production avoids caricature, and, with superb singing and Antonio Pappano’s conducting, drama and music dovetail perfectly

The Guardian - UK

Turbocharge philanthropy, conga to Beethoven, ditch the ukuleles: 10 ways to save classical music

After cuts by Arts Council England and the BBC, Simon Rattle says UK opera houses and orchestras have never faced greater peril. How can they fight back? Top musicians outline their battle plans

The Guardian - UK

Coronation composer Iain Farrington on making music fit for a king – and what the cameras didn’t show

One of 12 coronation composers, Farrington’s brief was to reflect the music of the Commonwealth. On the organ. In five minutes. He tells us about a day of the sublime and the ridiculous

The Guardian - UK

The King has chosen music to ‘stir the soul’ for Coronation, says conductor Pappano

The King has chosen music for his Coronation to “stir the soul”, according to the man who will conduct the orchestra on the historic day.

Evening Standard

The week in classical: Siemens Hallé international conductors competition; LSO/ Hannigan; Turandot – review

A trio of young conductors vie for a job with the Hallé; Barbara Hannigan takes Mahler at his word; and Antonio Pappano makes a thriller of Puccini’s final opera

The Guardian - UK

Puccini: Turandot review – rare bonus material and vibrant playing make Pappano’s version stand out

Puccini’s original score was ‘finished’ by Franco Alfano, whose additions are heard uncut on this dramatic all-star recording

The Guardian - UK

LSO/Pappano review – a serving of big-boned late-romantic symphonism

Barbican, London Pappano leads the LSO with terrifying finesse for Coleridge-Taylor, Strauss and Liszt works, in anticipation of his new role as chief conductor in 2024

The Guardian - UK

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The Guardian - UK

Royal Opera House announces Jakub Hrůša as its new music director

The Czech-born conductor will take over from Antonio Pappano in 2025. He talks exclusively to the Guardian about what shape the opera house will take under his musical leadership

The Guardian - UK

The week in classical: Aida; Candide; Manchester Collective: Weather – review

Verdi’s music reigns supreme in the Royal Opera’s austere new staging of Aida; a community Bernstein production raises the roof; and a cult 90s work has never felt more timely

Evening Standard

Otello at Royal Opera House: Russell Thomas is Covent Garden’s first black singer in the role

Russell Thomas had striking stage presence in this revival of Keith Warner’s production

The Guardian - UK

The week in classical: Samson et Dalila; Lise Davidsen & Freddie De Tommaso with James Baillieu

Strength comes in many forms in the Royal Opera’s revelatory new Samson et Dalila; and two star singers in the ascendant hit all the high notes

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The Guardian - UK

Samson et Dalila review – Saint-Saëns’ opera has style and a new star in SeokJong Baek

Richard Jones’ vibrant new production can’t compensate for the work’s dramatic weaknesses, but soloists and chorus alike are on top form, and conductor Antonio Pappano relishes the score’s melodiousness

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