Taken direct from the ROH website without editing, here are the 2014-15 season details.
No real surprises, except in the excellent formatting. All operas, including dates and casts, on the same page. By far the best of any season announcement so far this year. Have they been reading our whinging?
Continue reading "Royal Opera House 2014 - 2015 season details" »
Ahead of the imminent ROH new season announcement, it appears that next year's Netrebko-graced La bohème will be the last outing for John Copley's 40 year old production. Not soon enough.
It's not staged at the Royal Opera House, and it doesn't use the ROH orchestra, singers or directors, but it's still a 'Royal Opera House production'.
I'm talking about Monteverdi's L’Orfeo, which the ROH announced today is to be staged in January 2015 at the Roundhouse. It will be directed by the former RSC head (and opera newcomer) Michael Boyd and conducted by Christian Curnyn, who will bring in his specialist period band.
Whether this is a one-off or whether, following L'Ormindo, the ROH has imperialist designs on the pub opera market remains to be seen.
We're not getting the full Royal Opera House season announcement until next week, but thanks to one of its cinema distributors [link removed at distributor's request] we at least know what they're planning to screen. Here we go:
The official program of the Live Cinema Season 2014/15
Continue reading "Royal Opera House 2014 - 2015 cinema season details" »
Jennifer Rowley, the American soprano clumsily dumped from the Royal Opera House's Robert le Diable in 2012, has revealed more about the fiasco to the Wall Street Journal.
After agreeing to sub at a late stage for the pregnant Diana Damrau, she ran into problems in rehearsals. Conductor Daniel Oren "wanted it to go really fast and really high," she told the WSJ. "It was like trying to get an F150 to move like a Fiat."
"When you are trying to sing, and you are stressed and worried and crying, it immediately goes to the throat," she said. "Everything becomes constricted and tight."
"I thought this was the end of my career."
Fortunately for her, the Met disagreed. Last night she triumphed there as Musetta in La bohème. The New York Classical Review was first off the reviewing block, praising her "memorable house debut" and her "rich, dark, but nimble voice."
Bridges have not been burned with the ROH either. True to their 2012 promise, they've hired her to sing Musetta in 2015 - when a certain will-she, won't-she Russian soprano may or may not turn up to give us her Mimì as well.
Friends booking opens on 19 March - that's tomorrow - and general booking on 8 April for the final chunk of the ROH's 2013-14 season.
Continue reading "Get ready to book for Royal Opera House summer season 2014" »
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