Die Fledermaus

Towards the end of Stephen Lawless’s production of Die Fledermaus, Robert Tear, cast as the useless lawyer Blind, is discovered dressed in fishnet tights and a petticoat. “I’m wearing a Freudian slip,” he announces. Cross-dressing and psychoanalysis are but two … Continue reading →

Reviews roundup: Cosi Fan Tutte

Most critics seem to have emerged less than exhilarated from Glyndebourne’s opening production Cosi Fan Tutte, describing a “pleasant” experience of Mozart’s sexually-charged opera, reserving their enthusiasm for soprano Miah Persson. The Times critic left unmoved from Nicholas Hytner’s first … Continue reading →

Cosi Fan Tutte

The Romantics of the early 19th century detested Cosi Fan Tutte, deeming it for the most part trivial and obscene. Mozart’s emphasis on the irrational nature of desire and its attendant dangers, however, in many respects prefigures Romantic concerns – … Continue reading →

La Cenerentola

Peter Hall’s production of Rossini’s darkly comic take on Cinderella divided opinion at Glyndebourne this summer. Perhaps its detractors were roused by the fact that Hall had laid out some of his intentions in a programme note – something directors … Continue reading →

Flight

Jonathan Dove can’t have known what topicality his 1998 opera Flight – set in an airport departure lounge, and dramatising the stories of severely delayed passengers – would have in 2005. But there’s more to Flight that its newsworthy novelty, … Continue reading →

Otello

A dependable rather than a revelatory evening; yet productions of Verdi’s late, great Shakespearian masterpiece are not so common that any Verdian will want to miss this Glyndebourne revival of Peter Hall’s problematic 2001 production, for all its self-imposed limitations. … Continue reading →

Giulio Cesare

First performed in London in 1724, Handel’s Giulio Cesare is essentially a study of the hidden agendas at work during the creation and consolidation of empire. Its politics are at once bleak and dodgy. Julius Caesar and his supposedly noble … Continue reading →

Country air? No thanks

Opera: Glyndebourne and Garsington don't have all the best tunes, says Anthony Holden.

The Bartered Bride

Directors have of late been at pains to redefine The Bartered Bride. Once primarily seen as a piece of nationalistic whimsy, Smetana’s great comedy is now widely regarded as a bitter satire on a venal society that trades in human … Continue reading →

Die Zauberflöte

Conductor Charles Mackerras is 80 later this year, a fact he is seemingly already celebrating with multiple performances of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Hard on the heels of a revival at Covent Garden and a new recording for Chandos comes a … Continue reading →

La Cenerentola

“I believe that Rossini’s operas are funny only if they’re done very seriously,” says Peter Hall in an interview in the Glyndebourne programme. His staging of La Cenerentola opens the new season down in Sussex and serious the production most … Continue reading →