Sung Jin Hong: Seoul searching

Op-ed

If The Rite of Spring "kissed the earth" through a savagely primitive lens, that temple-food-inspired table celebrated our planet's primordial bounty from a more intimate perspective. The meal was prepared using centuries-old methods and crafted with ingredients that shared their origins with the mountains themselves. Traditional Korean cooking has nurtured a patient alchemy, where delicacies, seasoned with time to develop deep undercurrents of flavor, emerge transformed.

Organic elegance: Orphée et Eurydice in Chicago

Review

Tacking happy endings onto tellings of traditionally tragic myths in this way was very much en vogue in the eighteenth-century. But for Neumeier's concept-driven production, while the musical substance remains the same, the story's denouement is rendered far more devastating than even the myth's usual tragic end.

Memorable nights: the TSO's tribute Glenn Gould

Review

Lisiecki had me stunned not over the deftness of his hands, but over his sense of breath, space, and chamber music. He left room for humanity in even the trickiest of passages, and he was constantly conscious of who his current duet partner was. He challenged the orchestra to play unbearably soft, and ferociously attacked the piano to achieve enormous volume, without ever leaving an ugly edge.

"Little-known gems": Ariane et Bachus

Interview

"I have to admit that I am partial to demons, having portrayed a dancing fury a few times myself. After carefully embodying good taste in the noble characters, the evil characters get to break all the rules. Plus, in hell you get to play with snakes, wands, and torches."

"I think it takes a brave artist to do something like an Opera Pub."

Interview

"There's nothing that compares to a rowdy, enthusiastic crowd cheering you on when you've nailed that high note. You just don't get that in your usual recital/concert setting, and there really is nothing more gratifying. Of course, the singers involved are the biggest highlight for me. As a coach here in Toronto, I meet new singers on a daily basis, but there's something about meeting a singer on stage (literally) and performing for the first time with absolutely no rehearsal in front of a live audience that is absolutely thrilling."

A lopsided & bloody double-bill at Hackney Empire

Review

The second piece of the programme was Bartók's staggering Bluebeard's Castle. Bluebeard's lush mystery couldn't have provided a stronger contrast to tense grey world of Senza Sangue. This production too began with a bare stage, but through the brilliant lighting design of Philippe Grosperrin, each of Bluebeard's seven forbidden rooms came to light.

Opera myths & all that jazz: an interview with Frank Pesci

Interview

In a recent interview with Anthony Garone of Make Weird Music, Pesci talks about the operatic myths that may keep potential audiences at arm's length, the influence of jazz in his music - and its value for classical musicians - and his own "heroes" of contemporary opera.

A warm introduction: The Mozartists at Wigmore Hall

Review

On the 18th of September a new musical group, The Mozartists, was launched at Wigmore Hall. The creation of Classical Opera conductor and Artistic Director Ian Page, it aims to cultivate the music of Mozart and his contemporaries, as suggested by the name. So with the blessing of the Soul of Music on the cupola above, The Mozartists gave a successful debut.

An organic integration: The Wake World

Review

The audience literally follows Lola (Maeve Höglund) as she embarks on a wild love story with The Fairy Prince (Rihab Chaieb). Soprano Maeve Höglund sings exquisitely and brings an infectious wonder to the role. Rihab Chaieb has a rapturous voice, full of lush colors.

Dynamic and physical: Rinaldo at Oper Frankfurt

Review

Three tiny, nearly-nude dancers painted from head to toe acted as freaky humanoid henchwomen to Armida. These impish women did Armida's bidding, transforming at different points into a three-headed monster, a forest, or mermaids, and stopping time to control various characters. A particularly striking moment was when Rinaldo sang "Abbruggio, avampo, e fremo" while being tormented and yanked around by the imps on three long ropes.