We left at the interval...

April 2024's 'pick of the month' (i.e. their ' Coup de coeur ') in France's  Opéra Magazine , with their top ' Diamant ' award, is: 'Enchanting. For her new recital with Erato, Sabine Devieilhe has chosen a Lieder   programme focusing on two of her her favourite composers, Mozart and Richard Strauss. Once again, a dazzling success.' The pianist is Mathieu Pordoy, the violinist Vilde Frang.

Athénée-Théâtre Louis Jouvet, Paris, Friday March 15 2024. Production; Pascal Neyron. Sets and Lighting: Camille Duchemin. Costumes: Sabine Schlemmer, Julia Brochier, Anaïs Parola, Selma Delabrière. Choreography: Aure Wachter. Colette Patarin: Amélie Tatti. Achille Patarin: Philippe Brocard. Suzanne Patarin: Lara Neumann. Baronne Skatinkolowitz: Marie Lenormand. Nane: Julie Mossay. André Sartène: Aurélien Gasse. Léon Mézaize: Charles Mesrine. Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes. Photos: Camille Girault. The 'Frivolités Parisiennes' opera company was founded in 2012 to dust off, and present in vibrant modern productions, French light opera of the 19th and 20th centuries: opéra-comique , opéra bouffe , opérette , vaudeville musical , period French musicals and the like. The frontiers between these different genres seem to be porous: Wikipédia lists Gosse de Riche as an opérette , but according to the title page of the book ( available in full  on the website of France's N...

ONP Bastille, Thursday March 7 2024 Conductor: Mark Wigglesworth. Production: Peter Sellars. Sets: George Tsypin. Costumes: Camille Assaf. Lighting: James F. Ingalls. Beatrice di Tenda: Tamara Wilson. Filippo Visconti: Quinn Kelsey. Agnese del Maino: Theresa Kronthaler. Orombello: Pene Pati. Anichino: Amitai Pati. Rizzardo del Maino: Taesung Lee. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. Photos: Franck Ferville/ONP In a recent issue of France's Opéra Magazine , Peter Sellars, interviewed during rehearsals, explained that he'd wanted to stage Beatrice di Tenda for 25 years, in particular for its contemporary relevance: ' Beatrice di Tenda asks these fundamental questions: what is a dictatorship? How does it work, and how does it manage to impose itself? Is it possible to oppose it with beauty and culture? Bellinian melody rises up as the most sublimely human expression, to counter brutal force (...) It is very important to stage Beatrice di Tenda at a time when...

ONP Bastille, Wednesday March 6 2024 Conductor: Thomas Adès. Production: Calixto Bieito. Sets: Anna-Sofia Kirsch. Costumes: Ingo Krügler. Lighting: Reinhard Traub. Lucía de Nobile: Jacquelyn Stucker. Leticia Maynar: Gloria Tronel. Leonora Palma: Hilary Summers. Silvia de Ávila: Claudia Boyle. Blanca Delgado: Christine Rice. Beatriz: Ilanah Lobel-Torres (replacing Amina Edris). Edmundo de Nobile: Nicky Spence. Count Raúl Yebenes: Frédéric Antoun. Colonel Álvaro Gómez: Jarrett Ott. Francisco de Ávila: Anthony Roth Costanzo. Eduardo: Filipe Manu. Señor Russell: Philippe Sly. Alberto Roc: Paul Gay. Doctor Carlos Conde: Clive Bayley. Julio – Butler: Thomas Faulkner. Lucas – Footman: Julien Henric. Enrique – Waiter: Nicholas Jones. Pablo – Cook: Andres Cascante. Meni – Maid: Ilanah Lobel-Torres. Camila – Maid: Bethany Horak-Hallett. Padre Sansón: Régis Mengus. Yoli: member of the Hauts de Seine children's choir. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. Photos: Agathe Poupeney...

  March 2024's 'pick of the month' (i.e. their ' Coup de coeur ') in France's  Opéra Magazine , with their top ' Diamant ' award, is: 'A model disc' (which makes a change from a 'reference'). 'On the eve of his first Lohengrin in Strasbourg, starting on March 10th, Michael Spyres devotes a recital to Wagner,' (called IN THE SHADOWS ) but from an unusual angle, showing just how much the composer owes to some of his German, French and Italian predecessors. A fascinating programme, with outstanding vocal and orchestral performances: an album to treasure.' It's with Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset, and includes arias from the likes of Joseph, Fidelio, Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, Il crociato in Egitto, usw, on Erato.