FRONT OF HOUSE

˙ EDITORIAL

Who wants to be a singer?

° LETTERS

Your views and suggestions

ˆ-˛˙ NEWS & NOTES

Italian opera houses save Verdi’s birthplace; ROH drops BP sponsorship; Opera director Jürgen Flimm remembered; Arts Council England under fire

REVIEWS

ˇ-˙ˇ LIVE REVIEWS

USA Metropolitan Opera, New York Fedora (38)

EUROPE Teatro alla Scala, Milan Boris Godunov (40); Polish National Opera, Warsaw La forza del destino (42); Flanders Opera, Ghent Ernani (44); Irish National Opera on tour Don Pasquale (46);

UK Venue focus: Barbican Centre, London (49); Gothic Opera London Le Loup-garou (51)Royal Northern College of Music Die Fledermaus (52)

54 City focus: Athens Warlikowski’s Les Contes d’Ho˜ mann at the Greek National Opera

˙°-°˛ RECORDINGS

56 Jessye Norman’s unreleased recordings finally see the light of day

59 New releases on CD, Digital & AV including: Passacalle de la Follie – courtly airs from Philippe Jaroussky and Christina Pluhar; solo albums from Gevorg Hakobyan, Günther Groissböck and Jonathan Tetelman Opera Now Choice: Handel’s Semele on film from New Zealand Opera

°ˇ-˘˛ SPOTLIGHT

Worldwide Opera Guide and answers to this issue’s Quiz (p71)

COVER PHOTO: ANDREI USPENSKY

ANDREI USPENSKY

‘I cannot be put in a cage. Like the character of Carmen, I always fight for my freedom. I have what to do’ to be free to create what I want and live as I please, without being told

CONTENTS

˛° Cover feature

Russian soprano Aigul Akhmetshina is an exciting young talent whose sensuous, captivating mezzo voice and compelling stage presence is proving a huge attraction in major opera houses

˜˝ Five steps to professional success

Soprano Anush Hovhannisyan shares some of her insights and wisdom about the long, sometimes treacherous journey that an opera singer has to make, from the first inklings of talent to triumphing on the world stage

ˇ˝ Family way

With long hours, absences from home and unpredictable pay, its a wonder that any opera singer is able to accommodate a healthy family life. SWAP’ra is here to help

ˇ° Travels with my Opera Glasses

Professor Anthony Ogus takes a trip down memory lane in North Germany, visiting opera houses in Aachen, Hanover, Osnabrück and Hamburg

˘˜ My Favourite Things

Wasfi Kani, doyenne of Grange Park Opera, draws on the cultural influences of the Indian Subcontinent

˜° Teaching the world to sing

Opera Now’s special focus exploring how young singers are prepared for a profession that requires resilience, innate talent and the ability to grasp a complex range of skills

˘˝ Quiz

What went wrong with Lohengrin’s swan? Test your opera knowledge in our monthly quiz