Contents

FRONT OF HOUSE

Editorial When we are moved by an opera, what is it that touches us? Do we need sex and love to feel connected to a story? Young Artist of the Month Meeting rising star, répétiteur Max Bilbe - News & Notes Celebrating young artists at the Verbier Festival, the ENO and Arts Council England issue a joint statement and Glyndebourne announces the artists on its joint scheme with Pegasus Opera

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REVIEWS - LIVE REVIEWS UK Welsh National Opera Season Round Up (36) Glyndebourne Festival Opera Don Giovanni (38) Garsington Opera Festival Roundup (4 0 ) The Grange Festival Roundup (42) EUROPE Belgium Focus The Nose, Le Nozze di Figaro & Henry VIII (44) French Women Composers (48) USA San Francisco Opera Die Frau ohne Schatten (46) El último sueño de Frida y Diego (47) - RECORDINGS New releases on CD, Digital & AV including: Aladin by Attenberg on CPO, a polish interpretation of verismo in Żeleński’s Janek and Renée Fleming’s Greatest Moments at the Met, as well as productions of Il Turco in Italia and Albert Herring captured on film. Opera Now Choice: Handel’s Theodora on Opus Arte from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

- SPOTLIGHT Worldwide Opera Guide and answers to this issue’s Quiz (p63)

COVER PHOTO: FABRICE DEMESSENCE

DEMENESCENCE

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FABR

‘As we mature we rely on our technique, put it into practice and reap all the benefits it can bestow on our voice and career’

CONTENTS

Cover feature Mezzo Cecilia Bartoli a prolific recording artist and beguiling performer, but she is now also the Artistic Director of Opera de Monte Carlo. We explore her new venture Preview 10 Days in a Madhouse was an exposé that changed both the scope of investigative journalism and the treatment of women’s mental health. Opera Philadelphia premieres the work by Rene Orth Profile Joana Mallwitz is a conductor of impressive ‘firsts’. She shares why the ultimate goal is to remove gender from the conversation

Legacy Finland’s Savonlinna Opera Festival has put Finnish opera on the map since its inception in 1912. Andrew Mellor reports from the 2023 festival and shares future developments for the organisation

Behind the Scenes Designer Leslie Travers takes us through his green designs for three operas in Opera North’s new season

Quiz How well do you know Bellini’s Norma? Test your opera knowledge in our monthly quiz

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French Women Composers Three performances of operas by forgotten women composers, soon to be released on disc

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