Founded by the Earl of J-/are ,vood April 1992 Editor 1953--86 Harold Rosemhal. OBE Volume 43 No 4

Edi1or

Max Loppert Associme Edi1or John Allison Assis1a111 Ediwr

Alan Blyth. Hugh Canning, Andrew Clark . Andrew Clements. Edi1orial Board Richard Fa irman. Elizabeth Forbes . Noel Goodwin. Arthur Jacobs.

Charles Osborne , Andrew Porte r. Desmond Shawe-Taylor.

John Warrack Deidre Ti lley Ad111i11is1ra1ive Direc1or l a Mou111grove Road, London N5 2LU Edi1orial Offices Telephone: 071-359 1037 FAX: 071-3542700

Sopranos awake by A lan Blyth 397

Rigorous fidelity to 'Pelleas' by Robert Henderson 398

Readers' Letters 402

Sense, condoms and integrity by David Pountney 404 Prokofiev·s operatic obsession by Edward Downes 410

In the ews 415

People 180: Rosalind Plowright by Elizabeth Forbes 416

Walter Widdop: born 19 April 1892 by A lan Blyth 424

Obituary 425

Our Criti cs Abroad: reports from America, Argentina,

Austria, Czechoslovakia, France , Germany, Italy,

Switzerland 427

COMING EVENTS SUPPLEME T

including plans fo r the UK houses, New York City Opera,

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Melbourne, Dublin;

Festivals; 'We heart hat ... ·

Book Reviews

British Opera Diary, with reviews of 'Konigskinder', 'Die Fledermaus', 'Street Scene' and 'Xerxes' at the Coliseum; 'Don Giovanni· at Covent Garden; 'La traviata' and 'Billy

Budd' in Glasgow Student Performances

In Concert Record Reviews Classified Advertisements

433-447

447

471 484 485 487 496

Front cover: Alison Hagley as Melisande and Donald Maxwell as Go laud in WNO's new production of Debussy's opera (photo: Clive Barda)