G R E E K
R O S E T T A
CONTENTS
12
FA R E Z K I
J A K A
D
FRONT OF HOUSE | Contents
23
A U M Ü L L E R
B A R B A R A
79
I L L C O O P E R
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50
‘You always have to keep yourself open to new challenges.’ Kate Lindsey
FRONT OF HOUSE 5 EDITORIAL Striking a balance
6 FEEDBACK Your thoughts and suggestions
8 NEWS & NOTES Cardiff Singer of the World 2017 winners announced | Finnish National Opera appoints new general director | Maggio festival begins three-year relaunch in Florence | and more…
MAIN STAGE 12 EXPECTING THE BEST The American mezzo Kate Lindsey discusses her new recording contract and the disappointment at having to step down from her latest role at Glyndebourne
20 BRIDGING THE GULF Robert Turnbull traces the emergence of Western opera in the Arabian Peninsula
23 RISING IN THE EAST A whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia reveals a budding and ambitious opera scene
www.operanow.co.uk
27 LINE OF BEAUTY What does bel canto really mean? We ask a panel of operatic experts to offer their views
32 SOLDIERS’ TALES Discover a new community opera encouraging children to think about the realities of war
35 AUTUMN HARVEST Opera Now’s pick of productions in the season ahead, from stagings on America’s Florida coastline to Russia’s opulent Bolshoi
40 TRAVELS WITH MY OPERA GLASSES Anthony Ogus immerses himself in the troubled world of 20th-century opera on a trip to Germany’s Rhineland
43 NEXT ISSUE Looking ahead to Opera Now September
THE CRITICAL VIEW 45-73 LIVE REVIEWS Grange Park Opera opens its new home near London | Stellar casting and orchestral
opulence in Rosenkavalier at Welsh National Opera | Krenek provides unexpected joy in Frankfurt | Outstanding Britten at Bergen International Festival | Louis Riel gets a rare staging in Toronto | Round-up from New York and Seattle | Focus on France | and more…
75 NEW RELEASES Opera on CD, DVD and Blu-ray – including a new Parsifal from the Hallé
77 BOOKS A new study of A B Marx reveals the theorist’s dicey dealings with composers of his day
83-90 SPOTLIGHT Opera Now’s INTERNATIONAL GUIDE to the best live performances this summer
PLUS Opera on screen
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BACK STAGE 79 COMPANY PROFILE Oper Frankfurt – a premier league company in the heart of Germany’s financial capital
92 EPILOGUE Opera Now’s cryptic crossword for opera lovers
94 SQUILLO Composers on trial: pure inspiration or plain theft?
Kate Lindsey. Photo by Rosetta Greek
JULY/AUGUST 2017 Opera Now 3
