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FRONT OF HOUSE | Contents
I L L I N G T O N
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B A R D A
C L I VE
Günter Papendell as Don Giovanni at the Komische Oper Berlin.
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FRONT OF HOUSE 5 EDITORIAL Awards for excellence in opera
6 FEEDBACK Readers’ letters, emails and online posts
9 NEWS & NOTES ENO reveals plans to open up the Coliseum’s foyer | Director Richard Jones triumphs at this year’s Olivier Awards | Opera world mourns singers lost in plane crash | and more…
MAIN STAGE 12 COVER FEATURE Opera Now celebrates the achievements of the Komische Oper Berlin , winner of the Company category at this year’s International Opera Awards
21 GRANTING WISHES The International Opera Awards Foundation supports talented young opera professionals as they take their first steps in the profession. We meet some of this year’s bursary recipients
24 A WEEKEND IN… Chicago – the heart of America’s Midwest is home to the country’s third largest opera company
27 OPERA LANDMARKS From Indianola to Wichita, we explore the surprisingly rich operatic landscape of America’s Midwestern corn belt
34 A FINE ROMANCE Fabio Armiliato and Daniela Dessì discuss love and marriage – on stage and off
38 A BLAST FROM THE PAST Robert Turnbull looks forward to the first staging of Cavalli’s Veremonda since 1652
41 A PASSION FOR OPERA Monika Saunders shares some highs and lows of her 15 years at the helm of Woodhouse Opera
44 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD An historic meeting between Fidel Castro and Che Guevara provides the inspiration for Cuba’s first opera in 50 years
48 THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE Szymanowski’s extraordinary Król Roger receives its Covent Garden premiere
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51 TRAVELS WITH MY OPERA GLASSES Anthony Ogus marvels at a student production in Manchester
55 CRITICAL THINKING Michael Tanner on forgiveness in Mozart’s Figaro
58 SQUILLO Is opera losing great talent to bad teaching?
60 A YEAR IN THE LIFE Oliver Awards public panellist Tim Crocker-Buque surveys the 2014 London season
THE CRITICAL VIEW 63-83 LIVE REVIEWS Weill’s Mahagonny gets a provocative new staging at Covent Garden | Rilke poem inspires premiere in Vilnius | A trio of triumphs at Sarasota Opera | More new productions in London, Berlin, Stuttgart, Bergen, Budapest and Sofia
MULTIMEDIA 84 NEW RELEASES Opera on CD, DVD and Blu-ray
BACK STAGE 86 SPECIAL OFFER Join the ISM and enjoy four months’ free membership
98 EPILOGUE Opera Now’s cryptic crossword and monthly prize draw for opera lovers
89-97 SPOTLIGHT Opera Now’s INTERNATIONAL GUIDE to the best live performances this spring
COMPETITIONS 98 Win 10 complete Donizetti operas on CD from Opera Rara
Cover: Don Giovanni at the Komische Oper Berlin. Photo by Monika Rittershaus
Opera Now MAY 2015 3
