Contents

FRONT O F HOUSE I Contents

FRONT OF HOUSE 5 EDITORIAL Celebrating Verdi 's birthday

6 FEEDBACK Readers' letters, emails and online posts

9-15 NEWS & NOTES Domingo's Operalia 2013 winners announced I British bass Richard Angas dies aged 71 I Handel gets exotic treatment in Bhutan I New season of international opera launched in Muscat I and more ...

16 PREMIERE OF THE MONTH Hogarth 's A Harlot's Progress reaches the opera stage in Vienna

MAIN STAGE 18 COVER FEATURE The German coloratura soprano Diana Damrau may be easy-going in real life, but acts up a storm on stage, creating intensity and drama in the roles she sings. She di scusses her portrayals of fallen women in opera, while revealing a surprising love of the lighter side of the repertoire

24 POSTCARD FROM ... America's Deep South. From Atlanta to Mississippi, the

southern states have the longest history of producing opera in the US. Today, the region's opera companies offer a li vely mix of repertoire in some architecturally striking venues

33 VERDI VS WAGNER Tradition has it that opera fa ns are either born as Wagnerites or Verdians. As the bicentenary celebrations for the two composers draw to a close, Simon R ees calls for a truce between the two rival camps

37 A LIFE IN EXILE Bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni describes how cultural apathy in Ltaly has taken the shine off Verdi 's birthday celebrations in his homeland this year

39-46 SEASON PREVIEW Opera Now's pick of the best opera productions in Europe and America at the start of the autumn/ winter season

49 EMOTIONAL SPECTACLE EUen Kent, the doyenne of touring opera in Britain , has shifted the emphasis from spectacular stagin gs to emotionally driven drama for her forthcoming UK tour

50 OPERA BLUFF Becon

THE CRITICAL VIEW 54-71 LIVE REVIEWS Contrasting Aida productions mark Verona 's centenary season I New Ring cyCle Aops in Bayreuth I US festival reports from Glimmerglass, Santa Fe, Cincinnati, Central City and Bard SummerScape

1 More summer coverage fi·om Salzburg,Aix, London, Buxton and Iford I N ovaya Opera's Tristan 1111d !so/de

MULTIMEDIA 73 NEW RELEASES Opera on CD, DVD and Blu-ray

BACK STAGE 82 SQUILLO Can there ever be such a thing as too much opera? Michael White finds himself suffering from festival fa tigue after a long, hot summer. ..

Opera Now's INTERNATIONAL GUIDE to the best li ve performances this autumn

PLUS: Opera on TV, online and in cinemas

COMPETITIONS 10 Win 12 Verdi operas on 17 DVDs fi-om Opus Arte

COVER PHOTO Diana Damrau Photo by Eric Richmond

Opera Now OCTOBER.. 20 l.3