I C H A E L S H A R K E Y

CONTENTS

16

/ M

C H E N G

J I YA N G

38

FRONT OF HOUSE | Contents

P E R S S O N

J O H A N

80

B E L L

G U Y

62

‘I started to dance at the same time as I started to sing – it’s a creative way of expressing myself.’ Jakub Józef Orliński

FRONT OF HOUSE 5 EDITORIAL Opera opens up

6 FEEDBACK Your thoughts and suggestions

9 NEWS & NOTES Welsh National Opera announces new general director | Opera North to undergo £18 million redevelopment | New Zealand soprano wins Les Azuriales competition | Letter from Valencia | and more…

14 ARTIST OF THE MONTH Italian soprano Carmela Remigio

MAIN STAGE 16 ALL THE RIGHT MOVES Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orlin´ski is a rising star with a voice driven by clean, intense energy. We meet the charismatic 27-year-old as he prepares to launch his debut solo album

24 WEEKEND IN… Seville – a city steeped in the music and dance traditions

www.operanow.co.uk

of flamenco, providing fertile soil for opera to flourish

27 UNDISCOVERED ITALY Opera Now goes in search of some beautiful, historic opera houses in lesserknown destinations across northern Italy

35 FESTIVAL FOCUS Ravenna Festival unveils its Verdi autumn trilogy

38 A POLITICAL SPECTACLE A new exhibition in Nuremberg explores the links between opera and the political propaganda of Nazism

43 TOKYO TOUCH Kazushi Ono takes the helm at Japan’s flagship theatre

47 DIRECTOR’S CUT Director Thomas Guthrie explains how semistaged opera can fire the imagination of audiences

51 TRAVELS WITH MY OPERA GLASSES Professor Anthony Ogus considers the repressive impact of Nazism on opera in 20th-century Europe

55 NEXT ISSUE Highlights in Opera Now November

THE CRITICAL VIEW 57-85 LIVE REVIEWS Candide receives a darkly satirical reading in Santa Fe | New Generation Festival launches in Florence | WNO stages a stunning new War and Peace | ENO scores a hit with Britten’s Paul Bunyan | Summer festival coverage from Aldeburgh, Glyndebourne, Salzburg, Peralada and Bard SummerScape | Focus on British opera in London

87 NEW RELEASES Opera on CD, DVD and Blu-ray

88 RECORDING OF THE MONTH Bernstein’s Wonderful Town from LSO Live

89-96 SPOTLIGHT Opera Now’s INTERNATIONAL GUIDE to the best live performances this autumn PLUS Opera on screen

REGISTER WITH RHINEGOLD Create an account to receive our free newsletters, download free resources and enjoy our interactive content www.rhinegold.co.uk/ registration

BACK STAGE 98 SQUILLO Michael White considers some challenges to journalistic integrity in the arts

Jakub Józef Orliński. Photo by Jiyang Cheng

OCTOBER 2018 Opera Now 3