Contents

FRONT OF HOUSE

EDITORIAL Opera and subsidy LETTERS Your thoughts and suggestions OPINION What’s the point of a tenor’s top C? NEWS AND NOTES Remembering Mirella Freni; Opera Theatre of Saint Louis receives record $45m bequest LETTER FROM… Gothenburg: a new face at the helm of one of Sweden’s most innovative opera houses

REVIEWS - LIVE PRODUCTIONS Wozzeck at Greek National Opera (54), Street Scene at Opera North (56), Les Vêpres Siciliennes at Welsh National Opera (58), Le Nozze di Figaro at Theater Basel (61), A Hand of Bridge and Bluebeard’s Castle at Teatro La Fenice (62), Les Vêpres Siciliennes at Teatro Dell’Opera di Roma (64), Parsifal at Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse (66), King Arthur at Long Beach Opera (69) CD & DVD REVIEWS Kate Lindsey’s latest album, rare gems by Abert, Busoni and Zemlinsky, Agrippina with Joyce DiDonato COLLECTOR’S CORNER A guide to the best recordings of Beethoven’s Fidelio

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- SPOTLIGHT YOUR MONTHLY GUIDE TO OPERA WORLDWIDE New Productions • World Premieres • Exceptional Casts Rarities • Opera Now Choice

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‘There are lots of socalled traditions that have accumulated over

the years which we should guard against’

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ANITA RACHVELISHVILI One of the world’s greatest mezzos tells of her extraordinary journey from war-torn Georgia to the brilliant footlights of La Scala PICNICKING WITH PUCCINI It’s time to start planning your summer excursions with our guide to the UK’s ever-expanding Country House Opera festivals POPE JOAN Exploring the creation of a new opera about a mysterious 9thcentury female pontiff DIRECTORS CUT Richard Eyre on his production of La traviata that was built to last MUSIC IN A MONASTERY Adam Pollock tells the fascinating story of organising his second Musica Nel Chiostro festival in Tuscany in 1975

IN PROFILE John Tomlinson revisits his intense portrayal of Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral

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HEADWAYS TO THE FUTURE Tête à Tête is a forward-thinking opera company dedicated to supporting new composers and showcasing experimental concepts FORTRESS FORTES How Operosa is bringing operatic masterpieces to Montenegro for the very first time FROM THE WINGS Opera comes to the rescue of neglected literary masterpieces TOTAL IMMERSION Now you can truly replicate the multi-dimensional experience of live opera in your own home, thanks to innovative audio company L-Acoustics WHY I LOVE OPERA Sir Michael Lewellyn-Smith

www.operanow.co.uk

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