Contents

FRONT OF HOUSE 5 EDITORIAL More opera than ever 7 LETTERS Your thoughts and suggestions 8 OPINION Opera singers should try to act 10 NEWS AND NOTES New opera by John Tavener at Grange Park | Welsh National Opera postpones world premiere 12 LETTER FROM… Bogotá in Colombia, where a new forward-thinking, international spirit has transformed cultural life over the past decade

C L A S S I C A L

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44-53 LIVE PRODUCTIONS English Touring Opera’s Così fan tutte and St John Passion at the Hackney Empire (44), Eugene Onegin at Norwegian National Opera (48), Idomeneo at the Royal Danish opera (50), Don Carlos at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège (52) 54-73 STAYING IN How to indulge your love of opera during lockdown Books: Roger Scruton’s thoughts on Parsifal. A round-up of recent publications. CD & DVD Reviews: Oceane, a new opera from the Deutsche Opera Berlin. Barbara Hannigan’s latest album. A superb House of the Dead on DVD from Munich. Piotr Beczala’s new solo disc Vincerò. Isabel Bayakdarian’s soprano survey of arias for the ‘other’ Cleopatra Hifi: Is your home entertainment system letting you get the best out of the plethora of streaming sites now offering opera? We give you a few simple tips on improving your listening pleasure. Streaming: Our pick of what’s on offer as opera houses around the world move their focus to providing online performances. Plus listings of current streaming initiatives.

74-79 SPOTLIGHT A GUIDE TO OPERA IN A POSTPANDEMIC WORLD

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‘To me, someone who is invincible and invulnerable

is not interesting at all!’

CONTENTS

16 THE REAL THING An in-depth interview with tenor superstar Jonas Kaufmann on the wide variety of roles he sings, exploring the boundaries of the voice in terms of its tonal colour, emotional range and dramatic possibilities

Test your wits in

the Opera Now Quiz

on page 80

24 A MARRIAGE MADE IN BEL CANTO HEAVEN We profile the husband and wife team of Richard Bonynge and Joan Sutherland who took the world by storm with their rediscovery of bel canto masterpieces, bringing the art of beautiful singing back into the limelight

32 YOUNG ARTIST PROFILE Freddie De Tommaso – one of the lads who is heading for tenor glory

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36 OPERA IN THE AGE OF MILLENNIALS What will opera be like for a new generation with different expections of art and entertainment?

38 FROM THE WINGS Gilbert & Sullivan and the high art of comic opera

41 TRAVELS IN MALTA History and culture on an enchanting Mediterranean island

61 VERDI ON DISC Enter our competition to win Jonas Kaufmann’s new recording of Otello from Sony Classical

82 WHY I LOVE OPERA Fiona Hamilton, founder of Opera Prelude, an organisation dedicated to supporting young talent

www.operanow.co.uk

OperaNow May/June 2020 3