La Bohème at the Royal Opera House

La Bohème at the Royal Opera House

David Buchler
Royal Opera House

Richard Jones must be delighted by this latest outing of his 2017 new production of La Bohème. The production is tighter and clearer. He and his designer Stewart Laing have put a huge amount of effort into the Act 2 Café Momus scene. It is outstanding, as he provides 3 shopping arcades on the stage, which eventually move apart as the Café Momus set arrives for the main part of that Act.

Mamzer Bastard at the Royal Opera House / Hackney Empire

Mamzer Bastard at the Royal Opera House / Hackney Empire

David Buchler
Royal Opera House, Hackney Empire

The collaboration between the Royal Opera and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama was established in 2013 as an opportunity for one composer every two years to research and write a major operatic work. Na’ama Zisser is the second such composer in residence, and she studied at the Royal College of Music under Turnage. Together with her sister Rachel and her partner Samantha Newton, who jointly wrote the libretto, they have structured a new chamber opera called Mamzer Bastard.

Un Ballo in Maschera at Grange Park Opera

Un Ballo in Maschera at Grange Park Opera

David Buchler
Grange Park Opera

In one of Verdi’s most frustrating experiences, this opera commissioned by Naples in 1857, was actually premiered in Rome in 1859.  The original score underwent significant transformations as a result of censorship regulations in both Naples and Rome and the disturbing political situation in France in 1858.  The plot concerns the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden, who was killed as the result of a political conspiracy against him.  He was shot while attending a masked ball.

Opera Blog - Lohengrin

Opera Blog - Lohengrin

David Buchler
Royal Opera House

Lohengrin is a romantic three act opera, written by Richard Wagner and first performed in Weimar in 1850 under the patronage of King Ludwig.  It was indeed this patronage that gave Wagner the means and opportunity to compose and build a theatre for and stage his epic cycle, the Ring of the Nibelung. 

Capriccio at Garsington

Capriccio at Garsington

David Buchler
Garsington

This is the last opera written by Richard Strauss, with a German libretto by Clemens Krauss and is unlike any of his other operas.  It is more like a ‘conversation piece for music’ where the Countess has two suitors, Flamand and Olivier, representing music and words.  That is the context of the arguments and discussions that run throughout this opera.  The question is, what is more important, Music or Word - or should it be Word or Music - and which one of the suitors will take precedence in the heart of the Countess?