Focus / Culture - 3 weeks ago

Blond Eckbert review – Judith Weir’s bare-bones opera kicks off Aldeburgh festival

Snape Maltings, AldeburghDespite excellent performances from the singers and chamber ensemble, this stripped-back version of the folkloric opera failed to convey the horror of its storyA month after her 70th birthday, Judith Weir is one of the featur...

Focus / Culture - 4 months ago

Manon Lescaut review – Puccini’s desert tragedy gets a surreal rainbow revamp

Hackney Empire, LondonJude Christian’s staging for English Touring Opera is colourful and imaginative but lacks critical chemistry and coherenceThe thing you really, really need to know about Manon Lescaut before the curtain goes up on English Tourin...