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Showing posts from July, 2016

Gushing over The Queen of Spades

It is common for those of us who work in opera (and probably also those who don't) to take works for granted. What I mean is that we sit and consider a future season, rake through the works that are on the list, imagine people in the roles etc. And then sort of judge the whole thing on the reputation it has, as much as on the extent to which we might admire or like the work.  Boheme is a good example of this; it's Boheme, right?  So it is about time we did it - but  I'll be honest, it is a long time since I sat and listened to it on CD.  Yet when it gets into the theatre and you start to hear it in detail, live,  with the orchestra rehearsing, you again realise how very, very good it is.  Some operas you may listen to more frequently as you sit on a bus or do some work, but when it gets into the theatre, with a staging, when all that narrative music begins to make perfect sense, the opera in question can take on an even more profound dimension. This is what is happening wit