Not Only Opera Blog

January 2022

8 January

Stuck on the slopes: Force Majeure at Donmar Warehouse

December 2021

29 December

Opiate of the musical: Spring Awakening at the Almeida

October 2021

9 October

Haters gonna hate: Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre

September 2021

28 September	Laugh and the world laughs with you: Jenůfa at ROH
25 September	More blood please: Is God Is at Royal Court
22 September	Stop this nonsense: Die Zauberflöte at the ROH

August 2021

21 August	Manna from heaven: Tristan und Isolde at Glyndebourne
7 August	Fanta in the wilderness: Die Walküre at Hackney Empire

November 2020

1 November

The one that was worth it: James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook at Wigmore Hall

October 2020

22 October	A brush with a strange man: Academy of St Martin in the Fields at Kings Place
20 October	Too much Bach: Mahan Esfahani at Wigmore Hall
14 October	Flow my tears: Dowland’s Lachrimae by Fretwork at Wigmore Hall
10 October	Toil: Eric Lu plays Schubert at Wigmore Hall

September 2020

30 September

I can’t say how great it is to be back: Kaleidscope at Wigmore Hall

March 2020

5 March	Aimard surprise: George Benjamin and the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall
5 March	Another good deal: Music by Xenakis and Reimann at the Royal Festival Hall
4 March	Barriers dropped: Gerald Barry and the BBC Singers at the Barbican
1 March	Less than the sum of its parts: Fidelio at the ROH

February 2020

28 February	Not my cup of tea: Dances at a Gathering / The Cellist at the ROH
25 February	Suspiciously enjoyable: Explore Ensemble at City
22 February	She was then but is she now?: Isadora Now at the Barbican
21 February	Bloated sentimentality: Death of England at the National Theatre
12 February	A dispiriting evening: Luisa Miller at ENO
7 February	Piqued: The Visit at the National Theatre
6 February	The delight of a doomed gamble: Alice’s Adventures Under Ground at the ROH
5 February	Good for the soul: Uncle Vanya at the Pinter Theatre
4 February	A silly piece: Music by Walton, Liszt and Holst with the RPO

January 2020

29 January	Pärt poise: BBC SO plays music by Pärt, Skyllas and Rachmaninoff
24 January	Lost in the mist: BBC SO plays music by Fagerlund, Alma Mahler and Shostakovich
23 January	Muscular dance, vapid video: Aisha and Abhaya by Rambert
20 January	Half entertained, half bored to tears: Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre
19 January	The doldrums: Berg Violin Concerto and Christ on the Mount of Olives with the LSO
17 January	One way of many: Gerhaher and Huber perform Mahler at the Wigmore
16 January	Double vision: Two concerts of Berg and Beethoven with the LSO at the Barbican

December 2019

4 December

Purposeless silliness: Coppélia at the ROH

November 2019

27 November	Good production, great play: Death of a Salesman at the Piccadilly
25 November	Attack of the gondola: Death in Venice at the ROH
22 November	Queer beauty: Les Beaux dormants at the ROH

October 2019

25 October	More to be said: Lungs at the Old Vic
18 October	Magnificent: The Mask of Orpheus at ENO
16 October	Struggles with Schumann: Zauberland at the ROH
14 October	Disposable: Don Pasquale at the ROH
11 October	What delights: Agrippina at the ROH
8 October	Mozart elation: Don Giovanni at the ROH
4 October	Fascinating nonsense: The Intelligence Park at the Linbury
1 October	Orpheus surprise: Orpheus and Eurydice at ENO

September 2019

11 September	Super-slick: A Very Expensive Poison at the Old Vic
4 September	What theatre can be: The Doctor at the Almeida

August 2019

14 August	Vile: Bitter Wheat at the Garrick Theatre
7 August	A come-down: Rusalka at Glyndebourne
1 August	Worth it: Tristan und Isolde at Bayreuth

July 2019

23 July	Surface-level: Sarah Connolly at the Wigmore
16 July	The ultimate test: Carmen at the ROH
15 July	Decadence: The Night of the Iguana at the Noël Coward Theatre
13 July	Baffled rhapsody: Vox Luminis sings Bach Motets at the Wigmore
12 July	Neither heaven nor hell: Le nozze di Figaro at the ROH
9 July	Sweet dreams: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bridge Theatre
6 July	Nearly electric: La Damnation de Faust at Glyndebourne
3 July	Sometimes you need a church: Noye’s Fludde at Theatre Royal
2 July	No emperor: Peter Gynt at the NT

June 2019

27 June	Russian colour: Three Sisters by Maly Drama Theatre
22 June	Balance of camp: The Mother at QEH
20 June	Hollowed out: Boris Godunov at ROH

May 2019

31 May	Not bothered: Michael Tilson Thomas and the LSO play Cage, Beethoven and Bartók
24 May	A graceful coup: Rosmersholm at Duke of York’s
22 May	Top circus act: Donnerstag aus Licht with Le Balcon
12 May	Herculean effort: Paul Bunyan at Ally Pally
9 May	Sound: Within the Golden Hour/Medusa/Flight Pattern at the ROH
7 May	A weak argument: Faust at the ROH
3 May	Certainly earnest: Notos Quartett at the Wigmore
2 May	A/B Test: LSO play Birtwistle and Adams at the Barbican

April 2019

24 April	Bloody marvellous (mostly): Billy Budd at the ROH
12 April	No Lulu: Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel at ENO
12 April	Such helpful sheep: She Persisted by ENB
7 April	Distant bodies: JACK Quartet plays Elliott Carter
2 April	Take me back to the bubble!: The Book of Mormon

March 2019

29 March	Triumph no.2: Berenice at the ROH
27 March	Fish out of water: Berberian Sound Studio at the Donmar Warehouse
26 March	Free art: Silver Screens/Steel Strings by Zubin Kanga
25 March	Potaetry: Famished at Café OTO
24 March	Wild horses: La forza del destino at the ROH
19 March	What a whopper: Richard III at Alexandra Palace Theatre
17 March	Get to the Gershwin: Barabara Hannigan and the LSO at the Barbican
16 March	Boring sandwich, great bread: Tartuffe at the National Theatre
12 March	Mild Miller: The Price at Wyndham’s Theatre
6 March	Quite a programme: George Benjamin and Ensemble Modern at the Roundhouse
5 March	Up to 11: George Benjamin and Ensemble Modern at the Wigmore Hall

February 2019

27 February	Love it love it love it: The Monstrous Child at ROH
23 February	No more: Akhnaten at ENO
22 February	A worthy endeavour: Richard II at Sam Wanamaker Theatre
14 February	Fear the bull of silliness: Edward II at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
12 February	Brittle brilliance: Leon McCawley plays Beethoven at the Wigmore
10 February	Madness: La Damnation de Faust with the Hallé
6 February	Man cannot live on baths alone: Katya Kabanova at the ROH
2 February	Frank entertainment: When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other at the NT
1 February	Could it have been different?: The Queen of Spades at the ROH

January 2019

19 January	Sound congealed: Rebecca Saunders at the QEH
18 January	A fistful of feathers: Asphodel Meadows / The Two Pigeons at the ROH
10 January	A life of its own: The Queen of Spades at the ROH
9 January	A little less conversation: Abrahamsen and Sibelius with LSO
7 January	It’s ‘Recital at Lunch’ to you: Susana Gaspar and Marek Ruszczynski at the ROH
5 January	Why bother?: Richard II at the Almeida

December 2018

27 December	Eye-catching, over-reaching: The Tell-Tale Heart at the NT
18 December	Spoonfuls of sugar: Les Patineurs / Winter Dreams / The Concert at the ROH
14 December	She’ll be fine: Summer and Smoke at the Duke of York’s
13 December	Return to form: Macbeth at the Sam Wanamaker
9 December	Awaiting liftoff: Adès plays Janáček at the Wigmore Hall
8 December	Over-hyped, in expectation and action: Antony and Cleopatra at the NT
7 December	Buoyed up, weighed down: The Nutcracker at the ROH

November 2018

27 November	Under-stonked: Simon Boccanegra at the ROH
26 November	The naked ear: Arditti Quartet and Paul Cannon at the WIgmore Hall
19 November	Cannot be unseen: The Unknown Soldier at the ROH
10 November	Three flavours of disappointment: Ligeti Quartet at King’s Place
8 November	Washed away on waves of wonderfulness: Vox Luminis at the Wigmore
5 November	A rare breed: Measure for Measure at the Donmar
3 November	Highly respectable: The Rake’s Progress with the LPO
2 November	Cold: The Inheritance Part 2
1 November	Let’s talk about men: The Inheritance Part 1 at the Noël Coward Theatre

October 2018

24 October	A difference of opinion: Medusa at Sadler’s Wells
24 October	Mussed not annihilated: Macbeth by the RSC
19 October	Flies in the ointment: Die Walküre at the ROH
17 October	Crazy crazy play: Mercury Fur at the Guildhall
14 October	Storm the ivory tower: Dusapin’s Passion at the QEH
13 October	Eminence squared: Schwanengesang with Holl and Schiff at the Wigmore Hall
13 October	Whimsified outrage: War with the Newts by Knaïve Theatre
10 October	Timeless terror: The Lesson at the Hope Theatre
10 October	Silly not silly: Götterdämmerng at the ROH
7 October	Superhuman: Siegfried at the ROH
6 October	The urgent orator: Pieter Wispelwey Bach Suites at the Wigmore Hall
2 October	Round One to the singers: Das Rheingold at the ROH

September 2018

20 September

A smothering of silliness: Il barbiere di Siviglia at La Fenice

August 2018

27 August	Bell be my belle: Vanessa at Glyndebourne
23 August	You lose some you win some: Prom 54 at the RAH
15 August	Great production, but can I see it written down please?: Exit the King at the National Theatre
14 August	Tiny tarnishing: Greek at Grimeborn
7 August	Dreamland empire: Pelléas et Mélisande at Glyndebourne

July 2018

31 July	Musical integrity intact: The Rape of Lucretia at Grimeborn
20 July	Sunny unseriousness: Falstaff at the ROH
18 July	Remain calm: Don Giovanni at the ROH
15 July	Right story, wrong concept: The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre
13 July	Connection restored: Carducci Quartet at the Wigmore Hall
6 July	Bad robots: Tana Quartet at the Wigmore Hall

July 2018

1 July	Hype victim: Gruppen at Tate Modern
29 June	Never mind the Nazis: Lohengrin at the ROH
14 June	It is a competition: Romeo and Juliet by the BRB
6 June	Cellophilia: Piatti Quartet at the Razumovsky Music Studio
4 June	Rolls Royce plus gremlins: Siegfried at the Bridgwater Hall

May 2018

26 May	You let me down, Brandstrup: Life is a Dream at Sadler’s Wells
23 May	Bonkering Beethoven: Barry and Beethoven with the Britten Sinfonia
18 May	Nailed it: Swan Lake at the ROH
17 May	I’ll give you beacons: Beacons by London Sinfonietta at QEH
13 May	Eloquent rage: Ligeti’s Etudes at QEH
12 May	Death and delight: Ligeti’s Horn Trio at the QEH
9 May	Sensuous savagery: Lessons in Love and Violence at the ROH
3 May	Reign of Kane: 4.48 Psychosis at Lyric Hammersmith

April 2018

29 April	Signifying nothing: 2001 live at the Royal Festival Hall
27 April	Hip hip Hirano: Manon at the ROH
25 April	Unambigous comedy: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the ROH
24 April	This party sucks: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
22 April	Hayward time: Kenneth MacMillan at the Barbican
20 April	Sublime contact: Currie and Hodges at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
13 April	Not as easy as it looks: The Gender Agenda at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
12 April	Hail, Anderson, hail!: JACK Quartet at the Wigmore Hall
11 April	Telemagnetism: Tabea Debus at Dr Johnson’s House
7 April	Theorbos at the ready: Dido and Aeneas at the Wigmore Hall
7 April	The Bernstein Massif: MASS at the Southbank Centre
4 April	Gaiman up: Coraline at the Barbican

March 2018

29 March	Slap the gift horse: La traviata at ENO
28 March	Not bad considering: Bernstein at the ROH
27 March	A spiritual experience: St Matthew Passion with Mark Padmore and the OAE
25 March	Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No!: Macbeth at the ROH
23 March	What’s everyone complaining about?: Macbeth at the NT
21 March	Melancolia: Vilde Frang, Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO
19 March	End with a wind up: Ensemble intercontemporain at Wigmore Hall
17 March	Enough with the spotted snakes: New London Children’s Choir
15 March	Pretty much perfect: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at ENO
14 March	Bet-hedging perils: From the House of the Dead at the ROH
14 March	Serious fun: Mary Stuart from the Almeida
13 March	Close but no cigar: Maurizio Pollini at the RFH
10 March	Alright, cleverclogs: The Ferryman at Gielgud Theatre
9 March	Same people, new purpose: The Birthday Party at the Harold Pinter Theatre
2 March	All hail Reich: East Meets West by LSO Percussion Ensemble

February 2018

27 February	More than a rhapsody: Jeremy Denk and Britten Sinfonia
26 February	Short shrift to Cavalli: Les Talens Lyriques at the Wigmore Hall
25 February	Impressive if slightly annoying: Boat People at Pentameters Theatre
23 February	Brutus alone: Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre
20 February	Matters of life and death: Dead Man Walking at the Barbican
16 February	Why does it begin?: Satyagraha at ENO
15 February	Who doesn't like Pergolesi's Stabat Mater?: AAM at Milton Court
14 February	The delight tipping point: Artemis Quartet at the Wigmore Hall
3 February	Seeing it for what it is: Carmen at the ROH
2 February	Awwww: Ani Batikian and Roland Roberts at the NPG
1 February	Bring me the head of the skullcap man: Liminal Rites by Echoshed

January 2018

25 January	Debussyed out: Debussy with François-Xavier Roth and the LSO
23 January	The prickly princess: Salome at the ROH
19 January	Silly after all: Giselle at the ROH
14 January	Rattle Redemption: Berg and Bartók at the Barbican
12 January	The absolute pits: All’s Well That Ends Well at the Sam Wanamaker
12 January	Welly lacking: Tosca at the ROH
9 January	Yoohoolysses, darling!: The Return of Ulysses at the Roundhouse
6 January	Discovery of perfection: Rigoletto at the ROH

December 2017

16 December	Evading greatness: Christmas Oratorio at the Southbank Centre
13 December	Gerhaher Glow: Das Lied von der Erde at the Barbican
12 December	Daisy I can do without: Daisy Pulls It Off at Park Theatre
9 December	Entirely satisfactory: Nash Ensemble and James Newby at the Wigmore Hall
5 December	Box of Delights: Ruins in Reverse at the LCMF
2 December	Move over Marlon: Guys and Dolls at the Royal Exchange

November 2017

23 November	Well-meant, ill-advised: Saint George and the Dragon at the National Theatre
22 November	Auspicious beginnings: The Rake’s Progress at Wilton’s Music Hall
21 November	What are all the men for?: Sylvia at the ROH
20 November	I’ll take the boom-smash: Stimmung and Cosmic Pulses at the Barbican
16 November	Almost suitably bonkers: Semiramide at the ROH
4 November	Passion and Precision: Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan at the Wigmore
3 November	More champagne and madeleines!: Young Marx at the Bridge Theatre
3 November	Wind Wound: Tharp and Pita at the Royal Ballet

October 2017

31 October	All about Bartók: Elias Quartet at the Wigmore
29 October	A Mediterranean Mystery: Jordi Savall at the Wigmore Hall
27 October	Man-Handeled: Rodelinda at ENO
25 October	Who invited Judas?: The Judas Tree and Song of the Earth at the ROH
19 October	It’s not a competition: Concerto / Le Baiser de la fée / Elite Syncopations at the ROH
18 October	A question of tastelessness: Les Vêpres siciliennes at the ROH
14 October	Life and death in English music: Earth Dances and Skempton
13 October	Context is everything: The Dreamers Ever Leave You at Printworks
11 October	Danger deficit: Haitink, Ax and the LSO perform Brahms and Beethoven
10 October	Smugging smugathon: King's Singers at Westminster School
7 October	Great art, great silliness: Aida at ENO
4 October	Long and apparently random: Autobiography at Sadler's Wells

September 2017

29 September	Oh god let me out: Jane Eyre at the National Theatre
24 September	Knots aplenty: Khovanshchina at WNO
23 September	Alas, poor cello: Vienna Mozart Trio at the Wigmore
21 September	A Birtwistle-stop tour: Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore
20 September	The Bartók Balance: Senza Sangue and Bluebeard's Castle at Hackney Empire
17 September	This Is Knussen! (but mainly Birtwistle): Knussen and BCMG at Milton Court
16 September	Nobody puts Schubert in the corner: Woyzeck in Winter at the Barbican
14 September	Illusion stripped: La bohème at the ROH
13 September	Different pleasures: Die Zauberflöte at the ROH
8 September	Exceptional music performed exceptionally: András Schiff and Book 1 at the BBC Proms
7 September	Attack of the bathtub: Vienna Philharmonic and Mahler 6 at the BBC Proms

August 2017

12 August	Nonsense and drama in (almost) perfect balance: La Bayadère with the Mariinsky
5 August	Anna stripped back to her ballet essentials: Anna Karenina by the Mariinsky

July 2017

30 July	Rapture attack: La clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne
20 July	An opera of two halves: The Merchant of Venice with WNO at the ROH
7 July	Analogue delights: The Tempest with the RSC at the Barbican
4 July	Not clever but it is big: Turandot at the ROH
3 July	Kaufmann yes; everything else, not sure: Otello at the ROH

June 2017

27 June	Crowe one, dove nil: Mitridate at the ROH
21 June	Business as usual: Ensemble intercontemporain at the Wigmore Hall
18 June	21st-century opera parody: Hamlet at Glyndebourne
15 June	Instruments as bodily growths: Arditti and Eliot Fisk at the Wigmore
14 June	Yep, really as good as everyone says: Igor Levit plays Beethoven at the Wigmore
13 June	Distracted by 18 Musicians: Keersmaeker's Rain at Sadler's Wells
10 June	A pretty cool programme: Scottish Ballet with Pite and Preljoçaj at Sadler's Wells
7 June	Charm bottled: L'elisir d'amore at the ROH
5 June	A decadent act: Gurre-Lieder at the Bridgewater Hall
3 June	Requiem for a wig: Ashton mixed programme at the ROH
3 June	A profound meditation on identity – if a slightly indulgent one: Akram Khan's DESH at Sadler's Wells
2 June	Go Go Gimeno: Ligeti, Salonen, Bartók and Mahler with the Philharmonia at the Southbank

June 2017

1 June	The Maltman Menagerie: Christopher Maltman and Malcolm Martineau at the Wigmore
31 May	Deliciously loud: Beethoven and Barry with Adès and the Britten Sinfonia at Milton Court
28 May	Is it wrong to review someone's birthday: Psophos Quartet at Staplefield
27 May	It's aliiiiive! Actually, maybe it isn't: Don Carlo at the ROH
25 May	Bennnnnd… and swish!: Forsythe, Balanchine, Wheeldon and Scarlett at the ROH
14 May	Charm offensive: Simon Bode and Igor Levit at the Wigmore Hall
12 May	No two performances the same: Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling at the ROH
11 May	Not good enough: Kyung Wha Chung plays Bach at the Barbican
10 May	The operatic animal: Lise Davidsen at the Wigmore Hall
8 May	Not a bad way to spend a Sunday evening: Bartók and Mahler at the Southbank Centre
7 May	Too long and too loud: Varèse at the Barbican
5 May	Good programming bad programming: Boulez and Debussy at the Southbank Centre

April 2017

25 April	A good time to be an opera lover: The Exterminating Angel at the ROH
21 April	Words cannot express: Thomas Dunford at the Wigmore Hall
20 April	The romance is over: Obsession at the Barbican Theatre
19 April	Daniel Hope and the Basel Chamber Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall
8 April	Pull the other one: Travesties at the Apollo Theatre
7 April	Someone turn down the brass: Berg and Mahler with the LSO at the Barbican
1 April	A shining example: Jewels at the ROH

April 2017

1 April	An irresistible programme: New York Philharmonic play Bartók and Mahler at the Barbican
29 March	Not for purists/grumps: Twelfth Night at the National Theatre
27 March	BLWRAAAAAHHHGH-uck-urggh: The White Devil at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
17 March	Characterization, characterization, characterization: Hamlet at the Almeida
16 March	I demand to be devastated: The Human Seasons/After the Rain/Flight Pattern at the ROH
11 March	Wagner was not a feminist (and that's ok): Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the ROH
11 March	The long and short of it: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Old Vic
10 March	Scarytales and deep dark demons: Stepmother/Stepfather at The Place
7 March	Almost as awkward as real life – in a good way: The Cherry Orchard at the Arcola
5 March	The Wayniest thing ever: Tree of Codes at Sadler's Wells
3 March	Cheer up, Ryan! The Winter's Tale at ENO

February 2017

27 February	Stage magic: The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York's Theatre
25 February	What, no Nancarrow? Adams's Grand Pianola Music at the Barbican
23 February	Play it again, Sam: Aimard in the 'Emperor' and Tansy Davies's Concerto for Four Horns at the Southbank Centre
21 February	Poor old Berg: Lulu at the Hamburgische Staatsoper
19 February	A bargain at €700 million: Beethoven at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie
16 February	Early days: The Sleeping Beauty at the ROH
10 February	Please could you just die already: Adriana Lecouvreur at the ROH
7 February	Can't say no to Beethoven: Pinchas Zuckmern at the Southbank Centre
4 February	Woolf Works sometimes, sometimes not: Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works at the ROH
1 February	May I have my Adès less deconstructed: In Seven Days with the London Sinfonietta at the Southbank Centre

January 2017

30 January	There will be blood and ondes martinots: There Will Be Blood in concert at the Southbank Centre
27 January	So many enfants terribles: Les Enfants Terribles at the Barbican Theatre
26 January	Worra lorra Trovatore: Il trovatore at the ROH
22 January	Leave it to the musicians: Fidelio at the Southbank Centre

December 2016

10 December

Handeled with care: Handel's Messiah, Three Spires Singers