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by Rachel Beaumont

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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