Classical and Opera and Opera Reviews and Interviews

Classical and Opera Features

Why I Love… Salieri

by Sam Smith

Continuing the series on our writers’ musical passions, Sam Smith explains his admiration for a composer who is still too often maligned Although it is…

Q&A: London Handel Festival’s Samir Savant

by Barry Creasy

Samir Savant, Director of The London Handel Festival, discusses lockdown and the future of the Festival

Q&A: London Handel Festival’s Samir Savant

Stephen Hough: Composing in lockdown

by Benjamin Poore

Benjamin Poore talks to composer Stephen Hough about coping with lockdown and his forthcoming performance at Wigmore Hall Lockdown is Stephen Hough’s first real break...

The show must go on: Mark Simpson on composing in isolation

by Benjamin Poore

Lockdown hasn’t got everyone down. Benjamin Poore talks to composer and clarinettist Mark Simpson

The show must go on: Mark Simpson on composing in isolation

Gloriana @ Royal Opera House, London (online)

by Sam Smith

The magic of streaming allows Sam Smith to revisit a classic Royal Opera production

Gloriana @ Royal Opera House, London (online)

Spotlight: Stile Antico tackle Spem in Alium in lockdown

by Barry Creasy

Relying on group meetings, choral music performance is in turmoil. These early music specialists have a technological solution

Spotlight: Stile Antico tackle Spem in Alium in lockdown

Why I Love… Carlo Bergonzi

by Simon Thomas

Our series moves to performers, as Simon Thomas explains his love for a great tenor

Garsington in lockdown: long-distance fixes of the operatic kind

by Melanie Eskenazi

Garsington may be down, but they’re not out, as the festival’s streaming service Garsington Opera At Home gears up

Garsington in lockdown: long-distance fixes of the operatic kind

Gerhaher / Huber @ Staatsoper, Munich (online)

by Melanie Eskenazi

With venues closed, Melanie Eskenazi finds that live musical treats can still be had

Gerhaher / Huber @ Staatsoper, Munich (online)

Why I Love… The Monteverdi Vespers

by Barry Creasy

Barry Creasy tells us what makes the Vespers so special

Why I Love… La traviata

by Sam Smith

Continuing the series on our writers’ operatic passions, Sam Smith explains what makes a production of Verdi’s 1853 classic work

Così fan tutte @ Royal Opera House, London (online)

by Sam Smith

Sam Smith compares Cosìs, as the Royal Opera streams a classic production

Così fan tutte @ Royal Opera House, London (online)

Concert In Memoriam Sir Peter Jonas @ Staatsoper, Munich (online)

by Melanie Eskenazi

Melanie Eskenazi attends a live performance without leaving her sofa

Concert In Memoriam Sir Peter Jonas @ Staatsoper, Munich (online)

Why I Love… Winterreise

by Melanie Eskenazi

Melanie Eskenazi guides us to Schubert’s definitive Lockdown Lieder in the latest of our series on private music passions

Loss in translation? Opera surtitles and the right to choose

by Simon Thomas

Is coronavirus lockdown the perfect time to learn a language for the sake of opera? Simon Thomas recalls the introduction of surtitles and asks whether...