Contents

FRONT OF HOUSE EDITORIAL Rediscovering Korngold LETTERS Your views and suggestions NEWS & NOTES Goings and comings at Opera North and Finnish National Opera • Critics’ Circle Awards • San Francisco Opera’s archives. 12 Nicholas Payne’s legacy at Opera Europa. 14 An all-singing and all dancing Ainadamar receives its UK premiere at Scottish National Opera

REVIEWS - THE LONDON FRINGE Grimeborn Festival, Cervantes Theatre, Spectra Ensemble, Opera at Home, Trinity Laban, British Youth Opera, Charing Cross Theatre, Opera Kipling, The Shipwright House, La Vache Baroque, Charles Court Opera - LIVE REVIEWS UK Leeds Opera Festival Silla (47); Northern Ireland Opera La traviata (48); USA Opera Philadelphia O Festival (50) Berkshire Opera Festival (52) EUROPE Tiroler Festival Die Walküre (54) Dvořákova Praha International Music Festival Rusalka (59) ASIA New National Theatre Tokyo Giulio Cesare (56) - RECORDINGS New releases on CD, Digital & AV including: Neopolitan Arias and Canatas for castrati, Dresden, Antal Doráti’s Der Künder, bass-baritone George London, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg from the Salzburg Festival and our Opera Now Choice: Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro from the Salzburg Festival

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- SPOTLIGHT World Wide Opera Guide and answers to this issue’s Quiz (p71)

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‘In opera, as in sport, even if you have big stars, you won’t have a winning team if it’s not well balanced’

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Cover feature French baritone Ludovic Tézier is regarded as one of the finest Verdi baritones of his generations. He talks to Helena Matheopoulos about his upbringing in Marseille and the development of his voice into the dark, dramatic instrument it is today All in the family Film actress and opera director Chiara Muti discusses her musical childhood with her famous father Riccardo, and her attraction to Mozart opera, which she is currently directing in opera houses around Italy Virtual Venice A trip to this year’s Venice film Biennale provides an opportunity to glimpse what the future of opera might look like through the lens of virtual reality

Korngold in focus Jessica Duchen celebrates the new popularity of Die tote Stadt, looking forward to a new production with designs by Robert Perdziola (pictured here)

In the court of King Gustav Countertenor Rafaelle Pe heads to the court theatre in Drottningholm for the Swedish permiere of Vivaldi’s Il Giustino

My Favourite Things Conductor William Christie relaxes in his garden with a spot of weeding Quiz Test your opera knowledge www.operanow.co.uk

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