Contents FRONT OF HOUSE EDITORIAL Taking stock as opera’s summer season begins YOUNG ARTIST OF THE MONTH Meeting rising star, designer Hannah Postlethwaite - NEWS & NOTES Seasons are announced at the Royal Opera House, the BBC Proms brings opera to the Albert Hall, and Glyndebourne announces an art exhibition alongside its summer festival. FESTIVAL GRANGE THE 33 28 REVIEWS - LIVE REVIEWS UK Royal Opera House Innocence (36); English National Opera The Dead City & Blue (38) UK Opera Roundup (40) EUROPE La Scala Les contes d ’Hoffmann (42) La Monnaie Bastarda I & II (44) USA Metropolitan Opera, New York Falstaff (46) Sarasota Winter Opera Festival (49) - RECORDINGS New releases on CD, Digital & AV including: Roméo et Juliette – a new recording on Erato from John Nelson and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and others from Rachel Willis-Sørensen and mezzo Anne Sophie von Otter as well as Matthias Hartmann’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos from last year captured on film Opera Now Choice: Julie Fuchs’s new album of Mozart soprano arias, Amadè comes with a glowing recommendation - SPOTLIGHT Worldwide Opera Guide and answers to this issue’s Quiz (p 63) COVER PHOTO: TAMARA THALHAMMER SORENSEN IS CHR 16 ‘You have to take that leap and be prepared to be judged, or at least criticised’ ILLOT M-BAPTISTE JEAN 46 OPERA ALMOND/MET KAREN CONTENTS Cover feature British countertenor Iestyn Davies prepares for a summer at Garsington Opera as he takes on the role of Farnace in Mozart’s Mitridate. He takes us through his road to success from a musical family, study at Wells Cathedral School and the importance of taking continued risks as a singer Thando Mjandana Tenor Thando Mjandana takes us through his success at the Black Voice of Opera Awards to singing major roles at Longborough and Waterperry this summer A new opera at Holland Park Jonathan Dove’s latest opera, Itch, adapted from Simon Mayo’s best-selling novels, takes to Holland Park’s stage this July. We speak to Jonathan Dove and conductor Jessica Cottis about this collaboration and the joys of contemporary opera ENO focus As a di cult season for the ENO comes to an end, we review two of their latest operas, Tesori’s Blue and Korngold’s The Dead City My Favourite Things Soprano Sally Matthews shares her beloved items and experiences Quiz How well do you know Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw? Test your opera knowledge in our monthly quiz ROSES ICHOLAS N Sarasota Winter Festival, Florida Florida’s Gulf Coast gleamed with opera this February, with works including Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s Ernani and Massenet’s Thérèse. We give a round up of the festival, exploring the company’s provision for young artists. www.operanow.co.uk OperaNow June 2023 5