Category Archives: going to operas

a return to Puccini

Posted on December 10, 2009 by vhk10

The first opera I ever saw was Tosca (in a Glyndebourne touring production in Oxford). Since then I haven’t been to a performance of any opera by Puccini, until WNO’s Butterfly. This is clearly the year of the monochrome opera, … Continue reading →

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a controversial video

Posted on October 15, 2009 by vhk10

I went with a friend to the performance of Berg’s Wozzeck at the Royal Festival Hall which ended the Philharmonia and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s City of Dreams season. I did some background reading for this by digging out my copy of … Continue reading →

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Requiem (1): Fauré

Posted on November 13, 2008 by vhk10

This year we did the Fauré Requiem again for All Souls. This is the third time in the lifetime of this blog that I’ve performed this piece so I’m beginning to run out of things to say about it. There … Continue reading →

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The Sacrifice

Posted on November 22, 2007 by vhk10

Welsh National Opera used to tailor letters to members of their mailing list based on what they had booked for in the past. I can see them writing to me: ‘Dear Dr Knight, We see that you have a liking … Continue reading →

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sets at the Met

Posted on October 20, 2006 by vhk10

During a visit to New York last week I went with my father-in-law to a performance of Zauberflöte at the Metropolitan Opera. I thought carefully about which opera to go to, and I was rather tempted by La Gioconda, because … Continue reading →

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a double dose of Pushkin

Posted on July 19, 2006 by vhk10

I was intrigued by Mazeppa when I heard a broadcast from the Met last winter, so I took advantage of the opportunity to go to the WNO performance at the Hippodrome in Bristol. Why is a work of this quality … Continue reading →

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the back of the conductor’s head

Posted on March 24, 2006 by vhk10

I went to the final performance of the revival of Wozzeck at the Royal Opera House. I shan’t attempt to review the performance here, but reviews are available online: e.g. the Guardian‘s or the Observer‘s. As I saw the opera … Continue reading →

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encountering the ringtone

Posted on May 16, 2005 by vhk10

A couple of years ago I finally got a mobile phone, which allowed programmable ringtones of a rather limited kind (monophonic, and with equal note values). I set it up to play the principal tone-row from Lulu, and have used … Continue reading →

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Ni’r tlodion

Posted on February 27, 2005 by vhk10

On Friday we went to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff to see Welsh National Opera’s new production of Wozzeck. As something of a veteran of productions of this opera, I shan’t comment further on either its degree of musical … Continue reading →

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Ariadne in Advent

Posted on December 10, 2004 by vhk10

I felt it was about time to go to the opera again, and although the piece isn’t a favourite of mine I went to WNO’s Ariadne auf Naxos at the Bristol Hippodrome, that being what I could get to easily. … Continue reading →

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