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Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann from Covent Garden
19th Dec 2025
Stuffed with references to films including Moulin Rouge, Casino Royale and Mary Poppins, Damiano Michieletto’s surreal, absinthe-drenched production of Offenbach's final opera is the perfect dark Christmas treat, with Juan Diego Flórez heading a superb cast as the eponymous poet and barfly.
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Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann (Blu-ray)
Juan Diego Flórez (Hoffmann), Ermonela Jaho (Antonia), Alex Esposito (Lindorf/Coppélius/Miracle/Dapertutto), Julie Boulianne (Nicklausse), Olga Pudova (Olympia), Marina Costa-Jackson (Giulietta), Christine Rice (Muse) Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonello Manacorda, Damiano Michieletto
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Gilbert & Sullivan's Utopia, Limited from Scottish Opera
27th Jun 2025
The duo's penultimate collaboration - a satire on British imperialism and nineteenth-century corporate law - comes up as fresh as paint in a sparkling new recording conducted by Derek Clark, with a cast headed by Neal Davies as King Paramount and Ellie Laugharne as his Cambridge-educated daughter Zara.
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Gilbert & Sullivan: Utopia, Limited Or the Flowers of Progress
Neal Davies (King Paramount), Ellie Laugharne (Princess Zara), Yvonne Howard (Lady Sophy), William Morgan (Captain Fitzbattleaxe), Richard Suart (Scaphio), Arthur Bruce (Phantis) The Orchestra of Scottish Opera & Chorus, Derek Clark
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Massenet's Cendrillon from Glyndebourne
19th Jun 2020
Danielle de Niese and Kate Lindsey bring real psychological depth to Cinderella and Prince Charming's relationship in Fiona Shaw's astute and sparkling production, with John Wilson supplying fairy-dust aplenty from the pit.
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Samuel Barber's Vanessa from Glyndebourne
7th Jun 2019
The Pulitzer-winning 1958 opera receives a vividly cinematic staging from Keith Warner in its first outing on DVD and Blu-ray, filmed at the Sussex festival last summer.
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Mark Williams on The Pillar of the Cloud
6th Jun 2019
Director of Music Mark Williams talks to David about his new album with the choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, surveying music from the past five centuries connected to the city.
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Sir George Benjamin on Lessons in Love and Violence
13th Feb 2019
The composer talks to Katherine about the genesis of his third opera, which premiered at Covent Garden last May and was released on DVD and Blu-ray at the end of December.
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George Benjamin: Lessons in Love and Violence (DVD)
Stéphane Degout (King), Barbara Hannigan (Isabel), Gyula Orendt (Gaveston/Stranger), Peter Hoare (Mortimer), Samuel Boden (Boy/Young King) Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, George Benjamin, Katie Mitchell
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George Benjamin's Lessons in Love and Violence
28th Dec 2018
The British composer's third opera, based on the downfall of Edward II and starring French baritone Stéphane Degout as the conflicted monarch, has a compact, claustrophobic beauty.
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George Benjamin: Lessons in Love and Violence (DVD)
Stéphane Degout (King), Barbara Hannigan (Isabel), Gyula Orendt (Gaveston/Stranger), Peter Hoare (Mortimer), Samuel Boden (Boy/Young King) Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, George Benjamin, Katie Mitchell
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Allan Clayton on Brett Dean's Hamlet
26th Jul 2018
Following on from our interview with the composer earlier this week, Katherine talks to the English tenor about bringing this new incarnation of Shakespeare's 'sweet prince' to life.
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Brett Dean: Hamlet (DVD)
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger/Player-King), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio) London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
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Brett Dean on Hamlet
23rd Jul 2018
The Australian composer talks to Katherine about the genesis of his acclaimed 2017 Shakespearean opera, filmed at Glyndebourne last summer and now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Opus Arte.
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Brett Dean: Hamlet (DVD)
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger/Player-King), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio) London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
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Kasper Holten on Das Liebesverbot
11th Mar 2017
With his new production of Die Meistersinger opening at Covent Garden tonight, Katherine talks to the director about his recent staging of Wagner's neglected early comic opera.
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Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (DVD)
Manuela Uhl (Isabella), Christopher Maltman (Friedrich), Peter Lodahl (Lucio), Ilker Arcayürek (Claudio), Ante Jerkunica (Brighella) Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Real, Madrid, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Kasper Holten (director)
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Britten's The Rape of Lucretia and Donizetti's Poliuto from Glyndebourne
22nd Jul 2016
Katherine enjoys a double-bill of innovative Roman-themed operatic productions from Glyndebourne 2015.
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Britten: The Rape of Lucretia (DVD)
Christine Rice (Lucretia), Allan Clayton (Male Chorus), Kate Royal (Female Chorus), Duncan Rock (Tarquinius), Matthew Rose (Collatinus), Michael Sumuel (Junius), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Bianca) & Louise Alder (Lucia) London Philharmonic Orchestra, Leo Hussain (conductor) & Fiona Shaw (stage director)
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Christopher Purves on Glyndebourne's Saul
5th Jul 2016
Katherine talks to the bass-baritone about singing the title-role in Barrie Kosky's staging of Handel's oratorio.
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Handel: Saul (DVD)
Christopher Purves (Saul), Iestyn Davies (David), Lucy Crowe (Merab), Sophie Bevan (Michal), Paul Appleby (Jonathan), Benjamin Hulett (High Priest) & John Graham-Hall (Witch of Endor) The Glyndebourne Chorus & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Barrie Kosky (director)
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Saimir Pirgu
19th Jan 2016
As he prepares to sing La traviata at Covent Garden this evening, Katherine talks to the Albanian tenor about his new operatic recital-disc on Opus Arte.
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Kasper Holten on Don Giovanni
18th Sep 2014
Katherine talks to the director of the Royal Opera House about his recent production of Mozart's darkest opera, out now on DVD and Blu-ray and due for revival in the spring.
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Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527
Mariusz Kwiecien (Don Giovanni), Alex Esposito (Leporello), Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Commendatore), Véronique Gens (Donna Elvira), Antonio Poli (Don Ottavio), Malin Byström (Donna Anna), Elizabeth Watts (Zerlina) & Dawid Kimberg (Masetto) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Nicola Luisotti (conductor) & Kasper Holten (direcctor)
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New DVDs from Glyndebourne
23rd May 2011
South African baritone Jacques Imbrailo is endearing and compelling in the title-role of Billy Budd (directed by Michael Grandage), whilst Gerald Finley is an elegantly rakish Don Giovanni in Jonathan Kent’s 1950s staging.
