SPOT LIGHT
GUIDE TO NEW PRODUCTIONS & OPERA HIGHLIGHTS FEB-APR 2017
UK
DON’T MISS
The Snow Maiden at Opera North Rimsky-Korsakov’s touching and tragic tale of a beautiful woman with a heart of ice launches Opera North’s fairytale season. The Northern Irish soprano Aoife Miskelly sings the title role.
The Winter’s Tale at English National Opera In a sea of revivals, ENO’s world premiere of The Winter’s Tale comes as a welcome sign of a return to the land of the living for a company in distress. A strong British cast is led by Sophie Bevan and Susan Bickley. ENO’s composerin- residence Ryan Wigglesworth makes his operatic debut and Rory Kinnear, one of the UK’s most treasured actors (and a great Shakespearean to boot), directs.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Royal Opera House Kasper Holten takes his final bow as the ROH’s director of opera after a patchy few years of palpable hits and miserable misses. He’s an experienced Wagnerian – though this one needs a lightness of touch. Initial publicity stills seem to suggest a modern ‘X Factor’ approach… Bryn Terfel reprises the role of Hans Sachs.
ENO composer-in-residence Ryan Wigglesworth
BENJAMIN EALOVEGA
OPERA ON TOUR
ENGLISH TOURING OPERA
Tosca Puccini
Michael Rosewell (cond)
Blanche McIntyre (dir)
Patience Sullivan
Timothy Burke (cond)
Liam Steel (dir)
Mar 4 to Jun 10
London, Hackney Empire
4-10 March
Lighthouse, Poole
17-18 March
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
20-21 March
Churchill Theatre, Bromley
24-25 March
Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk
30 March-1 April
York Theatre Royal
7-8 April
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
10-11 April
Curve, Leicester
12-13 April
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
19-22 April
Cambridge Arts Theatre
25-29 April
G Live, Guilford
2 May
Buxton Opera House
4-6 May
Warwick Arts Centre
8-9 May
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
12-13 May
Gala Theatre, Durham
15-16 May
Perth Festival, Scotland
18 May
Exeter Northcott Theatre
23-27 May
Hall for Cornwall, Truro
29-39 May
Norwich Theatre Royal
1-3 June
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
5 June
Coronation Hall, Ulverston
7 June
Grand Theatre Blackpool
10 June
www.englishtouringopera.org.uk
BELFAST
NI OPERA
+44 28 9024 1919, www.niopera.com
La bohème Puccini
Rafael Payare (cond)
Apr 28 to 29
CARDIFF
WELSH NATIONAL OPERA
+44 08700 40 2000, www.wno.org.uk
La bohème Puccini
Manlio Benzi (cond)
Annabel Arden (dir)
Continues to Feb 15
Le Vin herbé Martin
Alexander Martin (cond)
Polly Graham (dir)
Continues to Feb 16
Madama Butterfly Puccini
Lawrence Foster / James Southall (cond)
Joachim Herz (dir)
Continues to Feb 17
GLASGOW
SCOTTISH OPERA
+44 141 331 1234,
www.scottishopera.org.uk
Pelleas and Melisande Debussy
Stuart Stratford (cond)
David McVicar (dir)
Feb 23 to Mar 4
Bluebeard’s Castle Bartók /
The Eighth Door Paterson
Sian Edwards (cond)
Matthew Lenton (dir)
Mar 28 to Apr 1
LEEDS
OPERA NORTH
+44 113 222 6222,
www.operanorth.co.uk
The Snow Maiden Rimsky-Korsakov
Leo McFall (cond)
John Fulljames (dir)
Continues to Feb 24
Hansel and Gretel Humperdinck
Christoph Altstaedt / Justin Doyle (cond)
Edward Dick (dir)
Feb 2 to 25
Cinderella Rossini
Wyn Davies / David Cowan (cond)
Aletta Collins (dir)
Feb 16 to 25
Turandot Puccini
Aleksandar Markovic (cond)
Apr 28 to May 12
LONDON
ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA
+44 20 7632 8300, www.eno.org
Rigoletto Verdi
Richard Armstrong (cond)
Jonathan Miller (dir)
Feb 2 to 28
The Pirates of Penzance Sullivan
Gareth Jones (cond)
Mike Leigh (dir)
Feb 9 to Mar 25
The Winter’s Tale Wigglesworth
Ryan Wigglesworth (cond)
Rory Kinnear (dir)
Feb 17 to Mar 14
Partenope Handel
Christian Curnyn (cond)
Christopher Alden (dir)
Mar 15 to 24
LONDON
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
+44 20 7304 4000, www.roh.org.uk
Il trovatore Verdi
Richard Farnes (cond)
David Bösch (dir)
Continues to Feb 9
Adriana Lecouvreur Cilea
Daniel Oren (cond)
David McVicar (dir)
Feb 7 to Mar 2
Die Meistersinger von
Nürnberg Wagner
Antonio Pappano (cond)
Kasper Holten (dir)
Mar 11 to 31
Madama Butterfly Puccini
Antonio Pappano / Renato Balsadonna (cond)
Moshe Leiser, Patrice Caurier (dir)
Mar 20 to Apr 25
Radiant soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu sings Maria Boccanegra in Antwerp
APOSTOLIS KOUKOUSAS
EUROPE
DON’T MISS
Simon Boccanegra at Flanders Opera, Antwerp A new production of Verdi’s masterful account of maritime machinations is directed by David Hermann, bringing the opera’s power struggles to the fore. The piratestatesman of the title is sung by Nicola Alaimo. The radiant Greek soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu is Amelia/Maria. Seasoned Verdian Alexander Joel takes charge in the pit.