In review: Jenůfa with the Czech Philharmonic

Review

As Jenůfa's mother, Kostelnička, Karita Mattila was a total force. She tore into the role's enormous range and horrific moments of drama with her notoriously brazen energy. She sang wildly at moments, yet it was funneled through a perfect character, one who constantly veers outside the comfortable and controlled.

In review: Javier Camarena at Wigmore Hall

Review

This recital was the best use of the "crowd pleasing" tactic. Camarena chose repertoire with which he just couldn't have gone wrong, but he followed up expectation with perfect delivery. It's no wonder that he holds rank along with Pavarotti and Flórez, as the third singer in 70 years to encore an aria at the Metropolitan Opera.

Magic & theatre: Jurowski and OAE's Resurrection Symphony

Review

Jurowski was the centre of the theatre of this piece, a physical chameleon that inspired and listened to the OAE. He took us through startling interruptions, adorable waltzes, and ugly and distorted folk sounds. The shuffling around onstage and in the audience between the first and second movements were decidedly too much, and too much for Jurowski; in a satisfying demand of the floor, he went from the second movement into the third with a forward-march kind of authority that seemed to scream, "order in the house!"

Heavy nights: Schoenberg & Brahms, the LPO and Goerne

Review

It was Goerne that was the highlight of the night. His is one of the most beautiful baritones singing today, and he was a complete picture of expression. His love for Brahms' music was completely clear, and he sang with his whole body in a huge range of colour. You could certainly hear the Lieder singer as he delivered this heavy text; he risked some soft singing, but gave us some of the more satisfying moments of the Requiem with a triumphant, full sound.

In review: Lucia di Lammermoor at ROH

Review

There was Lucia, embodying the most horrible, messy, inappropriate and inconvenient lows in a woman's life. By showing us all these unseen scenes, Mitchell managed to create a real relationship not only between Lucia and Edgardo, but between Lucia and Alisa, sung and acted beautifully by Rachael Lloyd. The gross differences between victory and loss, men's stories and women's, were powerful.

Great nights: Sketches of Miles

Review

The music was stellar, and the vibe was so great that even a momentary power outage mid-"Summertime" didn't dampen the night one bit. It's hard to say what we expected from CLS, but expectations don't matter when the experience holds us rapt and happy.

In review: Isis and Osiris

Review

As Isis, Cesaroni was a revelation. Her incomparable voice flew throughout the Jane Mallett with ease and aplomb, and I've said this before, she just gets better every time I hear her. Her darker colour belies the height and beauty she can achieve at the top of her register and every note is properly placed and spins and sparkles. Her characterization of (as she puts it) "the bad b*tch in charge" was a genuine treat.

In review: Juan Diego Flórez's Rosenblatt Recital

Review

It's always been an amazing thing to hear Flórez sing coloratura; there's efficiency in the sound, yet it's not necessarily light. His machine-gun approach is full of precision and control, and he always seems malleable and flexible despite all the work involved. Flórez treated us to "Cessa di più resistere" from Il barbiere di Siviglia, where we heard the expertise and ease that gave the tenor his star status.

Still stunning: Written on Skin

Review

As one hopes, there were new layers uncovered with our second hearing of Written on Skin. Martin Crimp's libretto juxtaposes a story set in the 12th century, where a woman feels stifled in her marriage, and a man responds with a tightened grip on his wife, with images of the 21st century. Car-parks, airports, and concrete buildings pull against everything we know about Agnès: a woman married at 14, never taught to read or write, with a husband that confidently and explicitly declares her his property.

In review: Boris Godunov

Review

Richard Jones makes much of this incessant guilt, exaggerating the unjustness of Boris' actions with childish images of colourful spinning tops and a cherub-like mask on the silent Dmitry. Jones carries the image through the final tableau, driving home the sacrifices of the young and innocent, when men seek political power.