Tag Archives: Valery Gergiev
Modernism in all its glory
This week, as if to lighten the January gloom, I had the chance to experience two sharp doses of modernism. Both were performances of the very highest quality, and in different ways they both left their mark. Firstly, back on … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - "The Rest", Reviews - Opera
Mariinsky Ring: a summary shorter and sharper than the original
This time last week Act 3 of Siegfried was still resolutely underway, and my generally upbeat feelings were being battered by Brunnhilde’s considerable vibrato. A little distance has been achieved, so a summary follows… Production dire. Gergiev vanity project about … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - Opera
Mariinsky Ring Part 4: the ups and downs continue to the end
The one consistent thing that you can say about this ring is that it is inconsistent, and that inconsistency continued to the very end. Were any threads tied together? Nope. Did the production come together, in the way that Keith … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - Opera
Mariinsky Ring Part 3: Surprise!
An enjoyable evening. Much more on the level of acts 2 and 3 yesterday, rather than of the dire Walkure act 1 or the troubled Rheingold. And for me to call Siegfried enjoyable is quite something, so what did the … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - Opera
Mariinsky Ring Part 2: faltering start, glimmers of hope
And so to Die Walküre… If I weren’t so easy-going temperamentally, I’d have left after Act 1 and not darkened the door of the opera house again whilst the Mariinsky company were on the premises. This most glorious section of … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - Opera
Mariinsky Ring Part 1: Not Promising
Some context needs to be set around what is to follow. The Mariinsky Theatre, led by Valery Gergiev, have brought their much toured Ring Cycle to Covent Garden. Ticket prices for the cycle are, in the main, higher than the … Continue reading
Filed under Reviews - Opera
