Classical concerts in London

This review is from 2016. 'Akhnaten' returns to ENO in February 2019. In Pharaohic terms, 17 years is but a blink of a kohl-lined eye, but Akhnaten (hubby of Nefertiti, daddy of Tutankhamun) ensured a kind of immortality during his short reign by doing away with the whole multi-god thing and replacing it with worship of a single deity: the sun-disc, or Aten.  Did he learn to juggle, too? That’s the question you may ask yourself during this new production of Philip Glass’s 1983 opera, directed by Phelim McDermot. Courtesy of members of Gandini Juggling, balls fly through the air in ever more complex patterns – growing in size from juggling balls to beach balls (symbols of the sun) as Akhnaten’s encounter with his solar deity draws near. Even the chorus gets involved, as if singing in Egyptian, Hebrew and Akkadian wasn’t difficult enough. Such is the production’s commitment to ball control, you half expect the pharaoh himself to engage in a spot of keepy-uppy during his extended moment in the sun.  The Cirque-like tricks serve a purpose beyond keeping you visually entertained. They underscore the insistence of Glass’s music, as well acting as a kind of counterpoint to its complex cross-rhythms. Which isn’t to say that the music is especially challenging to listen to. Glass has always been the minimalist composer with the catchiest tunes, and ‘Akhnaten’ has the most hauntingly beautiful songs of his ‘Trilogy’, notably the pharaoh’s doleful ‘Hymn to the Sun’. From the first m

Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera for kids is as warm as a witch’s kitchen, and as dark as the forest outside. It swaps the Grimm Brothers’ fairytale’s wicked child-abandoning parents for a desperately poor couple who send their kids into the forest in a much-regretted flash of anger. And Antony McDonald’s stylish new production mixes in more than enough wit to leaven the bleakness of black forest poverty. The witch’s gingerbread house is a masterstroke: a lopsided cottage impaled with a giant knife that might just have been a warning to savvier kids than these two. But Humperdinck’s parent-provoking children are a refreshingly naughty antidote to all the saintly moppets that fill Victorian fiction. They gobble strawberries and leap up to tramp folk dances across the kitchen table. These stamping, finger-clicking scenes are probably the most German thing you’ll ever see outside a beer hall, and they make for moments of gutsy energy in a score that’s otherwise all about lush, rich romanticism. It might be nominally aimed at kids, but ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is musically complex, and its central duo are played by adult performers Hanna Hipp and Jennifer Davis. They mix knockabout tomfoolery with beautifully blending soprano voices that soar through the towering darkness of the forest – a place that hides a magical array of leaping woodland animals and fairy story characters who play in the shadows. The only disappointment is the story’s witch-baking climax. Not to come over all

A festive special from a gospel choir that began way back in 1982 and have gone on to perform a few steps behind, and to the side of, Madonna, Kylie, Tina Turner and George Michael. They're a class act so expect plenty of sparkle when they fill the iconic Royal Albert Hall with their mighty vocals.

Barrie Kosky lively, and more than a little controversial take on 'Carmen' fuses vaudeville and opera. Forget the Spanish kitsch - this version is full of slick monochrome stylings, white-faced performers, and plenty of cheeky humour.

Jonathan Miller's 2009 stylish staging of Puccini's opera is back at the ENO to celebrate Miller's 40 years in the business. He updates the story to 1930s Paris, where its story of young bohemian love blighted by sudden tragedy unfolds on sets inspired by the iconic photographs of Cartier-Bresson and Brassaï. Natalya Romaniw and Jonathan Tetelman make their ENO debuts in the central roles of Mimi and Rodolpho. Alexander Joel conducts.

This review is from 2016. 'Akhnaten' returns to ENO in February 2019. In Pharaohic terms, 17 years is but a blink of a kohl-lined eye, but Akhnaten (hubby of Nefertiti, daddy of Tutankhamun) ensured a kind of immortality during his short reign by doing away with the whole multi-god thing and replacing it with worship of a single deity: the sun-disc, or Aten.  Did he learn to juggle, too? That’s the question you may ask yourself during this new production of Philip Glass’s 1983 opera, directed by Phelim McDermot. Courtesy of members of Gandini Juggling, balls fly through the air in ever more complex patterns – growing in size from juggling balls to beach balls (symbols of the sun) as Akhnaten’s encounter with his solar deity draws near. Even the chorus gets involved, as if singing in Egyptian, Hebrew and Akkadian wasn’t difficult enough. Such is the production’s commitment to ball control, you half expect the pharaoh himself to engage in a spot of keepy-uppy during his extended moment in the sun.  The Cirque-like tricks serve a purpose beyond keeping you visually entertained. They underscore the insistence of Glass’s music, as well acting as a kind of counterpoint to its complex cross-rhythms. Which isn’t to say that the music is especially challenging to listen to. Glass has always been the minimalist composer with the catchiest tunes, and ‘Akhnaten’ has the most hauntingly beautiful songs of his ‘Trilogy’, notably the pharaoh’s doleful ‘Hymn to the Sun’. From the first m

Franz Lehár‘s winsome comic opera follows a rich and glamorous young widow as she flirts with a notorious womaniser. This new production is directed by Max Webster, who's better known for theatre productions like the Old Vic's sumptuous 'Fanny and Alexander', or offbeat family musical 'The Lorax' - he should bring out all the fun in this intrigue-filled drama. Kritiina Poska conducts. 

Avant-garde theatre director Simon McBurney's take on Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' astonished audiences with its realistic magic effects and rich, otherworldly atmosphere. Now it's back at the ENO for a fresh revival. It follows Prince Tamino and his birdcatcher friend on their journey to rescue a lost princess, with the help of some enchanted musical instruments. The cast includes Lucy Crowe, Rupert Charlesworth, and Thomas Oliemans. Ben Gernon conducts.