Arthur(2001)

Mefistofele(en)

The director, Roland Schwab, has created his version of Hell. The set is like a high iron walled hanger and the stage is continually occupied with people who look like fugitives from Mad Max and who interact with Mefistofele. The orchestra and choir are wonderful. Rene Pape gives a nuanced interpretation with a certain amount of sardonic humour under the evil. His singing and acting are first rate, as is that of Kristine Opolais and Joseph Calleja.

The Painting(es)

For three and a half centuries, from the same day that Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) applied his last brushstroke to the canvas, the enigma of “Las meninas, o La familia de Felipe IV” (1656) has not been deciphered. The secret story of a painting unveiled as if it was the resolution of a perfect crime.

Mussorgsky: Sorochintsy Fair (Komische Oper Berlin)(ru)

A devil is at work in the Ukrainian village of Sorochintsy, terrifying residents and travellers alike. Among them a farmer whose daughter is not allowed to marry her lover because her quarrelsome stepmother is against it.

(OvO)(pt)

Things were going fine for the chickens, but evolution took a scary turn and the future is now uncertain.

The Golden Cockerel(en)

‘A beautiful song – a shame that it shows such disrespect to the Mayor!’ This remark from the score of The Golden Cockerel highlights the delicious ambiguity of this work. Principally inspired by Washington Irving and Pushkin, Rimsky-Korsakov called on the talents of Vladimir Belsky, an author of other libretti of a fairy-tale, legendary nature and an expert on Russian folk literature. The composer, a genius at orchestration, has given us sparkling music, with oriental touches, that creates fully rounded characters. This is the perfect occasion for Alain Altinoglu to direct his first opera in his new role as Music Director of La Monnaie. After the success of his Don Quichotte and Cendrillon, Laurent Pelly returns to La Monnaie to stage this exuberant political satire, an adventure in unrestrained rhythm. More than a century has passed since its first performance, yet the opera has lost none of its boisterous sarcasm.

In There(ja)

This story is about a place long ago, before birth and before death, that everyone knows and no one knows.

Som om ... tiden stått still(sv)

Les espiègles(fr)

With the seasons, the adventures of the Mischievous, inspired by the comics of the famous German cartoonist, Wilhelm Busch.

Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites(en)

At the end of 2013, the year that marked the 50th anniversary of Francis Poulenc’s death, his gripping and moving operatic masterpiece, Dialogues des Carmélites was staged in Paris by director Olivier Py with a cast featuring some of France’s finest female singers – Patricia Petitbon, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau and Sophie Koch – under the baton of Jérémie Rohrer. Le Figaro described the production as “a thing of wonder,” while Le Monde called it: “A masterpiece ... the most exciting and consummately achieved show to have been seen on a Parisian stage in a long time … This was great work, magisterial and unforgettable.” “The memorable Dialogues des Carmélites at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées marked the climax of commemorative activities for the 50th anniversary of Poulenc’s death,” wrote Opera magazine of the production of Poulenc’s gripping and moving opera that was staged by the French director Olivier Py in Paris in December 2013.

Jytte - A Danish Hero(da)

Fight!(en)

Two friends fighting dirty

Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov(ru)

Potlems(it)

In a town of ever-smiling porcelain children, Ginger is created with a fatal flaw: a frown is painted on his face by accident. Upon realizing, the Fire God, his creator, stops his song in horror: Ginger needs to be corrected.

The Onion House(en)

Chaos ensues between Hounds and Whores at a brothel's annual "President's Day Blowout Sale!"

The Garden Ape(en)

The Garden Ape enthusiastically explores a wild city garden.

We’re Having a Party and Everyone’s Invited(en)

A little white party guy is on their way to a party when they get interrupted by a stranger on the street named Kevin Kaos who proclaims he is the lord of hell and other shenanigans. This film is based on a real interaction I had with someone.

Mend and Make Do(en)

Cup of tea? Come and take a seat in Lyn's cosy front room, hear her story of wartime love and watch as her belongings come alive with the hope, fear and humour of one spirited lady.

Borodin: Prince igor(ru)

This 1981 Bolshoi production performed in the concert hall of The Kremlin is by far the best available, despite the more ‘historical’ picture and mono sound. The production itself is a very classic period production, with utterly authentic costumes and aptly dramatic sets. There are even horses on stage. The depiction of the Don Cossacks’ Khan Konchak and his tribe is colourful and historically informed in one. Needless to say, the scene of the Polovtsian Dances is spectacularly presented with great choregraphy and terrific dancing, in the league of the Spartacus of Bolshoi, no less.

The Narcissistic Fish(en)

A phone call during a busy shift in the restaurant kitchen of The Narcissistic Fish sparks a war between the owner Angus and his brother Kai. As they argue over their dead father, talented and underpaid chef Belle has a revelation of her own. Join Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists (Charlie Drummond, Mark Nathan and Arthur Bruce) for a visceral exploration of the clash between class, gender and workplace pressure in 21st century Scotland, in this brand new digital opera with music by Samuel Bordoli, libretto by acclaimed Scottish writer Jenni Fagan and directed by in-house film-maker Antonia Bain.

Met Stars: Jonas Kaufmann(en)

From pioneering radio broadcasts to high-definition transmissions in cinemas in more than 70 countries, the Met has always strived to use state-of-the-art technology to share extraordinary performances with as large an audience as possible. Therefore, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the opera house into darkness for more than a year, the company once again found innovative ways to present the world’s greatest artists to music lovers around the globe. Jonas Kaufmann, one of opera’s most in-demand tenors, kicked off the series at Bavaria’s magnificent Polling Abbey with a program of heroic arias, accompanied by pianist Helmut Deutsch. Including classic selections from the Italian and French repertoires—as well as a few lesser-known gems—the concert provided a rousing start to this groundbreaking new initiative.