Stripped back drama & strong musical values: Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos from Glyndebourne Opera at the BBC Proms

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos - Samantha Hankey, Alina Wunderlin, Robin Ticciati, LPO
Glyndebourne Opera at BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos; Rachel Willis-Sørensen, David Butt Philip, Alina Wunderlin, Samantha Hankey, director: Paul Higgins, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Robin Ticciati, Glyndebourne Opera; BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall
Reviewed 19 August 2026

A stripped back production, but the singers drew us in thanks to high musical values and attention to dramatic detail, creating a satisfying operatic evening.

The Royal Albert Hall is not the most sympathetic of opera venues, but sometimes the need to simplify an existing production can reap all sorts of rewards. In 2024, Glyndebourne Opera brought Bizet's Carmen to the BBC Proms in a production based on that Diane Paulus created for the festival. The result, I felt was 'Intelligent, vivid & satisfying' [see my review].

Having seen a deeply disappointing reinvention of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos in Salzburg [see my review], I was intrigued to see how the opera stood up to the rigours of the Royal Albert Hall for this year's Glyndebourne Prom. The verdict is 'very well indeed'.

On 19 August 2026, Glyndebourne presented Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms. Robin Ticciati conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the production by Paul Higgins was based on Laurent Pelly's new production at Glyndebourne. Rachel Willis-Sørensen was Ariadne, David Butt Philip was Bacchus, Alina Wunderlin was Zerbinetta and Samantha Hankey was the Composer.

There was little or no set, just a pair of doorways in the Prologue to which were added platforms for the opera proper. Laurent Pelly's costumes were largely contemporary and these, combined with the clarity of the production meant that in the Prologue it was clear from the word go who was whom is the mad-cap mayhem of the backstage.

The Prologue was rightly dominated by Samantha Hankey's anxious and intense composer, his attitude emphasised by Hankey's contorted body language and rather fierce makeup. Wearing a rather uninspiring suit, this composer was very much the obsessive, redeemed by Hankey's glorious way with Strauss's music. Each time she/he contemplated music beauties, things soared. Michael Kraus was an older, rather severe Music Master.

On the other side of the divide, so to speak, was Ru Charlesworth's wonderfully glittering dancing master. Charlesworth made the role seem more than it is, combining fine musicality with deft footwork and great personality. This was helped by the Zerbinetta of Alina Wunderlin who had trouble bringing charm and devilishment to the Royal Albert Hall. And she was aided by her mischievous foursome, Mikhail Timoshenko, Caspar Singh, Liam James Karai and Liam Bonthrone. Both Rachel Willis-Sørensen and David Butt Philip made the most of their comic personas in the part.

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos - Liam Bonthrone, Caspar Singh, Ru Charlesworth, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Alina Wunderlin, Robin Ticciati, LPO - Glyndebourne Opera at BBC

One advantage of the production was the not only was it clear what was going on, but Prologue's thread of contemplating exactly what a work of art is and how it is created was well demonstrated. All this emphasised by William Relton's wonderfully acerbic Majordomo.

As music GCSE results roll in, what does the next generation of musicians need? New research from the RPO

Young musicians from Brent Music Academy of which the RPO is a founding partner (Photo: Ben Wright)

As teenagers across the country eagerly – or perhaps apprehensively – await their GCSE results, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s (RPO) latest research finds that more than four in five (86%) parents feel more could be done to engage their children in classical and orchestral music.

The bigger picture for music education at GCSE level remains cautiously optimistic. Last year, music GCSE results published by the Joint Council for Qualifications showed a 6.1% increase in music entries across the UK. Coupled with an 8.7% rise in 2024, this is positive change, but it takes place against a worrying backdrop: music GCSE entries in England have fallen by 25.6% since 2010. The recent removal of the English Baccalaureate, which encouraged schools to focus on non-arts subjects for their students, has gone some way in improving the situation, but the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) wanted to explore solutions from the people who know these students best – their parents.

RPO research carried out in June among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults asked parents what they feel could be done to encourage more young people to get involved in classical and orchestral music.

Music lessons topped the list, with 31% of those surveyed calling for more music lessons where young people could listen to music at school , while one in three (30%) of respondents felt that getting more young people to play in orchestras at school would be an effective way to build enthusiasm and 29% of parents called for more school trips to classical or orchestral concerts. Beyond the classroom, 23% of those surveyed felt their children would get involved with the classical sector if classical music was in mainstream music charts like the UK Top 40. 

Sarah Bardwell, managing director of the RPO, commented on the new data: "While it is of course heartening to see a rise in music GCSE uptake – something we hope to see continue in the 2026 results – it is clear that more needs to be done to safeguard the musicians and audiences of tomorrow. The RPO’s engagement work with young people is a vital way of filling the gaps left by underfunding in formal music education, and our players find it hugely fulfilling – but this latest data shows that we need more action at a government level to build more opportunities for young people to enjoy orchestral music."

The RPO research also explored which musical instruments are popular among school children – whether they are already learning to play a specific instrument or would like to take one up. Painting a picture of what tomorrow’s orchestra might look like, the piano remains at the top of the list (35%), followed by the guitar (28%) and drums (22%). Across the country, the violin, trumpet and recorder are on the rise, chosen by 18%, 11% and 14% of respondents respectively. French horns and trombones, however, remain ‘endangered’, chosen by only 3% and 5% of children respectively. 

The RPO's new season begins on 23 September 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrating the orchestra's 80th birthday with Errollyn Wallen, Beethoven and Richard Strauss conducted by Vasily Petrenko. Full details from RPO website.

A libretto by Beaumarchais, admired by Berlioz: Salieri's final French opera Tarare is an important milestone & it returns to Versailles in October

Adolphe Nourrit in the title role of Salieri's Tarare in 1823

Antonio Salieri is still, alas, best remembered for his non-role in Mozart's death and his operas remain tantalisingly at the fringes of the repertoire. Back in 2015, Bampton Classical Opera performed Salieri's 1785 opera, La grotta di Trofonio with its important pre-echoes of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte [see my review] and in 2017 they returned to Salieri for his 1778 comedy La scuola de' gelosi [see my review].

The important thing to remember about Salieri was that from the age of 16 or so he received informal instruction from Metastasio with Gluck becoming an informal advisor, friend, and confidante. So much so, that Salieri regarded himself as Gluck's heir. His 1771 opera Armida (based on Tasso) drew heavily on the Reform opera created by Gluck and Calzabigi. 

Up to 1777, Salieri had been working with the Italian opera company in Vienna, but this company collapsed (due to financial management) and then the Emperor announced he wanted more German operas and Salieri was given a year's leave of absence. In 1778, Gluck turned down the offer of writing a new opera for La Scala Milan and Salieri took up the offer (with Gluck's agreement). This led to Europa riconosciuta (Europa Recognized) for opening of the new theatre at La Scala (revived in 2004 for the same opera house's re-opening following extensive renovations). And in fact, La scuola de' gelosi was written for this Italian tour.

Then after a brief return to Vienna, including writing his one German singspiel, Salieri agreed to help Gluck with a commission for Paris in 1783-84. Les Danaïdes (The Danaids) is a five-act tragédie lyrique, and unfortunately Gluck had failed to actually write any of it and Salieri took over. There was initially some finessing over who actually wrote it, but Salieri's responsibility was finally acknowledged after the work's premiere. The opera remained on stage in Paris for over forty years. A young Hector Berlioz recorded the deep impression this work made on him in his Mémoires.

This was to be the first of three French operas produced by Salieri. Next came Les Horaces (The Horatii), which proved a failure, then in 1787 Tarare with a libretto actually by Beaumarchais, his only opera libretto. All these have been recorded by Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, and he is something of a champion for them [see my 2019 interview with him.]

But we still don't hear them in the theatre anything like enough, so it is good news that from 10 to 18 October, L’Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles will be presenting a new production of Tarare directed by Jean‑Romain Vesperini and conducted by Théotime Langlois de Swarte.

The plot successfully mixes comedy, tragedy and the exotic with a strong political message:  a world of vice is revealed as the valiant solider Tarare, seeking to rescue his wife, overthrows the tyrannous Sultan Atar and is proclaimed king by will of the people.  Beaumarchais would later claim after the French Revolution that his opera had been a first draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. And just keep the fascinating links, Salieri also reworked the material into an Italian version retitled Axur, re d'Ormus with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, which opened in Vienna in January 1788.

Christophe Rousset saw the subject matter as revolutionary, the main theme being death to tyrants. We see the figure of nature creating society, and the way royalty and tyrants impose themselves. And there is an epilogue, something unusual in operas of the period, where two characters return and say, see how foolish humans are.  

Whilst Tarare was premiered in Paris, the opera house at Versailles was inaugurated in 1770 and is a very apt place for it to be performed. Further details from the opera house's website.

Fiordiligi to the fore: Korean soprano Soyeon Shin shines in a fine young ensemble for Scherzo Ensemble's trimmed yet still full-fat performance of Cosi fan tutte

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Soyeon Shin, Max Robbins, Anna Gregg, Michal Karski, Aina Magnell, Samuel Pantcheff - Scherzo Ensemble at Smith Square Hall

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte (the essential cut);  Soyeon Shin, Aina Magnell, Max Robbins, Samuel Pantcheff, Anna Greg, Michal Karski, Scherzo Ensemble, director: Bobbie-Jean Henning, conductor: Matthew O'Keeffe; Smith Square Hall
Reviewed 17 August 2026

A shining performance from Korean soprano Soyeon Shin anchors a trimmed account of the opera giving a somewhat comic spin yet featuring strong, stylish performances from a promising young cast.

At the beginning of July, Matthew O'Keeffe and Scherzo Ensemble presented their annual opera performances at Longhope Opera in Hampshire. This year it was Mozart's Cosi fan tutte with a fine young cast including the Korean soprano Soyeon Shin as Fiordiligi. The plan was to bring the production back, in somewhat trimmed form as 'the essential cut' for performances at Sinfonia Smith Square and in Hampshire (in aid of Hammersley Homes). As ever with opera production, things did not quite go according to plan.

We caught Scherzo Ensemble's performance of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at Sinfonia Smith Square on Monday 17 August 2026 with Matthew O'Keeffe conducting an ensemble of nine instrumentalists. The cast and production were based on the Longhope performances but with a new Dorabella, Ferrando and Guglielmo!  Soyeon Shin was Fiordiligi, Aina Magnell was Dorabella, Max Robbins was Ferrando, Samuel Pantcheff was Guglielmo (we last saw him in one of the title roles of The Gondoliers with ETO last year, see my review), Michal Karski was Don Alfonso and Anna Gregg as Despina. The production was directed by Bobbie-Jean Henning with designs by Anna Dell Bradford.

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Anna Gregg, Michal Karski at Longhope Opera (Photo: Ches Gunner)

The Marriage of Figaro: Oxford Opera Company returns to Oxford Playhouse with a young cast including Hugo Herman-Wilson in title role & role debuts from Jack Holton & Rachel Speirs

Following their successful production of Puccini's Tosca last year (with Marlena Devoe, Sam Furness and Philip Rhodes), director Katie Blackwell and conductor John Warner return to Oxford Opera Company for a new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at Oxford Playhouse on 9 and 10 October 2026. Founded by Stuart Pendred in 2017, the company has performed almost annually in the city since its debut (with Tosca) in 2018 and is the city's first ever fully professional opera company.

The company's aim is to feature the best UK-based professionals alongside providing opportunities to local young people to work in a professional production. Alongside their main-stage work, their continuing provision of education and outreach workshops is available to any and all in the county. The company's new Youth Company provides opportunities for young people (in two age ranges, 8 to 12, and 13 to 16) every Saturday during term time, and this summer they ran a five-day summer camp, Mozart's Magical Music for ages 8 to 14.

The Marriage of Figaro will be sung in English, in a new translation by George Robarts. The production features a fine young cast with Hugo Herman-Wilson (who recently made his Glyndebourne debut in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo) and Rachel Speirs (in her role debut) as Figaro and Susanna, with Jack Holton (in his role debut) and Nikolett Mraz as the Count and Countess. 

Performances will feature Oxford Opera’s new Youth Company, and John Warner will be conducting the Oxford Opera Orchestra. During the run of The Marriage of Figaro, Oxford Opera Company will present a Family Matinee performance. This reduced version of the opera is the perfect introduction to the joys of the artform for young children and their families.

Further details from Oxford Opera's website. 

North Yorkshire and beyond: Jervaulx Singers new season including Parry's Songs of Farewell, Vierne's Messe Solennelle and more

Jervaulx Abbey (Photo: Jervaulx Abbey)

Named for Jervaulx Abbey, the ruins of the once great Cistercian abbey in North Yorkshire, Jervaulx Singers is an eight-voiced ensemble of professional singers founded in 2021 by conductor Charlie Gower-Smith and Jenny Bianco. Their 2026/27 encompasses concerts in York, Leeds, Bristol, Ripon, and at the Haslemere Festival.

They open the season at the Unitarian Chapel in York with a programme centred around Parry's Songs of Farewell, his haunting tribute for friends and students killed in the First War. Alongside this the group perform Judith Weir's Love bade me welcome and Jonathan Dove's Five Am'rous Sighs.

Charlie Gower-Smith, commented, “There are so many gems in our 2026-7 season. I've adored the musical language of Parry's Songs of Farewell ever since singing them as a student. We have paired these with Jonathan Dove's Five Am'rous Sighs, which I found so charming in their intimacy and honesty."

The group's debut disc, on Convivium Records, was Les Chansons des Roses which features Morten Lauridsen's Les chansons des roses, Jonathan Dove's The Passing of the Year and music by Ola Gjeilo, Francis Poulenc, Leonard Bernstein and more. There will be a chance to hear music from the disc at the ensemble's concert at The Cryer, a new performing venue at The Grammar School at Leeds named for the late Barry Cryer (who was an alumnus of the school). And there will be music from their second disc, In the stillness (which was on Gramophone Magazine's 2025 Christmas List) at two candlelit carol concerts in Leeds and Ripon.

Jervaulx Singers (Photo: Rhian Hughes)

Further afield, in geographic and repertoire terms, the group joins forces with Lucis Choir (led by conductor Francis Faux) for an evening of French liturgical music centred on Louis Vierne's Messe Solennelle at St Mary's Redcliffe, Bristol. Vierne's mass is written for choir and two organs and was premiered at St Sulpice in Paris where his teacher, Charles-Marie Widor was organist. Vierne later recast the work for choir and one organ to make it more accessible.

Full details from the Jervaulx Singers' website.

Baroque Bridges: Ensemble Hesperi joins forces with Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble

This week, the period instrument Ensemble Hesperi is joining forces with the South African group Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble for a series of joint events. Under the title Baroque Bridges there are concerts at St Mary's Church, Bathwick, Bath (18 August) and St Giles Cripplegate, London (20 August), along with a concert from Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, Music Hath no Borders at the Foundling Museum (21 August).

For Baroque Bridges the two ensembles present a joyful programme of familiar favourites and lesser-known gems for strings, recorder and harpsichord, building musical bridges across time, borders and cultures. There will be music by Bach, Telemann, Handel, Purcell and Rameau, along with two composers of African descent, Joseph Bologne and Ignatius Sancho. And at the end of the concert there will be  Kwela music, an improvised genre of street music with roots in traditional African township music and anti-apartheid protest songs, arranged and performed (with dance moves!) by members of the Buskaid ensemble.

Buskaid started in 1991 when British viola player Rosemary Nalden heard about the difficulties facing a group of young string players in Diepkloof, Soweto and 120 of Rosemary’s professional colleagues took part in a simultaneous ‘busk’ at sixteen British Rail stations, raising £6000 to support the young township musicians [see footage on YouTube]. In 1997 Rosemary moved to South Africa to establish the Buskaid Soweto String Project and the Buskaid Music School, built in 1999.

The Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble consists of talented young musicians, all Buskaid-trained, who perform a variety of western classical, classic pop, Afro-pop, traditional township ‘vibe’, and, most recently, South Africa’s own Amapiano. The ensemble developed from an elementary string group into a world-renowned string ensemble with an impressive track record for high quality, stylistic performances. 

Further information from Ensemble Hesperi's page on Continuo Connect. 

 

 

Thrilling moments, terrific theatre, intimacy & transcendence: Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Berlioz's Requiem at BBC Proms with London Symphony Orchestra

Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)

Berlioz: Grande messe des morts (Requiem); Julien Henric, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus, conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano; BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall
Reviewed 15 August 2026

Thrilling moments and great visual theatre in a performance that combined grandeur with control and clarity, creating some remarkably intimate, austere moments and real transcendence at the end

Berlioz's Grande messe des morts (Requiem) might seem to have been made for the Royal Albert Hall. Certainly there are few venues in London to contain it, though I remember a memorable performance with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra at St Paul's Cathedral in 2012 [see my review].

On Saturday 15 August, it was Sir Antonio Pappano conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in the work at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms with the London Symphony Chorus (chorus-master Mariana Rosas) and BBC Symphony Chorus (chorus-master Neil Ferris) with tenor Julien Henric in his Proms debut. (Was it his UK debut too? Possibly).

Whereas Sir Colin Davis put the four brass bands in the dome and allowed the acoustic of St Paul's Cathedral to do its thrilling worst, at the Royal Albert Hall Sir Antonio Pappano was more interested in clarity. And a remarkable amount of clarity can be achieved in the venue if carefully handled.

Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)

The massed timpani (ten players in charge of 19 drums) were placed in an arc behind the orchestra. Behind them came two of the extra brass ensembles, with the other two at the back of the choir. This meant that Pappano had a remarkable degree of control over his ensemble, but that we lacked the real spatial effect that Berlioz planned for his dramatic work.

Another point to bear in mind is that the massed brass and timpani only really contribute to three movements. Berlioz's conception of the Requiem is not one of blood and thunder, and much of it is contemplative. For many of the movements, Pappano and his forces brought an austere clarity to the piece with a definite sense of presence to Berlioz's striking passages made from just two or three ideas, each strongly drawn. What I missed at the Royal Albert Hall was the sense of bloom that a resonant acoustic like St Paul's brought to the work (and I must admit that that experience definitely depended on where you sat!)

Redefining how classical music is experienced: Between Mountains Festival returns with an expanded programme,

Between Mountains Festival

Following a successful inaugural edition, Between Mountains Festival returns to Holdenweid in Hölstein, Switzerland, from 4-6 September 2026, expanding from a one-day premiere into a three-day festival experience. Set among the rolling hills of Basel-Landschaft at the foot of the Jura Mountains, the festival once again brings together classical music, electronic sounds and experimental forms in a unique natural setting.

At the heart of Between Mountains is a simple idea: to create an open space where music can be experienced beyond traditional boundaries. While the programme spans a wide range of genres, classical music remains a central pillar of the festival, presented in a way that feels welcoming, contemporary and accessible to new audiences. Chamber music, contemporary works and genre-defying performances unfold alongside electronic live sets, inviting listeners to discover music without preconceived categories.

The 2026 classical programme features internationally acclaimed artists including Dobrawa Czocher, Beatrice Berrut, Alexandra Maria Seywald, Simon Höfele, Kai Schumacher, Detect Ensemble, Junges Kammerorchester Baselland, Kebyart, Los Sara Fontan, duo equinox, maTrigal and Maximilian Wolfgang Schwarz. On the electronic side, the festival welcomes Acid Pauli, Sebastian Mullaert, Stimming, Robot Koch, Earth Trax and AFAR, creating a programme that moves seamlessly between attentive listening, sonic exploration and collective celebration.

New for 2026 is the expansion into a full festival weekend, including on-site accommodation and camping, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the unique atmosphere of Holdenweid and experience music, nature and community over three days. Ahead of this year's edition, we spoke with co-founder and conductor Baldur Brönnimann about the festival's vision, creating new audiences for classical music and why listening without labels matters more than ever.

Between Mountains has grown from a one-day event into a three-day festival in just its second year. What inspired this expansion?

The long-term vision was always to create a three-day festival. The first edition allowed us to test the concept and see how audiences would respond. The reaction from visitors, artists and the press was overwhelmingly positive, so we decided to take the next step. Expanding the festival also allows us to create a more complete experience. This year, visitors can camp on-site and stay throughout the weekend, making Between Mountains feel like a true destination rather than simply a series of concerts.

Classical music sits alongside electronic and experimental performances throughout the programme. How did this concept emerge?

Listening habits have changed dramatically. Today, people discover music through playlists that naturally combine different genres. We wanted the festival experience to reflect that reality. We deeply believe in the power of classical music, but we don't believe it should exist in an ivory tower. Bach, Debussy or Lachenmann deserve to be experienced alongside other ambitious music, without audiences feeling they need specialist knowledge before attending. Ultimately, we hope people stop thinking about genres altogether and simply enjoy great music.

This year's programme features internationally recognised soloists alongside emerging musicians. How do you curate the classical programme?

Our programming follows three principles. First, we want to give young artists opportunities to present their work and reach new audiences. Second, supporting local musicians is essential because sustainability is one of the festival's core values. Finally, we are drawn to artists with broad musical curiosity - musicians who perform across different styles and periods, compose, arrange, improvise and collaborate across disciplines.

Throughout your career you've championed contemporary repertoire and new concert formats. How has that influenced Between Mountains?

I actually think there are more people interested in classical music today than ever before - but many of them simply don't attend traditional concerts. If classical music wants to remain relevant, we need to reconnect with today's composers and today's aesthetics, while also creating formats that feel natural, welcoming and engaging, without unnecessary formality. That's really the central idea behind Between Mountains.

How does the Holdenweid setting change the experience of listening to classical music?

Nature becomes part of the performance. Whether you're hearing birds outside, water flowing nearby or looking through the trees while listening to music, the surroundings add another dimension to the experience. People can move freely, meet the artists, have a drink and continue listening throughout the day. That creates a much more democratic way of experiencing classical music than the traditional concert hall.

Many organisations are trying to attract younger audiences to classical music. How does Between Mountains approach this challenge?

We're certainly part of that conversation, and many organisations are curious about the format. More importantly, though, we simply want to create unforgettable musical experiences. If people discover classical music because they came for the atmosphere - or because they were also interested in electronic music - that's exactly what we hope for.

Someone might hear a chamber concert in the afternoon and an electronic live set at night. What do you hope audiences take away from those encounters?

We want people to follow their ears rather than categories. Algorithms increasingly recommend only what we already know and like. That shapes not only how we listen but also how we think. Music should do the opposite - it should introduce us to unexpected ideas and experiences. The mix of genres at Between Mountains is our way of encouraging curiosity and openness.

Supporting young and regional artists is another important part of the festival. Why is that so central?

We don't want the festival to arrive once a year like a meteorite and disappear again. Supporting local musicians creates a lasting connection with the region, while also ensuring public funding directly benefits the artistic community that surrounds us. We hope Between Mountains leaves a legacy beyond the festival weekend itself.

As the festival grows, what role do you hope it will play within the classical music landscape?

Hopefully, Between Mountains can demonstrate that classical music can be presented in ways that are both informal and artistically ambitious. There are many wonderful festivals working towards similar goals, and we'd like to contribute by showing that classical music doesn't lose its depth when presented differently. If anything, it becomes more accessible, more democratic and more surprising. 

Memories are made of this: Tugan Sokhiev & Vienna Philharmonic in Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet, plus Debussy & Ravel with Lang Lang in Salzburg

Tugan Sokhiev, Vienna Philharmonic - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Marco Borrelli)

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G, Debussy: La Mer, Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (excerpts); Lang Lang, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Tughan Sokhiev; Salzburg Festival at Grosses Festspielhaus
Reviewed 8 August 2026

Vividly etched movements and a sense of real danced drama in episodes from Prokofiev's ballet alongside Lang Lang in somewhat self-indulgent mood in Ravel

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Tugan Sokhiev are old friends. He has conducted them on several tours as well as the gala concert to celebrate Johann Strauss's 200th birthday, and this year they have a European tour.

On Saturday 8 August, Tugan Sokhiev conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in a matinee concert at the Salzburg Festival in the Grosses Festspielhaus with Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (soloist Lang Lang), Debussy's La Mer, and Sokhiev's own selection of movements from Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet suites.

We began, unusually, with the concerto. Lang Lang started out light, almost reticent, a twinkle rather than dazzle contrasting with crisp jazz in the orchestra. But then with the second subject, his approach was intimate, laid back with plenty of rubato rather leaving blues and jazz behind. Throughout the movement there was this strong contrast between mood and tempo and I confess I found Lang Lang's more laidback passages somewhat self-indulgent. The second movement began quiet, slow and thoughtful, though intensity picked up as the orchestra joined the soloist. Yet overall, it seemed remarkable to sustain the intensity at such a slow temp. The third movement really did give us fast, vivid dazzle, with a strong orchestral personality and fine woodwind solos. The end was so fast it felt like Lang Lang saying 'look at me'.

Lang Lang, Tugan Sokhiev, Vienna Philharmonic - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Marco Borrelli)

Heavenly joy & earthly travails: Philippe Sly is compelling as St Francis in Romeo Castellucci's mesmerising & frustrating vision Messiaen's opera in Salzburg

Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Philippe Sly - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)

Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise; Philippe Sly, Lauranne Oliva, Sean Panikkar, Russell Braun, director: Romeo Castellucci, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Maxime Pascal; Salzburg Festival at the Felsenreitschule
Reviewed 9 August 2026

An evening like no other: a selfless & compelling performance from Philippe Sly illuminates a production of Messaien's mammoth opera that was by turns mesmerising & frustrating as director/designer Romeo Castellucci sought a physical counterpart to the music's transcendence.

Mounting Olivier Messiaen's Saint François d’Assise remains a bold undertaking. Premiered at the Paris Opera in 1983, it had to wait until 1992 for a further production at the Salzburg Festival, with the festival reviving it in 1998. The sheer length and complexity of the work, allied to the numbers of performers required allied to the striking subject matter (how does one stage a long scene where St Francis receives the stigmata?) and the challenge of the huge title role (Jose van Dam sang it both in 1983 and 1992) all mitigate against the piece. Yet if a company dares, then the rewards are remarkable.

For 2026, the Salzburg Festival has returned to Messiaen's Saint François d’Assise with a new production directed, designed and lit by Romeo Castellucci at the Felsenreitschule. Dramaturgy was by Christian Longchamp, and choreography by Yasmine Hugonnet. Maxime Pascal conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with the chorus of the Vienna State Opera off-stage throughout.

Philippe Sly was St Francis, with Lauranne Oliva as the Angel, Sean Panikkar as the voice of the Leper, Russell Braun as Brother Leo, Leo Vermont-Desroches as Brother Masseo, Aaron-Casey Gould as Brother Elie, Willard White as Brother Bernard, Marius Aron as Brother Sylvestre, and Ivan Lyvch as Brother Rufin. Additionally, there were twelve dancers (six angels, six Franciscan brothers), plus twenty actors along with sheep, a dog and a pea-hen.

Darkness visible: remarkable performances from Jonathan Tetelman & Asmik Grigorian in Bizet's Carmen directed by choreographer Gabriela Carrizo in Salzburg

Bizet: Carmen - Asmik Grigorian - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Virginia Rota)

Bizet: Carmen; Asmik Grigorian, Jonathan Tetelman, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Davide Luciano, director: Gabriela Carrizo, Utopia Orchestra, conductor: Teodor Currentzis; Salzburg Festival at the Grosses Festspielhaus
Reviewed 8 August 2026

Shorn of dialogue & with an added dance element, this experimental production created a remarkably dark-toned Carmen with fierce undertones leading to an astonishing final scene.

With Carmen, Bizet left us with something of a conundrum. Not that the opera is incomplete, but first off what does Bizet's final version of the opera consist of? A new edition by Paul Prevost for Bärenreiter publishes all surviving versions of material thus allowing companies to choose. Though it has to be pointed out that Bizet published his own final vocal score of the piece.

Then there is the spoken dialogue. Before his death, Bizet had signed a contract with the Court Opera in Vienna, so he obviously intended to provide sung recitatives. Ernest Guiraud's recitatives are a workman-like solution to the problem and definitely in character, but what would Bizet have done? The question tantalises. The Opera Comique version of Carmen has a remarkably sympathetic way of modulating between dialogue, melodrama and fully sung, so you can't help feel Bizet would have had a similarly imaginative solution to creating grand opera Carmen.

Modern day opera companies tend to prioritise Bizet's own version of the opera with dialogue yet stretches of spoken French remain a challenge.

Bizet: Carmen (Act Two) - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Virginia Rota)

At the Salzburg Festival, a new production of Carmen was entrusted to director and choreographer Gabriela Carrizo, founder of Peeping Tom dance company, and conductor Teodor Currentzis and his Utopia Orchestra. The performance included Currentzis's Utopia Choir and Bachchor Salzburg with eight members of Carrizo's Peeping Tom company. Design was by Christof Hetzer, lighting by Tom Visser and sound design by Raphaelle Latini.

Asmik Grigorian was Carmen with Jonathan Tetelman as Don Jose, Kristina Mkhitaryan as Micaela, Davide Luciano as Escamillo, Iveta Simonyan as Frasquita, Anita Monserrat as Mercedes, Matthias Winckhler as Zuniga, Liviu Holender as Morales, Michael Arivony as Le Dancaire, Mingjie Lei as Le Remendado and Amparo Cortés as Lillas Pastia.

With Brussels-based Peeping Tom, Gabriela Carrizo's artistic practice involves dance and theatre, using hyperrealism and surrealism to reveal characters' hidden desires and impulses. Carmen seems to have been her first opera and for all the brilliant moments in the staging, you felt she struggled somewhat with the rather fixed nature of the operatic form - this is the score, perform it!

The most controversial decision was to remove the spoken dialogue (something Sally Potter did in her ill-fated Carmen for ENO in 2007), though with such an international cast (Lithuanian, Chilean/American, Armenian, Italian, Russian, British, German, Austrian...) this is understandable in a way. Replacing the dialogue with dance/drama passages using Latini's sound designs - disturbing tonally - was not altogether successful in filling in the gaps. In the first two acts, you rather had to know the story. Quite what a first time attender made of it, I don't know. The first time we hear Don Jose, he is singing to Micaela and we never hear Carmen laugh, nor does she taunt Don Jose.

Life on Mars: Ersan Mondtag's futuristic vision of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Salzburg Festival

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos - Michael Porter (Scaramuccio), Lukas Enoch Lemcke (Truffaldin), Ziyi Dai (Zerbinetta), Leon Košavić (Harlekin), Theodore Browne (Brighella) - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Thomas Aurin)

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos; Kate Lindsey, Christina Nilson, Eric Cutler, Ziyi Dai, Johannes Silberschneider, Christoph Pohl, director: Ersan Mondtag, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Manfred Honeck; Salzburg Festival at the Haus für Mozart
Reviewed 7 August 2026

Interdisciplinary artist Ersan Mondtag's over-elaborate and confusing futuristic vision of Ariadne auf Naxos fails to convince as stage drama but redeemed by fine musical performances

Though Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Ariadne auf Naxos (in its various iterations) was firmly based in the 17th century of Moliere, did it occur to the good burgers of Stuttgart (where the first version premiered), Berlin or Vienna that it was they who were being satirised? The work might be about the complex process of making art but it also has things to say about those paying for it.

To be really daring, the new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Salzburg Festival should have been set in and around the Haus für Mozart in the present day. Instead, Ersan Mondtag's production was set in a fantasy future in an enclave on Mars.

We caught the second performance of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at Salzburg Festival's Haus für Mozart on 7 August 2026. Ersan Mondtag directed and designed, Manfred Honeck conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Choreography was by Ashley Alexandra Wright with video by Alexander Pannier. The dramaturg was Till Briegleb, a role perhaps more important than usual in this production as the plot of the opera had undergone significant changes.

Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos - Christina Nilsson (Ariadne) - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Thomas Aurin)

Kate Lindsey was the composer, Christina Nilsson was Ariadne, Eric Cutler was Bacchus, Ziyi Dai was Zerbinetta, Johannes Silberschneider was the majordomo, Christoph Pohl was the music master, Jonas Hacker was the dancing master with Leon Kosavic, Michael Porter, Lukas Enoch Lemcke and Theodore Browne as Zerbinetta's troupe, Jasmin Delfs as a Naiad, Anja Mittermüller as a Dryad and Marlene Metzger as Echo.

Ersan Mondtag is a multi-disciplinary artist whose credits include the German pavilion at the Venice Biennale as well as directing opera for Opera Vlaanderen, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and Opera national de Lyon. His most recent operatic credit was Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles for Vienna State Opera set in the world of high fashion.

At the Salzburg Festival, director Christof Loy & a strong cast demonstrate that less is more in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Lea Desandre, Victoria Karkacheva, Elsa Dreisig, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Andrè Schuen, Bogdan Volkov - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte; Elsa Dreisig, Victoria Karkacheva, Bogdan Volkov, Andrè Schuen, Lea Desdandre, Johannes Martin Kränzle, dir: Christof Loy, Angelika Prokopp Sommerakademie der Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, cond: Joana Mallwitz; Salzburg Festival at the Grosses Festspielhaus
Reviewed 6 August 2026

I have sometimes found Christof Loy's work to be too cerebral, but here his stripped down production worked superbly, releasing the combined talents of a strong cast to create something rather special

After the hyper-busy staging of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims the previous night [see my review], Thursday 6 August saw a production of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival in the Grosses Festspielhaus that was in complete contrast. Christof Loy's new production was a restudied version of his 2020 COVID-era Cost fan tutte (in a version trimmed to well under three hours). The new production saw the 2020 cuts reversed and the staging reconsidered.

Joana Mallwitz conducted the Angelika Prokopp Sommerakademie der Wiener Philharmoniker alongside members of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Elsa Dreisig was Fiordiligi, Victoria Karkacheva was Dorabella, Bogdan Volkov was Ferrando, Andrè Schuen was Guglielmo, Lea Desdandre was Despina, and Johannes Martin Kränzle was Don Alfonso. Sets were by Johannes Leiacker, costumes by Barbara Drosihn and lighting by Olaf Winter.

Christof Loy conceived the production for the Grosses Festspielhaus, 'a performance on this gigantic stage that nevertheless manages to be very intimate' as Loy described it in the programme book. 'It dispenses with all external aids: there are only two doors, the characters, the music ... The performers are far closer to the audience.'

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Bogdan Volkov, Andrè Schuen - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)

The playing area was relatively narrow with steps leading down into the orchestra pit. Costumes were plain black and modern in style, and whilst Fiordiligi and Dorabella's shoes were relatively ordinary black court shoes, I am assured that Despina's shoes were something rather special. When the men were in disguise they were in colour, no silly wigs or costumes here.

Virtuoso tour de force of triviality: Barrie Kosky's production of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims at the Salzburg Festival

Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims - Tara Erraught, Cecilia Bartoli - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)

Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims; Cecilia Bartoli, Marina Viotti, Mélissa Petit, Tara Erraught, Edgardo Rocha, Dmitry Korchak, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Florian Sempey, Misha Kiria, Peter Kellner, Giovanni Romeo, dir: Barrie Kosky, Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, cond: Gianluca Capuano; Salzburg Festival
Reviewed 5 August 2026

Rossini's occasional comedy reinvented by Barrie Kosky as hyperactive farce in an over the top performance with strong musical contributions

Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims was written for an occasion, the coronation of Charles X of France, and never performed again, though Rossini's music is of the highest quality. He would, in fact, re-use material in Le comte Orgy and but it was not until the 1980s that the original work was performed again. It is more than an occasional piece, the music ensures that, though companies music field a wide range of Rossini stylists.

Barrie Kosky's production of Rossini's Il viaggo a Reims debuted at the Salzburg Easter Festival and returned to Salzburg's Haus für Mozart for the summer Salzburg Festival, opening on 5 August 2026. Gianluca Capuano conducted Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, a period instrument ensemble whose founding was the inspiration of Cecilia Bartoli. She was something of a presiding genius over this production, not only singing Corinna but appearing out of a cake as herself at the climax of celebrations at the end of the opera.

The rest of the cast included Marina Viotti as Marchesa Melibea, Mélissa Petit as Contessa di Folleville, Tara Erraught as Madama Cortese, Edgardo Rocha as Cavalier Belfiore, Dmitry Korchak as Conte di Libenskof, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Lord Sidney, Florian Sempey as Don Profundo, Misha Kiria as Barone di Trombonok, Peter Kellner as Don Alvaro, and Giovanni Romeo as Don Prudenzio, with the Choeur de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims - Peter Kellner, Florian Sempey - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)

In the programme book, Barrie Kosky described the work as 'an exquisite confection' commenting that 'the characters are not developed', they have to be 'fleshed out by the performers'. In Rossini's day this probably relied on his distinguished singers (who included Giuditta Pasta and Laure Cinti-Damoreau) bringing out the original Romantic context for each of the set pieces. Kosky's solution was to play the piece as hyperactive farce. His production had many of the elements of farce, not just its pacing and mad-cap activities. There were plenty of entrances and doors - five in the first scene including three revolving doors, 13 in the second scene. There was much bedroom hopping in that second scene, along with many characters stripped down to their underwear. All prime ingredients of farce.

Three Choirs Festival 2027 announced: Gavin Higgins premiere, Grace-Evangeline Mason as new Associate Composer, Elgar's Piano Concerto revisited

Three Choirs Festival, Worcester with Samuel Hudson (Photo: Dale Hodgetts)

The Three Choirs Festival has announced the preliminary programme for next year's festival which takes place from 24 to 31 July 2027 in Worcester under artistic director Samuel Hudson. The festival opens with Britten's War Requiem with soloists soprano Elizabeth Watts, tenor Peter Hoare, and baritone David Stout, and the final concert features Elgar's The Light of Life, written for the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester in 1896. 

Gavin Higgins (Photo: Joseph Wong)

Other key performances include Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, marking the bicentenary of his death, with soloists Katie Trethewey, Helen Charlston, Nick Pritchard, and James Atkinson. Another anniversary being marked is the 300th anniversary of Handel's Coronation Anthems performed by the three Cathedral Choirs. The Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir will perform Haydn’s Nelson Mass alongside a new work by Cecilia McDowall, Songs of Exile.

2027 will be Gavin Higgins's second year as Three Choirs Festival Associate Composer. For 2026, the Festival premiered his Gloucester Service at the Festival Evensong which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and available on BBC Sounds (for 30 days).

Higgins's new work His Salt Skin will be performed at the 2027 Festival by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conductor Duncan Ward, mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons, and countertenor Cameron Shahbazi, alongside RVW's A Sea Symphony.  The world premiere of a Festival commission by Dobrinka Tabakova will be the centrepiece of a concert featuring Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and the first public performance of a new realisation of Elgar’s Piano Concerto by David Owen Norris. 

Worcester-based Ian Venables's Portrait of a Mind will be performed by tenor Gwilym Bowen, and other contemporary pieces in the Festival include Joby Talbot's Path of Miracles and a new commission by Eric Whitacre for Tenebrae to be performed alongside Howells's Requiem. 

The Festival has also announced Grace-Evangeline Mason as the new Associate Composer from 2027 to 2029. Mason’s orchestral work The Imagined Forest (2021) opened the 2024 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, conducted by Samuel Hudson.

Full details from the Three Choirs Festival website. 

Bright Young Things to the fore: Liam Steel's new production of Strauss' Die Fledermaus at Opera Holland Park revels in its 1920s London setting

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus - Alison Langer, Harry Wilson - Opera Holland Park (Photo: Craig Fuller)

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus; Thomas Atkins, Alison Langer, Rebecca Bottone, Clare Presland, Julien Van Mellaerts, Xavier Hetherington, director: Liam Steel, City of London Sinfonia, conductor George Jackson; Opera Holland Park
Reviewed 29 July 2026

London 1929 is the setting for Liam Steel's engaging production full of Bright Young Things, helped by strong musical values under George Jackson though perhaps dialogue does not fizz quite enough

Johann Strauss's operettas were highly popular in his lifetime, particularly in Vienna, but apart from Die Fledermaus they have struggled to find a place in the repertoire - when did you last come across a performance of Eine Nacht in Venedig or Der Zigeunerbaron? The fault laid against them is often that the librettos were poor, partly this is because many were based on boulevard comedies. Mistaken identities, disguise and farcical situations are often key and a lesser known work like Blindekuh (Blind man's buff, see my review of the 2002 recording) seems to have too much plot for its own good.

Cannily, Die Fledermaus solves this problem partly by having a key element of the plot happen well before the opera starts, a trick with which Verdi (Il trovatore) and Wagner (Parsifal) were both familiar. The other canny element is the Act Two party, where stray bits of plot can happen in quick succession alongside a bubbly score. And that is the point, Strauss operettas work because of their scores, because of his infectious melodies.

Whilst Die Fledermaus is the best known of Strauss's operettas, it hardly gets over-performed in the UK. The Grange Festival performed it last year [see my review], and fringe opera company St Paul's Opera did it in 2024 [see our article]. But before then we came across Opera Integra in 2017 [see our review] and Opera Holland Park in 2016 [see my review], with ENO presenting a single run of Christopher Alden's production in 2013 [see our review], whilst the Royal Opera last performed it in 1990!

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus - Julien Van Mellaerts, Clare Presland, Alison Langer, Thomas Atkins - Opera Holland Park (Photo: Craig Fuller)

Ten years on from their last production, Opera Holland Park returned to Strauss's Die Fledermaus on 29 July 2026 in a new production directed by Liam Steel (who also provided the choreography) and conducted by George Jackson with City of London Sinfonia in the pit. Sets were by Neil Irish and costumes by Laura Jane Stanfield. Eisenstein was Thomas Atkins, Rosalinde was Alison Langer, Rebecca Bottone was Adele, Clare Presland was Orlofsky, and Julien Van Mellaerts was Falke.