Barry Kosky continues his Ring Cycle at the RBO with a Five-Star Siegfried In Siegfried, the third part of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Richard Wagner shifts the focus away from the troubled world of the gods towards the energy of youth on earth. This is storytelling through opera, where the theatre is crucial and the […]
Turandot From the Royal Opera. A Winter Spectacle Worth the Cold
Puccini’s epic show Turandot returns to Covent Garden. Puccini’s Turandot, with its combination of myth, ritual and emotional extremity, suits dark evenings and the build-up to Christmas, when audiences seem especially ready for spectacle and intensity. Set in a fantastical ancient Peking, the opera unfolds with a story of ceremony, fear, and the possibility of love, moving […]
Preview: The Magic Flute at The Royal Opera House
The Magic Flute – Unlock the Secrets of Mozart’s Most Spellbinding Adventure This autumn, the Magic Flute returns to the Royal Opera House stage in a revival of David McVicar’s acclaimed production. Running from 10 October to 3 November 2025, the Royal Opera House celebrates the 400th performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, one of […]
The Sicilian Vespers – Royal Opera
Stefan Herheim’s Opulent Production of The Sicilian Vespers returns to the RBO The Royal Opera House’s current staging of The Sicilian Vespers, originally directed by Stefan Herheim, revived under Dan Dooner and conducted by Speranza Scappucci, brings Verdi’s epic vividly to life at Covent Garden. Scappucci, making her debut as Principal Guest Conductor, approaches the […]
Oliver Mears’ Tosca at The Royal Opera House
The ROH’s previous much-reprised production of Tosca, directed by Jonathan Kent, had become a comfortable old pair of slippers, visually sumptuous and totally reliable. Oliver Mears’ Tosca is fresh and high on melodrama and entertainment value, with a first cast that reaches the peaks of operatic excellence.
Hansel and Gretel – Royal Opera House
This production of Hansel and Gretel at the Royal Opera House works for all ages. Two six-year-olds on one side of me were on the edge of their seats throughout, and despite the darker moments (at one point, Hansel is enchained and fed through a funnel like a goose for foie gras, at another the dead witch’s arm is brandished on stage), didn’t flinch. On the other side, three women on what looked like a pre-Christmas treat giggled their way through the lighter moments and gasped at all the right points.