The Girl of the Golden West; Flood of Beauty – review
An exciting debut in the pit and another on stage set the seal on ENO’s terrific new Girl of the Golden West, writes Fiona Maddocks
August 2014
Tehran Bureau
Alone again, naturally: women singing in Iran
Music and theatre directors are in a tug of war with hardliners who find women singing solo too provocative
Licia Albanese obituary
Opera singer celebrated for her acting who was a fixture at the Met in New York, singing Madam Butterfly more than 300 times
Puccini's Italian tragic love affair house up for sale
Property south of Lake Como where composer famously escaped with married lover in 1886 has price tag of €400,000
July 2014
Carlo Bergonzi obituary
Italian tenor admired as an authoritative interpreter of Verdi
June 2014
Manon Lescaut review – impassioned and sumptuous
Puccini's score drew lusty performances from Kristine Opolais and Jonas Kaufmann, while Quartett was admirably incomprehensible, writes Fiona Maddocks
May 2014
Scottish Opera's Madama Butterfly review – Hye-Youn Lee is convincing and nuanced in central role
David McVicar's classic production offers straight, heartfelt entertainment with a compelling cast and supple orchestra, writes Kate Molleson
April 2014
Rehearsing La Bohème at Opera North
Director Michael Barker-Caven on rehearsals for Opera North's revival of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème
February 2014
Why does opera like women behaving badly?
The Welsh National Opera's new season explores opera's fascination with 'fallen women'. But it wasn't just the women who fell, writes artistic director David Pountney
January 2014
La fanciulla del West – review
Australia culture blog
La Bohème – review
September 2013
Tosca – review
Bryn Terfel's Scarpia was silkily menacing in a compelling, uncluttered semi-staging with outstanding co-stars, writes Tim Ashley
Turandot – review
None shall sleep indeed, as Puccini's crowning glory pits beauty against brutality at maximum volume, writes Stephen Pritchard
Pavarotti tops the charts with remastered first recording
Posthumous release features an aria the opera singer recorded 50 years ago but which lay unheard in his archives
