Scott Hendricks

Rossini rarities, and especially his opere serie, will come under the spotlight as a new general director takes over the reins of the Rossini Festival in Pesaro

Texan baritone Scott Hendricks is known for his fearless, gritty interpretations of some of opera’s most complex villains. Opera Now meets the singer in Berlin, a city he now calls a second home, and where he is free to explore the wilder shores of his eclectic music tastes, from Hard Rock to Rigoletto

After 25 years, Iford Opera is leaving the Italianate cloister at Iford Manor to explore new horizons in a beautiful new setting – and a rather more contemporary performing space

Five years ago, Darwin Prakash couldn’t read music. Then came a chance encounter with a singing teacher that has taken him on a roller-coaster journey from his home in Delhi to the great opera stages of Europe

A talented new generation of singers, enthusiastic young audiences eager to learn, and a political will to absorb and pay for the best of everything the West has to offer: Opera Now travels to China to explore a new frontier for opera

1930-2019

Outspoken, uncompromising and unafraid of controversy, Barrie Kosky has set the opera world alight with productions that are provocative, sometimes exasperating, but always entertaining. We discover why he has become the most sought-after opera director of our time

After her career in law lost its appeal, Sarah Holford turned her hand to opera. This summer sees the final instalment of the festival she launched more than 20 years ago in the South of France which became a magnet for young talent from all over the world, providing a springboard for great careers

Opera production in Germany has built a reputation over half a century for being challenging and idiosyncratic. Opera Now’s critic-at-large compares and contrasts the work of some of the great (and perhaps not-so-great) directors in this evolving tradition

Review

Two questions sprang to mind here: would the Greek National Opera’s orchestra be able to rise to the exacting demands of Shostakovich’s orchestration? And would French acting legend Fanny Ardant succeed as director of her first complete opera? The answer is a resounding yes on both accounts.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the unveiling of La Fenice’s handsome production of Turandot on the eve of Venice’s biennale chimed with the theme of this year’s art jamboree: May you live in interesting times

It can be a little disconcerting when directors try to make their mark on an opera by shoehorning in interpretations that make you wonder if they’ve actually read the text. Fortunately, Turkish-Italian film maker Ferzan Ozpetek’s mastery of the opera’s more traditional elements make this a very attractive staging

Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski’s stylish production was first seen in Paris in 2006. In this revival for Stuttgart, with Stefano Montanari conducting, an excellent cast raised intensity levels to boiling point

During the 20th century, not a single production of Offenbach’s La Grande- Duchesse de Gérolstein took place in Cologne. So, on the occasion of his 200th birth anniversary, it was high time to present this masterpiece of opéra bouffe in the city where the composer was born