September-October 2007: The ROH Ring, ENO's Carmen, Interviews with Rosalind Plowright, Andrew Kennedy and Laurence Cummings

I've just got back from an extraordinary week at the Royal Opera House, where Keith Warner's amazing production saw through some musical dips:

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/roh-rheingold.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/roh-walkure.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/roh-siegfried.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/roh-twilight.htm

Meanwhile, my review of ENO's new production of Carmen by Sally Potter has caused undue controversy:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/eno-carmen.htm

Hugo enjoyed The Magic Flute at ENO, the last revival of the Hytner production, as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/eno-flute.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/concerts/cso-muti.htm

A dull start to the ROH season with Iphigenie en Tauride:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/opera/roh-iphigenie.htm

Fantastic interviews with Sally Potter, Rosalind Plowright, Andrew Kennedy, Krzystof Szumanski and Laurence Cummings:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/kennedy.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/plowright.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/cummings.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/potter.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/szumanski.htm

We've had some excellent and not so excellent CDs to review lately, including albums by Gheorghiu, Florez and Royal, Rene Jacobs' recording of Don Giovanni and Ariane et Barbe-Bleue by Dukas:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-gheorghiu-scala.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-royal.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-florez-rubini.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/jacobs-don-giovanni.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/dukas-ariane.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-bach-3.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-offenbach.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-dinnerstein-bach.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/Kancheli_Styx.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/Tomter_Mozart.htm

Finally, we enjoyed concerts celebrating Sir Colin Davis' 80th birthday and the start of the LPO's 75th anniversary season:
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/concerts/lso-requiem.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/concerts/lpo-klagende.htm
http://www.musicalcriticism.com/concerts/lso-kissin-beethoven.htm

Don't forget to keep checking back soon for reviews of Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Donizetti's Rita, Dido and Aeneas, the student Rheingold performance, and much more!

Dominic