JS Bach’s Mass in B minor BWV 232 is described by Sir John Eliot Gardiner in his recent book Bach, as “unprecedented in its scale, majesty and sobriety.” An ensemble taking on a performance of this masterwork has an exacting task in doing it justice. That task becomes even more formidable when the ensemble reaches…
After the stunning success of Cavalli’s Giasone in December 2013 and already into its second decade of uncompromisingly superb productions, Pinchgut Opera presents its first ever mid-winter production, The Chimney Sweep (Der Rauchfangkehrer) by Antonio Salieri. Conducted once more by the electrifying Erin Helyard, and directed by Mark Gaal, Pinchgut audiences again have the opportunity to hear a rarely…
Possibly the most challenging aspect of writing about my evening at Giasone, Pinchgut Opera’s 2013 production, has been to decide which of the many facets of this beautifully integrated production was the most memorable – was it the casting or the singing? The musical direction or the orchestra? Was it was the inventive staging…