Director Adele Thomas: 'In theatre, you need a private income just to live' by Fiona Maddocks

The theatre and opera director on how her working-class Welsh background informs her work, the strangeness of Il trovatore, and her eclectic running playlist Born and raised in Port Talbot, …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36pm on May 15, 2023☆⚑

The week in classical at the Edinburgh festival, from Salome to Madame Chandelier by Fiona Maddocks

Usher Hall; Queen's Hall; Greenside @ Nicholson Square EdinburghThe striptease is all Strauss's in the Bergen Philharmonic's expertly revealing Salome. Plus, the new-ish Takács Quartet, a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:33am on August 20, 2022☆⚑

BambinO " opera for real beginners by Fiona Maddocks

Heywood Civic Centre, Rochdale; Grange festival, Hampshire; Royal Opera House, LondonAn audience of under-twos is captivated by Scottish Opera's latest new work " and so, for many reasons, i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18am on July 14, 2017☆⚑

Lise Davidsen: 'There's a high expectation every time I go out and sing' by Fiona Maddocks

The young Norwegian soprano on her Glyndebourne debut, her musical heroes, and how the voice has a way of finding its own levelNorwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, 30, shot to fame two years ago…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:48am on June 18, 2017☆⚑

Circa's The Return: Ulysses on his flying trapeze by Fiona Maddocks

Ahead of the UK premiere of the Australian company's radical reworking of Monteverdi, director Yaron Lifschitz talks about the thrills, spills and storytelling power of circusOnce it was eno…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:39am on January 17, 2016☆⚑

The Magic Flute at Edinburgh festival review " unforgettable and exhausting by Fiona Maddocks

Festival theatre, EdinburghThe Magic Flute as a silent film works like a manic dream in Barrie Kosky and theatre company 1927's visually stunning productionThe Magic Flute has always stood a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:04am on August 30, 2015☆⚑

Kreutzer vs Kreutzer; Lakmé review " love affairs with strings attached by Fiona Maddocks

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; Opera Holland Park, LondonBeethoven, Janácek and private passions are played out to perfection in Laura Wade's Kreutzer vs Kreutzer. And against the odds, Lakmé …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:24am on July 19, 2015☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Hespèrion XXI, The Sixteen, Collegium Vocale Gent, Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake, Alban Gerhardt and Steven Osborne by Fiona Maddocks

Usher Hall, Greyfriars Kirk, Queen's HallIn a stellar opening week, an onslaught of music about war affected audiences and performers alike Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:09pm on August 16, 2014☆⚑

Circa and Debussy String Quartet; Paul Bunyan " review by Fiona Maddocks

Barbican theatre; Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, LondonA string quartet and a circus group take Shostakovich to astonishing new heightsPhotographs of Dmitri Shostakovich invariably show …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:07pm on February 22, 2014☆⚑

The 10 best waltzes by Fiona Maddocks

Vienna at New Year isn't the only place to enjoy a stately 1-2-3, writes Fiona MaddocksFiona Maddocks

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:30am on December 27, 2013☆⚑

The Magic Flute " review by Fiona Maddocks

Coliseum, LondonWizardry and darkness fight it out in Simon McBurney's captivating new ENO production of The Magic FlutePicture a sooty apocalypse in an almost featureless universe. A distra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:07pm on November 9, 2013☆⚑

The Merry Wives of Windsor; I, Culture; Missa Solemnis " review by Fiona Maddocks

From Guildhall's Merry Wives to the fledglings under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner, it's been a great week for new talentShiny cafetieres, a pink Aga and matching toaster, Shaker cupboar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:06pm on November 12, 2011☆⚑

The Marriage of Figaro; BBCSSO; RSNO; RLPO; Pli selon pli " review by Fiona Maddocks

Coliseum, London; City Halls, Glasgow; Usher Hall, Edinburgh; Liverpool Cathedral; Royal Festival Hall, LondonThe maze, symbol of secrets and games of mankind's own making, triggered the ins…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:06pm on October 8, 2011☆⚑

The Return of Ulysses; A Magic Flute; Kommilitonen!; Up-Close " review by Fiona Maddocks

Young Vic; Barbican; Royal Academy of Music, all LondonBare all, share all. This is the message in the House of Ulysses, as revealed in the latest collaborative fusion between English Nation…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:04pm on March 26, 2011☆⚑

Lucrezia Borgia; CBSO/Nelsons; Ibragimova/Gerhardt/Osborne " review by Fiona Maddocks

Coliseum, London; Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Concert Hall, ReadingEven Patience on her monument, faced with another operatic job-swap mismatch, must eventually yield to human nature and yell…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:06pm on February 5, 2011☆⚑

Hidden gems of 2010: the classical CDs and DVDs you may have missed by Fiona Maddocks

Observer classical music critic Fiona Maddocks picks the releases that deserved far greater attention in the past yearClassical CDsElgar The Kingdom. Hallé Orchestra and Choir, soloists, Si…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:05pm on December 18, 2010☆⚑