Ariodante, Barbican Hall | reviews, news & interviews
Ariodante, Barbican Hall
Ariodante, Barbican Hall
Joyce DiDonato carries the day
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Texan mezzo Joyce DiDonato: 'Face, body and voice had become an extraordinary emotional Rubik's Cube'
Handel spread dazzle and desolation evenly enough through the lead roles of Ariodante. A suitably stellar line-up for last night's concert performance at the Barbican was, therefore, awaiting us. Yet, as so often with Handel, the packed ship and its glistening booty inevitably tilted to one passenger and one casket of gems: to Joyce DiDonato and "Scherza infida".
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 10,000 pieces, we're asking for £3.95 per month or £30 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take an annual subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Opera
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Birmingham Opera Company review - searing music-theatre for all
Bloodied brides and rat-heads run amok in visceral ballroom Shostakovich
Idomeneo, English Touring Opera review – honest excellence
Strong singing and fuss-free direction do justice to Mozart's dark masterpiece
Robin Hood, The Opera Story, CLF Café review - folk hero re-imagined as Tory villain
The plot is over-stuffed, but this new opera has some riveting moments
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Guildhall School review - earthy, energetic Britten
An energetic cast of quality voices meshes happily with bracing instrumental magic
The Merry Widow, English National Opera review - glitter but no sparkle
It's hard to know whether to mourn or celebrate this uneven production
Così fan tutte, Royal Opera review - fine singing and elegant deceits
Metatheatrical devices turn the screw on Mozart’s not-so-funny comedy of manners
The Monstrous Child, Royal Opera, Linbury Theatre review - fresh operatic mythology for teenagers
Move over Wagner, there's a new set of operatic gods in town
The Rite of Spring/Gianni Schicchi, Opera North review - unlikely but musically satisfying pairing
Odd-couple double bill of Stravinsky and Puccini with plenty to delight ear and eye
The Magic Flute, Welsh National Opera review - charming to hear, charmless to look at
Mozart's pantomime about Nature and Reason stuck in a box
Brighton Festival 2019 launches with Guest Director Rokia Traoré
The south-coast's arts extravaganza reveals its 2019 line-up
Akhnaten, English National Opera review - still a mesmerising spectacle
ENO's most successful contemporary opera ever makes a triumphant return
Un ballo in maschera, Welsh National Opera review - opera as brilliant self-parody
Middle-period Verdi watchable, listenable and sometimes laughable
Add comment