Since before Christmas theartsdesk has been reviewing the past decade and previewing the year to come in the arts. As an extra we offer this special edition of The Seckerson Tapes, in which Edward Seckerson and Igor Toronyi-Lalic discuss the year in music, which, in the concert hall, saw the triumph of the new romantics in conductors Riccardo Chailly and Yannick Nezet-Seguin and, operatically, saw the arrival of three penetrating new productions of operatic classics: the English National Opera's Peter Grimes, Covent Garden's Tristan und Isolde and Glyndebourne's Rusalka.
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more opera
Gerald Barry's Salome, NSO Ireland, Kuhn, National Concert Hall, Dublin review - funny-queasy genius
Paradoxically both ordered and wild(e), with weird twists and superb performances
Lusty singing, plenty of space and not a sail in sight
Electrifying Britten and Wagner under Joana Mallwitz, plus top chamber music and song
Waterworks fail to douse the power of Britten's sinister masterpiece
Orpha Phelan's multi-layered production looks at tyranny over the centuries
Janáček's protagonist is a pure soul, a socialist and a survivor
Jennifer Davis is a dream nymph, not best served by Netia Jones' production
Peripheral problems, but the greatest love duet is perfectly sung, staged and conducted
Workshops ahead of a new production of 'Imeneo' help bring young people to opera
Andreas Schager’s hero is a sword-forger and lover for the ages
World-class Irish artists celebrate International Women's Day with poise and passion
First-rate singing, playing and conducting, and the portable production has some impact
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