... The Snow Maiden Royal Opera House Any chance to penetrate further into Rimsky-Korsakov's magical operatic universe is always an excitement. The Kirov gave a single concert performance of this, his third opera. Bom with an icy heart incapable of love, the Snow Maiden, daughter of Father Frost (sung at the premiere by Stravinsky's father, Fyodor) and Beautiful Spring, has intimations left among ...

... I'Amico Fritz Holland Park Theatre After the tremendous success of Cavalleria Rusticana (1890), Mascagni next sought a simple libretto, with a flimsy plot, so the opera could be judged on the music alone. The result is an opera with a story that is simplicity itself. When wealthy Alsace landowner Fritz Kobus declares he will never marry, his friend Rabbi David wages he will. Fritz ...

... Revolution at rapid-fire pace Royal Opera House Semyon Kotko Prokofiev's 'revolutionary' opera, first produced in the Soviet Union in 1940. is interesting both historically and musically. Histoncaliy because Prokofiev, who had initially made his reputation in Paris, from where he had returned two years earlier desired to be accepted as the country's leading composer and had to find a ...

... Mazeppa Royal Opera House Premiered in 1884 at The Bolshoi. Moscow, Tchaikovsky's piece is a powerful work based upon the story of hetman Mazeppa 's attempt to free the Ukraine from Russia. The opera, however, concentrates upon the relationship with his god-daughter, Maria who abandons all for him. Mazeppa subsequently executes her father, Kochubei, shoots dead Andrei and Maria loses her ...

... Peter Grimes Glyndeboume Glyndeboume has revived Trevor Nunn's harrowing staging of Britten's opera for a second time. Its impact is devastating. John Gunter's designs of heightened realism are wonderfully evocative, notably the Borough church tucked up an alley. They catch the ii fe^ 1 1 Rn kjue ui vax i ii i iui i ...

... Palladium Nights Blackpool Who better to reopen a long lost summer season venue than Danny La Rue? He may have a bus pass in his clutchbag, but La Rue is one of the last of his generation of performers a tireless profe ssional who always fills his shows with new and established talent. The first season show in the revamped Winter Gardens Pavilion is at once a look back and a step forward. For ...

... Encores for French legend Barbican Hall Juliette Greco France's great icon Juliette Greco walked on stage still pale as snow, a fairy tale queen clad in black velvet with shiny black hair and her famous fringe. Accompanied by Brel's musical collaborator and her husband Gerard Jouannest on piano, with a quartet including Sergio Tomassi on accordion, Greco whispered, hissed, shouted and moaned ...

... Bobby Roberts Circus Ayr Judging from this Bobby Roberts summer extravaganza, containing some magnificent examples of the sort of speciality act once so popular in theatres, traditional circus seems to have become the last bastion of variety. In an era when theatre bills are commonly reduced to a hand ful of performers, this show features no fewer than 23 differ ent items and a cast of some ...

... Best of British Jazz Sonning Put six of the finest professional musicians together, present them as a totally integrated group who are happy playing jazz ranging from Dixieland to swing and you have the Best of British Jazz. The original group, Kenny Baker, Don Lusher. Betty Smith. Tony Lee, Tony Archer and Jack Parnell, made its debut some 20 years ago. Then Roy Willox, Brian Lemon and ...

... Nowt queer about Harding's folk show It has been more than two years since Mike Harding (Smooth Operations for R2. Wednesday, July 12) took over from Ralph McTell in the weekly Radio 2 slot, which features the best of roots, folk and acoustic music. During that time his long and varied experience as a musician, coupled with a natural, friendly presenting style, has won him a lot of friends ...

... Nuit des Hommes Almeida An air raid siren wail which rises and falls, varies in intensity, takes on the quaver of a musical saw, prefaces the entry of young Wilhelm and Alice wearing head mics. As chorus they top and tail their odyssey. A last supper, durine which he vearns for her body, presages their eager entry into the arena of war. He becomes soldier, she war corre spondent and Kali. ...

... Performers get time to shine Criterion Birmingham School of Speech and Drama This nicely balanced showcase for graduating students from the BSSD's One-year Diploma Course in Professional Studies in Acting opened with an excerpt from Patrick Marber's first play. Dealer's Choice. Andrew Hobbs and James Daflems' convincing performances reflected the cynical, manipulative feel of the piece, and ...