Opera Archives - The Spidy Editor

A strikingly colourful Ariadne auf Naxos from Nederlandse Reisopera

6 February 2025Culture, Music

Opera thrives on partnership. Nederlandse Reisopera’s new production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, is the perfect vehicle for such a vision, not only bringing together all the art forms,…

Simon McBurney’s Magic Flute makes a triumphant return to Dutch National Opera

2 January 2024Music

Where to start when discussing Simon McBurney’s 2012 production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, now in its third Dutch National Opera reincarnation in Amsterdam after travelling all around the world to great…

Francis van Broekhuizen and Elenora Hu bring a splash of glamour to Phion’s Callas celebration

24 November 2023Music

In this the centenary year of her birth, such is the fascination with Maria Callas that organisations all around are hosting their own tributes to one of the most famous…

The story behind Nederlandse Reisopera’s latest production: Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane

29 September 2023Music

Nederlandse Reisopera's latest production of Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane will be the first staged production of this opera in The Netherlands despite the work receiving its premiere nearly 100 years ago.…

Nederlandse Reisopera’s Fidelio makes opera truly accessible for all

27 April 2023Culture, Music

Would good overcome evil? Would Florestan find freedom and at what cost?

Nederlandse Reisopera's latest production of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio was a joint production with Den Kongelige Opera, Copenhagen (2020) and Teatr Wielki, Warsaw (2021). They were joined by Phion Orkest and Consensus Vocalis…

Nederlandse Reisopera faces the music and produces a most memorable Magic Flute

23 January 2023Music

The young Austrian tenor David Kerber with his magic flute © Marco Borggreve

Sometimes in life, even the best laid plans do not work as expected. This was the case for the Nederlandse Reisopera in their latest production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, a co-production…

A Striking If Perplexing Midsummer Night’s Dream!

2 June 2022Music

Bottom, performed by Marc Pantus, revelled in his fabulous lower register | © Kurt van der Elst

As a Suffolk girl, growing up just six miles from Benjamin Britten’s place of birth, the music from this most English of composers runs deep through my veins. Whilst preparing…

Orpheé | L’Amour | Eurydice. Opera, But Not As We Know It.

27 February 2022Music

Once inside, we were enveloped in a world of virtual reality headsets. This was opera, but not as we know it. And it was very good. It was truly wonderful.