Gramophone

6 days ago | gramophone.co.uk | Gavin Dixon

Gavin Dixon The opera director Pierre Audi has died in Beijing at the age of 67. Audi was principally associated with the Almeida Theatre in London and with Dutch National Opera. He pioneered a collaborative approach between art forms, which saw him work with some of the leading names in the visual arts and architecture. The repertoire of works that he directed was wide, ranging from the Baroque through to Wagner and into the present day, including nearly 40 world premieres.

1 week ago | gramophone.co.uk | Mark Pullinger

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Barrie Kosky's production of Die Walküre, The Royal Opera (Photo: Monika Rittershaus)It was nearly 20 months ago that the curtain came down on Das Rheingold, launching The Royal Opera’s new Ring cycle.

2 weeks ago | gramophone.co.uk | Mark Pullinger

Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the StaatsoperAlthough born in Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart looms large over Vienna. He lived in at least a dozen addresses in the city and spent his most productive years there. His home in Domgasse (1784-87), where he composed Le nozze di Figaro, is the only Mozart residence still intact in Vienna, now the Mozarthaus museum. Mozart is commemorated by a statue in the Burggarten, just a stone’s throw away from the Staatsoper.

2 weeks ago | gramophone.co.uk | Louise Flind

When do you start designing for an opera production? An opera house invites a director to lead a production, and the director brings in their creative team – designer, costume designer, lighting, movement, and sometimes a dramaturg. I’m usually the second person through the door. Did you grow up in a creative household? Definitely a visually literate one. My dad was a modernist architect, and he was especially involved in repurposing old buildings.

3 weeks ago | gramophone.co.uk | Hattie Butterworth

Founder of the Cotswolds-based Longborough Festival Opera Martin Graham has died aged 83. Graham established the festival alongside his wife Lizzie in the grounds of their home in 1991 as Banks Fee Opera. Longborough Festival Opera has since grown into an established opera company, situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, with an annual season taking place in a purpose-built opera house seating 500.