the El ixir Of Lov e Lucia di Lammermoor

JONATHAN MILLER’s new production of DONIZETTI’s love story

DAVID ALDEN’s hugely popular DONIZETTI tragedy returns

Starring SARAH TYNAN JOHN TESSIER ANDREW SHORE 12 Feb – 23 Mar 9 performances only

Starring ANNA CHRISTY BARRY BANKS 4 – 26 Feb 8 performances only

Tickets from only £16

ENO LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM www.eno.org 0871 911 0200

I l lustration by Steve Rawlings February 2010 Volume 61 No 2 Editor John Allison Deputy Editor Erica Jeal (on leave) Assistant Editor Kate Molleson Publisher Fletcher Dhew Subscription Manager Megan Jackson

Editorial Board Martin Bernheimer Hugh Canning Rupert Christiansen Andrew Clark Andrew Clements Richard Fairman George Hall Michael Kennedy Fiona Maddocks Rodney Milnes (Chairman) Roger Parker Andrew Porter

Editorial Offices 36 Black Lion Lane London W6 9BE Telephone: 020 8563 8893 Fax: 020 8563 8635 e-mail: editor@opera.co.uk Website: www.opera.co.uk

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Advertising Jane Stoggles Cabbell Publishing Ltd Telephone: 020 8971 8450 Fax: 020 8971 8480

Opera, February 2010

Founded in 1950 by the Earl of Harewood

Past Editors Harold Rosenthal and Rodney Milnes

131 Happy birthday!

By the Editor 132 Whither opera?

Semyon Bychkov, Ian Campbell, Plácido Domingo, Waldemar Dabrowksi, Brigitte Fassbaender, Peter Gelb, Philip Glass, Lord Harewood, Jiří Heřman, Jack Mastroianni, Gerard Mortier, Elaine Padmore, Nicholas Payne, David Pountney, John Rockwell, Kaija Saariaho, Lyndon Terracini, Michel van der Aa, Giampaolo Vianello, Graham Vick and Roderick Williams 141 People 375: Edward Gardner

George Hall 148 Readers’ letters 150 Past, present, future

Stephen Lord reflects on the state of singing 156 Newsdesk 158 Reaching a state of ‘Bliss’

Fiona Maddocks introduces a new Australian opera 165 Art? What about craft?

Julian Grant considers the shape of opera to come 172 Elisabeth Söderström, 1927-2009

Vladimir Ashkenazy, George Christie, John Cox, Charles Mackerras, Kerstin Meyer, David Parry, Frederica von Stade and Rodney Milnes 179 Obituary 180 Opera around the world 218 Opera in Britain 225 Opera on CD 236 Opera on DVD 243 Coming events including plans for the UK houses; ‘We hear that …’; Opera calendar home & abroad 255 Classified advertisements 256 Wish I’d been there …

Martin Bernheimer

129