Photo credit: Tanja Dorendorf 

(5 / 5)

I would take the plunge and travel overseas for the first time in a decade. In a frozen city, the Staatsoper Hamburg made a piece which got people talking, yet even more attention should have been brought its way. 

Monster’s Paradise is an astounding thing. The collaboration between Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek goes back to the mid 90’s, including a surprise version of an opera based on David Lynch’s Lost Highway being noteworthy. I am new to their work and Monster’s Paradise is my chance to see what they do. Neuwirth’s score is so overwhelming in its references and utter violence. In the spirit of Ligeti, there is much humour and I was taken with the unrelenting use of percussion, with Lucas Niggli on drums as a soloist of brilliance. Seth Josel on electric guitar was another highlight in the pit. The orchestra with Titus Engel at the helm remained potent, going up to the pit as everyone was leaving, I was stunned with just how small the amount of players were, even out of tune pianos were included into the fold. 

With director Tobias Kratzer and co-director Matthias Piro, they embraced the deeply silly story and notched it up tenfold. With sets and costumes by Rainer Sellmzier, the total embrace of pop culture references held up as a universal truth. Disney Princesses, The Muppets and Godzilla are clear in their imagery here, no cause for concern with parody as a justified right. Naturally, the main head turn is the character of the Trump like persona Der König-Präsident, with many additional Oval Office trappings. 

With a libretto by Elfriede Jelinek (and additions from Neuwirth), it is razor sharp in its satirical and political cometary. Many acidic nods to both of Trumps terms and the infamous, in-between period are brought up and questioned severely. There are puns and even some I would have missed in the German, yet the near mythical and pop transformation of events are what really stand out. 

This all works immensely well, not taking itself too seriously and also questioning profound issues we have today. Two vampires Vampi and Bampi go across the world, trying to find ways to help and this is when they discover this manic President. Through the aid of the keiju, Gorgonzilla (one of the many puns!), a battle commences between good and evil, clever and stupid, nature vs destruction. The video work from Jonas Dahl and Janic Bebi, aside clever stage craft, is also a delight. There are Trump supporters depicted as Zombies, who also haunt the foyer during intermission. You wouldn’t get this done in the U.K. This much I know. 

The cast are total talent and everyone was perfect for their roll. Vampi and Bampi from Sarah Defrise and Kristina Stanek are our leading ladies of the whole opera. Many funny and touching moments with these two are the backbone. They even have doubles from Sylvie Rohrer and Ruth Rosenfeld who are used in showy was when the two are front and centre. As this twisted President, Georg Nigl stole the show any time he’s on. This is an immensely silly role and he took it with aplomb, singing with shrieks, shouting, attacks and whines. Inflation baby suits, a washboard tie and his golf buggy are some of the many hilarious props to the role. It was an immensely funny thing to see. 

Photo credit: Tanja Dorendorf 

Gorgonzola also got his double: Anna Clementi and in physical form from an amazingly committed Vanessa Konzok. The vast array of modulated sprechgesang through the entire role was shocking, Clementi really doing vocal fireworks. Mickey and Tuckey from countertenor Andrew Watts (I believe the only singer I’ve seen before here) and Eric Jurenas as both acidic wretched Disney icons, servants to their president. A surprising singer Ruben Drole who was not on stage enough, was Ein Bär, a bear in a physical manifestation of the America, often ravaged by his leader. A surprise turn from actress Charlotte Rampling seen on video, framing the stage in double, glistening form as The Goddess. The only extensive English language moments were here, with concerning verse over events on stage, not dissimilar to a Greek Chorus. 

I’m aware there is much more that could be said. I’m also savouring the amusing boxing match between The President and Gorgonzilla, the latter’s rattle used to great effect throughout the night, Melania as a lampshade and the Vampire dolls to show how tiny they are when they see the immense Gorgonzilla. The lucid electronics from Markus Roistering also season the pot, a children’s chorus is also briefly sweet towards the wrap up. The devastating end with Nancarrow like piano MIDI flurries couldn’t have been better. A little bit of trimming in length (two hours, forty five minutes with the break) might have faired better, though there are little quips from this impassioned critic. 

This should have been filmed or at the very least, live streamed for much more to see. It’s popularity both near and also far, has proven potent. 

Monster’s Paradise is staged at Opernhaus, Zurich from 8th March till 12 April, with Graz Opera, Austria dates to be confirmed.

Listen to Monster’s Paradise on the Opera Hamburg website.

Photo credit: Tristram Kenton

(2 / 5)

My support for English National Opera goes back nearly two decades. I’ve loved the passion, the commitment to the art of opera and music making. With recent setbacks and issues, I still need to support the company, yet I have some doubts…

This is an odd choice, Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany would be the latest premiere from the company. With Weill’s love of all thing’s cabaret and Brecht lectures for the audiences…it’s an often-heady mix. Directed by Jamie Manton, this is a stripped back show, with Brechtian sensibilities, one which typically vexes.

I found there to be several issues, I think the English translation let’s it down, it should be in German for that acidic pout of clever-told-you-so storytelling. ENO’s commitment to opera in English has always been the gold standard, yet not everything works. The humungous Coliseum may have proven to be two large for the opera intimacy, within many moments of the first two acts.

The City of Mahogany comes about as dessert delivery workers can go no further with their toil. They choose to set up in the wasteland, creating a utopian idyll where everyone is equal, at a price. A strange band of characters including Jimmy MacIntyre and his lover Jenny Smith make the city their home, though flaws fixate and unpaid debts cause fatal flaws in the city’s ideals. This is where Brecht gets to shine with his annoying storytelling parables. There are no prisoners for this lucid narrative, less about sharp character development and more social and political, issues of the day, now seen with fresh eyes – today.

Weill’s score is highly eccentric. With the addition of banjo, acoustic guitar, an under used saxophone, (I think I heard pianola at one point) and other fun additions, I do stand by this being an opera if highly unconventional in its vocal delivery and orchestra fibres. Many merry Oompa moments and toe tapping bars should appease, yet this is not always the case. The first part of the night with act one and two conjoined, felt like a slog and the intermission after the first act would have been graceful respite. The third act remains the most ‘operatic’ as the story finally gets some heightened momentum with Jimmy MacIntyre’s execution for unpaid whiskey bills and other heinous acts. Story wise, that’s pretty much it!

The chorus and orchestra of ENO are always a thrill and under the baton of new music director André de Ridder, I think there is little to be worried about. The concerns lie with an arts council who have openly chosen to comprise the company base of over ninety years in London, with Manchester flutters for their own Brech-like agendas. You can see this in the sets of Milla Clarke, though ‘alienation’ as a proven point, the set back on this funding would slash many ideals. There is good singing from Danielle de Niese, Simon O’Neill, Elgan Llýr Thomas, Mark Le Brocq and more. Some eccentric dancers would add to the fray in often bizarre and comical ways. My only regret is that I just wish I’d enjoyed this screwball rarity much more.

Side note: I should be off to Hamburg later this week for Monsters Paradise, another German twist on the American dream, where Trump will fight Godzilla. Now that. Is. Entertainment….

It runs till 20th Feb 2026

(4 / 5)

It would be further new discoveries in music that would present Ensemble Près de votre oreille and their concert of William Lawes. He would write for Charles I and his involvement in the English Civil War would see his fate sealed. Yet, why do we not know of him better?

With dimmed lighting and a solemn air, this hour was quite evocative. Lawes pushed boundaries in an era which he found himself in. Baroque would be the time, yet everything is sharp, the ensemble brim with a youthful punch. With singers Marion Tassou, Anaïs Bertrand and Olivier Gourdy, their series of Choice Psalms held such intimate secrets, a journey back to the past and one of great impact. Extracts from Lawes Harp Consorts were other thrills, it’s the simplicity, really. The ease with everything was held together tight but was just so soft and alluring.

Director Robin Pharo, who was playing viola da gamba throughout, spoke halfway through declaring it was the ensembles first time in the UK performing. This broke the spell for me a little, I think the whole hour could have easily sailed on peacefully. Perhaps Robin could have spoken before the first piece? What followed was still sweet and profound in many ways, as more Harp Consorts and Choice Psalms wafted around us. We must strongly encourage Ensemble Près de votre oreille to come back and do more stellar work such as this.

Eleonora Savvidou-Missouri currently studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff talks to us about her experience of curating the conference ‘Chamber music: synergies through time, places and spaces’.

Hi Eleonora, How did this initiative begin?

I’m not quite sure myself how it all began, one day, about a year ago… is it possible to suddenly, out of the blue, set your heart to running a conference?

Perhaps unconventionally, it wasn’t just advocacy for a particular research area that led me on the journey of leading a conference only a couple of months after starting my master’s degree. Like many in their early twenties who are trying to navigate their desired career path, I was shaken by the realisation that finding a means for my enthusiasm to be embraced seemed fraught with difficulties. At the same time, going from a university to a conservatoire setting made me realise that what I envisioned as musicology – something that can ignite fireworks! – was not a common consensus. More often than not, it felt to be conceived as something foreign and scary.

I’d say that the emergence of the conference is attributed to my desire to spark change. I wanted to make music research feel like a space brimming with excitement and possibility – a place where people from all career stages can work together and become friends over shared passions. In hindsight, choosing chamber music as the conference theme was ideal: beyond the thrill of the field’s multifaceted nature, it closely reflects values which I hope will resonate through the event. Friends coming together to talk, perform and celebrate is where it all started, both in the eighteenth-century and now!

How did you choose the guest speakers for the conference? 

It was only a couple of hours after I’d first conceived the possibility of hosting a celebratory chamber music conference that I contacted Laura Tunbridge (Heather Professor of Music at Oxford University) to ask if she was up for joining me on the journey. Her course on String Quartets was my favourite part of my undergraduate degree, so it felt like there was no better person to be the keynote lecturer for the conference! From the very start, her support for the event has been unwavering; I can’t imagine the conference without her being a part of it.

I’m delighted that Julia Plaut (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama tutor and founder of ‘Little Live Projects’ charity), Lucy Green (Emerita Professor of Music Education at University College London), Susan Young (formerly Principal Lecturer in Music Education and Childhood Studies at Exeter University) and Clíona Ní Choileáin (cellist of ‘Hold the Drama’ chamber collective) will also be joining us for a panel discussion on ‘Education & Engagement through Chamber Music’.

Attending one of Julia Plaut’s ‘Little Concerts’ inspired my idea to include a panel discussion on education and engagement as part of the conference. Founded in 2021, Julia’s ‘Little Live Projects’ charity offers interactive live chamber music events to families and children across South Wales; imagine stories set to music, shimmering lights, laughter…

I hadn’t been in contact with Lucy Green prior to the conference, but I feel as if I’ve known her for years through her work. My high school curriculum was based on her teaching philosophy, and I vividly remember my excitement when my music teachers handed me a copy of one of her books to read around 8 years ago. I never thought I’d have the honour of meeting the person that the whole world seemed to know of and talk about.

My choice of inviting Susan Young came through high recommendation; she has been a driving force behind the education programmes at Wigmore Hall and the London Symphony Orchestra, among many others. I had recently come across Wigmore Hall’s ‘Chamber Tots’ scheme and found it particularly compelling – only to realise that it was Susan that had written the programme’s research report!

Keen for the panel discussion to reflect the perspectives of educators, researchers, and performers, Clíona Ní Choileáin will be joining us to represent ‘Hold the Drama’. ‘Hold the Drama’ is a chamber collective of 6 classically trained musicians who curate and deliver live music shows that ‘tell stories to explore mental health’.

I’ve been really struck by the generosity, willingness and enthusiasm of all the guest speakers to be part of the event. I know I’m biased, but we seem to have the most amazing line up!

If you were to offer advice to others your age, based on your experiences with the conference, what would it be?

I feel that many students and graduates often encounter barriers: there always seems to be someone or something to remind us of how competitive everything is or the difficulties we will face. What often goes forgotten, though, is how much every discipline needs more people that genuinely care for what they do. If I’d give one piece of advice to anyone my age it would be to think of something that combines everything you’re passionate about and do it – no matter what. It will make the world feel a better place, it will give back like nothing else can. But the magic will only work if you set your heart to it…

Join us on the 13^th of March at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff for a one-day conference celebrating the place of chamber music in past and present communities and advocating for its continued livelihood as we look into the future. The event will feature a panel discussion on Education & Engagement with Prof. Lucy Green, Dr Susan Young, Julia Plaut and Clíona Ní Choileáin, a performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet by the Carducci and Vita Quartets, and a keynote lecture by Prof. Laura Tunbridge.

For more details on the programme of the day, and to register your attendance, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chamber-music-synergies-through-time-places-and-spaces-tickets-1980266845442?aff=oddtdtcreator