Kim Begley

Live performance, new production season 1984-5. BBC 2 Television relay on 30 March 1985 of performance of February 11.

L'opéra de Karol Szymanowski raconte l'illumination du roi chrétien Roger II par un jeune berger qui représente les idéaux païens.

Il n’est pas étonnant que le public du Met soit devenu fou devant la torride Salomé de Karita Mattila. Incontestablement l’une des plus grandes Salomé de notre époque, Mattila incarne parfaitement l’héroïne d’Oscar Wilde pétulante, obstinéeeet lubrique. Grâce à la musique révolutionnaire de Strauss qui magnifie l’atmosphère dégénérée et crée une tension érotique, cet opéra est aussi choquant aujourd’hui qu’il l’était lors de sa création en 1905.

Recorded at Britain's Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Leos Janacek's opera follows the exploits of Emilia Marty (Anja Silja), a sexually irresistible prima donna who experiences everything imaginable in her long life, which lasts longer than 300 years. Directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff and conducted by Andrew Davis, this psychological opera blends comedy and personal tragedy to examine the perplexing mystery of human existence.

Brett Dean's multi-award-winning opera received its world premiere at Glyndebourne Festival 2017. The world premiere recording of Brett Deans new opera based on Shakespeares best-known tragedy: To be, or not to be. This is Hamlets dilemma, and the essence of Shakespeares most famous and arguably greatest work, given new life in operatic form in this original Glyndebourne commission. Thoughts of murder and revenge drive Hamlet when he learns that it was his uncle Claudius who killed his father, the King of Denmark, then seized his fathers crown and wife. But Hamlets vengeance vies with the question: is suicide a morally valid deed in an unbearably painful world?

This highly acclaimed production of Strauss Salome from the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is staged by German director Nikolaus Lenhoff. Starring Angela Denoke as a brilliant Salome, who is joined by a great ensemble of soloists, Kim Begley, Doris Soffel and Alan Held. Performing with great aplomb , the Deutsches Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, conducted by Stefan Soltez, was also enthusiastically celebrated by critics and audience.