Joshua Bloom

In February 1972, the American president Richard Nixon went to China to meet Mao Zedong. In the context of the war in Vietnam and the cold war, this encounter marked a turning point in Chinese‑American relations. John Adams, a major musical figure of the last forty years, made this event of contemporary history the subject of his first opera. Nixon in China tackles the political thaw instigated by ping-pong diplomacy, begun by the invitation of the American table tennis players by their Chinese counterparts, one year before the presidential visit. A mesmerising work in which the pulsations and repetitions typical of minimalism are combined with melodic lines of great lyricism. For its entry into the Paris Opera repertoire, this work has been entrusted to the director Valentina Carrasco, who underlines the importance and the mediating power of Chinese national sport in history.

Mariusz Kwiecien dans le rôle-titre de l'amant le plus notoire du monde mène une gamme étoilée de mozartiens raffinés dans l'élégante production 2011 de Michael Grandage. Luca Pisaroni chante Leporello, le serviteur de Giovanni qui admire et déteste à la fois son maître. Marina Rebeka en Donna Anna, Barbara Frittoli en Donna Elvira et Mojca Erdmann en Zerlina forment le trio de femmes séduites par Giovanni. Ramón Vargas joue Don Ottavio, le fiancé d'Anna, et Joshua Bloom dans Masetto et Štefan Kocán dans le rôle du Commendatore autour du casting. Met le chef d'orchestre principal Fabio Luisi dirige l'orchestre et joue du clavecin continuo.

When a spirited peasant girl is promised to a stranger, she uses every last ounce of cunning and charm to thwart her parents’ plans and get the man she actually loves. From the vibrant overture to the riotous polka, Smetana places dance at the heart of his sparkling work. This festive celebration of Czech culture and identity is re-imagined into the heart of the English countryside with this new production at Garsington Opera.

For many people, one’s wedding day might feel dramatic. For Mozart’s Figaro, it is quite literally an opera! The action covers one day in the castle and grounds of Aguas Frescas, near Seville. Stellar performances in John Cox’s production of this Mozart opera, featuring an unforgettable Figaro by Joshua Bloom