Xavier Renauld's photographs of Oscar Lhermitte's X Days Project.
Standing in for any real writing I've decided to offer blue highlighted words that should take you to some interesting bits and pieces on WNO I've come across on my travels.
To begin is a pair of positive reviews on La Traviata that you can slip on your feet and take for a walk. First up is Rupert Christiansen's take on things, including generous praise for Myrto Papatanasiu's Violetta - "ardent and free-spirited...a lovely performance from a singer we should hear more of." Geoff Brown, of The Times was equally taken with the new visitor to these shores and rustled up the perceptive "strip of steel in her voice reinforces the character’s backbone" and four stars to boot.
Moving on from my lazy attempt at What the Papers Say I thought I'd point you towards another paper story, this time from Wales Online. Not my usual read I have to admit, but one I'm getting to know as I knuckle down to taking this blog seriously. Anyway, before I lose you the story shows to what lengths teachers will go to get a free ticket to the opera...only joking - most of my known acquaintances have to suffer the slings and arrows of the planet's future population so I'm all for them escaping the confines of a seriously soul sapping vocation. But this isn't a lifestyle piece and in short it's the story of how a Cardiff school has incorporated Madam Butterfly into their curriculum with the help of WNO Max - the WNO's educational arm. Given the lip service paid towards the arts in education over the past twenty / thirty years or so it's important to see such initiatives take place, even if they only reach a small number of students.
My final offerings come straight from the horse's mouth. People within reach of Liverpool will have an In Conversation with John Fisher talking about the autumn season (check with WNO for ticket availability) while Wozzeck is treated to an innovative post performance discussion at Cardiff, Llandudno, Oxford and Birmingham (no need to book tickets in advance but follow the link to check out the dates involved). Unfortunately, due to some decrepit booking skills I'm seriously doublebooked for both Cardiff Wozzeck's and will be missing out on what could well be a welcome new fangled addition to the WNO's meet and greet strategy.
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