April 2020
Our April 2020 issue has just been published, and we put all the concerns of the moment aside first to remember the great soprano Mirella Freni — seen on our cover and the subject of an in-depth obituary.
While several operatic centres are temporarily curtailing their work in an effort to fight off the coronavirus, we look ahead to what we hope will be a healthy summer and preview all the festivals — with a special focus on Salzburg, Cincinnati, Ravenna and Longborough — and profile the Swedish mezzo Ann Hallenberg ahead of her residency at Drottningholm.
From Austria to Uruguay, our critics circle the globe and we cover the latest major new productions. Our Disc of the Month, Benjamin Bernheim’s new solo album on DG, is hailed as an ‘abundant cause for cheers’.
- We pay tribute to great soprano Mirella Freni
- Annual preview of the festivals season
- The Salzburg and Cincinnati Festivals are both 100 this summer
- Our People interview is with the mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg
- Polly Graham – taking over the family business at Longborough
- Cristina Mazzavillani Muti, founder of the Ravenna Festival
- The director Paul Curran – favourite opera recording
