THE TRUTH ABOUT: Strauss | History Defined

Ariadne auf Naxos review – Laurent Pelly’s staging has plenty of wit but lacks weight

The director hits perfectly all the comic marks of Strauss’s opera about an opera, but there’s few insights in a work that should be moving as well as frothy and fun.

The Guardian - UK · Jul 20

Anna Netrebko review – high camp and bel canto brilliance as star soprano shows she’s still the real deal

In this London recital the Russian singer moved from Rachmaninov to Mozart and Strauss to Charpentier, showcasing in all her voice’s full range of plush, dark beauty and endless legato

The Guardian - UK · Jun 25

Salome review – righteous fury and dynamic clarity give Regents Opera its head

Directed with gangsterish overtones by Mark Ravenhill, the tempered musical weight of this lean production of the Strauss classic brings greater focus on the roles’ contrasting dramas

The Guardian - UK · Apr 12

I compared Panasonic and Sony's 2025 OLED TVs to see which has the better sound – and there’s an obvious winner

Panasonic and Sony TVs have the best built-in sound on the market, but who comes out on top in a side-by-side test?

TechRadar · Aug 19, 2025

Shibe/BBCPhil/Bihlmaier review – vivid, vibrant and exuberant virtuosity

Mark Simpson’s vibrant new work for Sean Shibe was the centrepiece of a polychromatic Prom that began with Strauss and ended with a vividly told Symphonie Fantastique

The Guardian - UK · Jul 23, 2025

Salome at the Barbican review: a gripping performance from a dream cast

5/5 Soprano Asmik Grigorian astounds in the title role, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antonio Pappano

Evening Standard · Jul 14, 2025

Salome review – a frankly astonishing concert performance

Asmik Grigorian heads one of the finest casts you could hope to hear, and every flicker of detail and colour in Strauss’s score hits home, as Antonio Pappano’s first season with the LSO climaxes in remarkable style

The Guardian - UK · Jul 13, 2025

Met Opera attendance dropped in spring as tourism fell, coinciding with immigration crackdown

Metropolitan Opera season attendance dropped slightly following the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown that coincided with a decrease in tourists to New York

The Independent UK · Jun 13, 2025

Nina Stemme says farewell to Isolde after 126 performances

Soprano Nina Stemme sung her 126th and final performance of Isolde in Wagner's “Tristan und Isolde” with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Marian Anderson Hall

The Independent UK · Jun 9, 2025

LSO/Dudamel/Rebeka review – relentless orchestral fireworks and bright moments

Starry conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra saw Strauss and Ravel given explosive power but limited depth

The Guardian - UK · May 16, 2025