From Martinů to Mazzoli it was a vintage year for opera great and small, and inspired programming everywhere. And in troubled times, a happy ending… Plenty of outstanding music around the UK this year distracted us from woes about the planet and Brexit, but a deafening cry of #MeToo added a note of dissonance. Conservatoires and specialist music schools have come under scrutiny. Individuals at every level have been reprimanded, including top opera stars, starting – amid great upset – with the veteran tenor-turned-baritone Plácido Domingo. His long and glorious career is over in the States, but European houses still welcome him, wanting more proof to substantiate allegations. He is still due to sing at the Royal Opera House in 2020, where the 42-year-old Italian star tenor Vittorio Grigolo has been suspended following an incident on tour with the company in Japan. This is an unfolding story of endemic sexual abuse across the industry, and how to establish a way forward. Artistically, the Royal Opera has had a gilded year, with a string of triumphs: _Káťa Kabanová_, _Agrippina_, _Death in Venice_ among them. So too have our regional companies: Welsh National Opera’s ambitious Freedom season provoked thought. Opera North reminded us of the contemporary relevance and power of Martinů’s _The Greek Passion_. Scottish Opera gave us stimulating new works: Stuart MacRae’s _Anthropocene_ and Missy Mazzoli’s _Breaking the Waves_. English Touring Opera, doing sterling work on the tightest budget, encouraged singers from around the country to join them in Kurt Weill’s _The Silver Lake_, paired with deft and lively Mozart (_The Seraglio_). English National Opera raised hopes for the future with the appointment of Annilese Miskimmon as artistic director. Continue reading...
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