De Butts, Lucy

A chat with... Reinhold Friedl of Zeitkratzer

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:00:00 GMT

ON STAGE THIS FRIDAY! Avant-gardists extraordinaire - and Lou Reed/Whitehouse collabortors - Zeitkratzer prepare to play their "Volksmusik" at the open-air Wassermusik Festival.

A boot up the arse for opera

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:56:00 GMT

Singers dressed up in sausage wrappers? At the Komische Oper Festival (July 13-18), classics are turned upside down and inside out. And that's just what opera needs...

La Périchole

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:22:09 GMT

This month’s new production of La Périchole begins with singers dressed up in sausage wrappers then only gets more surreal, developing into a game show-cum-cabaret-cum-musical theatre piece that’s sure to make Offenbach turn in his grave. Still, the standard of singing is extremely high, and the Komische Oper is giving opera just what it needs – a boot up the arse.

The Second Time In Between

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:33:02 GMT

A nonsense urban drama by Periferic/Martha Hincapié Charry. Dance, multimedia installations and performance collide to create a distorting mirror of urban life reality. Kooky.

Chiarina - Robert and Clara Schumann

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:15:48 GMT

This free concert by the Wolf-Ferrari Ensemble (soprano Stephanie Petitlaurent, pianist Niek van Oosterum and violin/ master of ceremonies Wolfram Thorau) celebrates the life and works of Robert and Clara Schumann through their music and letters. A must for fans of the classical duo.

Komische Oper Festival: Rigoletto

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:54:24 GMT

Komische Oper Festival: La Périchole

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:59:17 GMT

At the Komische Oper, operas are turned upside down and inside out, with every ounce of potential eccentricity wrung out, and then a bit more added for good measure. They're giving the genre just what it needs - a boot up the arse - and this week-long festival of the 2009/10 premieres (July 13-18) is the perfect opportunity to give them a once-over. This month’s new production of La Périchole is no exception – beginning with singers dressed up in sausage wrappers, it only gets more surreal, developing into a gameshow-cum-cabaret-cum-musical theatre piece that’s sure to make Offenbach turn in his grave. Still, the standard of singing is extremely high.