Richard Bratby

Modest means, but striking results: Opera North’s La rondine reviewed

Plus: two concerts offered a robust corrective to the notion that orchestras nowadays all sound the same

Galina Averina as Magda and Sébastien Guèze as Ruggero in Opera North’s production of Puccini’s La rondine. Photo: Tristram Kenton  
issue 04 November 2023

Opera North is ending its autumn season with a big-hearted production of a lopsided opera. There’s much to love about Puccini’s La rondine, and much to drive you up the wall. This bittersweet love story about an older woman and a younger man, set in Paris and Nice and channelling the operetta sweetness and sparkle of Puccini’s great friend Lehar, ought to sweep you off your feet.

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