Jonathan Haswell
2021Le Nozze di Figaro
Jonathan Haswell
Erwin Schrott, Miah Persson
David McVicar's spellbinding production of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO is set in 1830s post-revolution France, where the inexorable unravelling of an old order has produced acute feelings of loss. In the relationship between Finley's suave, dashingly self-absorbed Count and Röschmann's passionately dignified Countess, which lies at the tragic heart of the opera, the sexy ease between a feisty Figaro (Erwin Schrott) and a sassy Susanna (Miah Persson) is starkly absent, the tenacious spark between Marcellina (Graciela Araya) and Bartolo (Jonathan Veira) suggesting what might be rekindled. The production is superbly complemented by the beauty of Paule Constable's lighting and Tanya McCallin's evocative sets. Antonio Pappano conducts (and accompanies the recitatives) with invigorating wit and emotional depth.
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
Carmen
Jonathan Haswell
Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann
Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Caterina Antonacci bring rare erotic intensity to the drama of Don José and Carmen in this darkly passionate reading of one of the most popular operas. Kaufmann uses his burnished tenor and smouldering good looks to portray the man undone by Carmen's love. As the object of his desire, Antonacci gives a physical and compelling performance.
Carmen
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Opera House)
Dominic Best, Jonathan Haswell
Lauren Cuthbertson, Sergei Polunin
A full-length ballet created by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The ballet is based on Lewis Carroll's famous story of Alice, an ordinary girl who one summer afternoon falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself on an extraordinary adventure. The music is by Joby Talbot, with designs by the internationally acclaimed Bob Crowley. Alice is danced by the Royal Ballet's Lauren Cuthbertson, and actor Simon Russell-Beale plays the cameo role of the Duchess.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House)
Acis and Galatea (The Royal Ballet / The Royal Opera)
Jonathan Haswell
Danielle de Niese, Lauren Cuthbertson
The Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera collaborate in Wayne McGregor's production of Handel and Gay's classic opera, in which the nymph Galatea falls in love with a shepherd named Acis.
Acis and Galatea (The Royal Ballet / The Royal Opera)
The Minotaur
Jonathan Haswell
Antonio Pappano, John Tomlinson
This staging of Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Minotaur features John Tomlinson, Johann Reuter, Christine Rice, and Andrew Watts in the main roles. Stephen Langridge directed the production for the stage, and Antonio Pappano conducted the orchestra.
The Minotaur
Tosca
Jonathan Kent, Jonathan Haswell
Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann
The star singers in this revival of the 2006 production were Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel; the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House were under the baton of Antonio Pappano, the Music Director of the Royal Opera House. The pageantry of church ritual, the darkness of a brooding study with its hidden torture chamber and the false optimism of the light of a Roman dawn - all throw into relief the love of the beautiful diva Tosca, the idealism of her lover Cavaradossi and the deadly, destructive obsession of the malevolent Chief of Police, Scarpia. Drama, passion and fabulous music.
Puccini: Tosca
Salomé
David McVicar, Jonathan Haswell
Nadja Michael, Michael Volle
Live from the Royal Opera 2008. David McVicar’s powerful 2008 production of Strauss's opera – based on a play by Oscar Wilde – takes the controversial and disturbing film 120 Days of Sodom as its visual reference. The action is set in a debauched palace, which has suggestions of Nazi Germany. Strauss’s ravishing and voluptuous score adds to the sexual alchemy that is conjured by an international cast led by Nadja Michael in the title role. Salome is filmed for the big screen with High Definition cameras and recorded in true surround sound.
Salomé
McGregor: Chroma / Infra / Limen
Jonathan Haswell, Margaret Williams
Sarah Lamb, Tamara Rojo
The diversity of Wayne McGregor's astonishing talent is demonstrated through Chroma, Infra and Limen, each created for The Royal Ballet, for whom he is resident choreographer. Intimate yet universal, light yet dark, frenetic yet lyrical, McGregor pursues his passion for exploring the inner workings of the human body and mind, his many-layered and beautiful dances providing visual, sensual and kinaesthetic stimulus for the viewer. Works: Chroma (Talbot; White III); Infra (Richter); Limen (Saariaho).
McGregor: Chroma / Infra / Limen
Wagner : Parsifal
Stephen Langridge, Jonathan Haswell
Simon O'Neill, René Pape
A young man ignorant of everything, including his own name, arrives at the Kingdom of the Holy Grail. Is he the ‘pure fool, enlightened by compassion’, who, it has been prophesied, will purify the kingdom?
Wagner : Parsifal
Don Giovanni
Kasper Holten, Jonathan Haswell
Mariusz Kwiecien, Alex Esposito
The impulsive and charismatic Don Giovanni travels through Europe seducing women, accompanied by his long-suffering servant Leporello. But when Don Giovanni commits murder, he unleashes a dark power beyond his control. Kasper Holten’s production is rich in both colourful comedy and exhilarating drama. Set designs by Es Devlin (Les Troyens) and costume designs by Anja Vang Kragh (Stella McCartney, John Galliano for Christian Dior), with video projections by Luke Halls and choreography by Signe Fabricius, portray the visually entrancing world of Don Giovanni. At the heart of the production are the beauty and invention of Mozart’s dazzling score, which ranges from gorgeous arias and dramatic duets to the brilliant layering of dance melodies that bring Act I to a virtuoso close.
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Royal Opera)
Dido and Aeneas
Wayne McGregor, Jonathan Haswell
Sarah Connolly, Lucas Meachem
The Royal Opera, the Royal Ballet, and director-choreographer Wayne McGregor bring us an interpretation of DIDO AND AENEAS, an opera composed by Henry Purcell, with a libretto by Nahum Tate; based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid. We find Dido in her court with her attendants. Dido fears that her love for Aeneas will make her a weak monarch, but her attendants assure her that heroes, too, love....
Dido and Aeneas
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 'Symphony of a Thousand' - Sir Simon Rattle
Jonathan Haswell
Simon Rattle, Katie Derham
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and massed choirs in Mahler’s epic Eighth Symphony, the 'Symphony of a Thousand'.
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 'Symphony of a Thousand' - Sir Simon Rattle
