| Joining the end-of-Proms beauty parade of visiting orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor of barely one year, Semyon Bychkov, arrived not so much as an international brand as a bottomless well of instantly discernible national character... ... In terms of anticipating mischief and sharp wit, Smetana’s Overture to The Bartered Bride is up there with Mozart’s for The Marriage of Figaro... ... However, there were quite a few opera-movers and -shakers in evidence for the UK debut of Elena Stikhina, and I hope they were pinching themselves over what they heard. Perhaps Tatiana’s teenage crush on Onegin was a bit of a suspension of disbelief for a singer-actress who has been singing major Wagner, Verdi and Puccini... ... Shostakovich 8 derives its shape from the crudest of means... |