Category Archives: Awards

“Lessons in Love and Violence” nominated for an Olivier Award

George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence has been nominated for an Olivier Award in the category Best New Opera Production.

This darkly dramatic new opera was a major event in contemporary music – the latest collaboration between composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp. Conducted by Benjamin, the world premiere of Lessons in Love and Violence took place at the Royal Opera House in May 2018 and starred an internationally renowned cast including baritone Stéphane Degout as King Edward II, soprano Barbara Hannigan as Queen Isabel, baritone Gyula Orendt as Gaveston, tenor Peter Hoare as Mortimer and Samuel Boden as Boy / Young King.

Dutch Opera of the Year 2015: Orphée et Eurydice

Orphée et Eurydice has been voted Opera of the Year 2015 by the readers of Dutch magazine Place de l’Opera.  The production received more than half of the hundreds of votes that were released last week.

There were five productions nominated for Opera of the Year 2015, compiled on the basis of the “top 3” lists of 16 opera critics.  Four of them had Orphée et Eurydice as their number one choice.  Here are the final results:

1. Orphée et Eurydice (Dutch Touring Opera)
2. Lohengrin (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
3. Dialogues des Carmelites (National Opera)
4. Benvenuto Cellini (National Opera)
5. Der Rosenkavalier (The National Opera)

“The editors of Place de l’Opera congratulate the Dutch Touring Opera, the Symphony Orchestra, Consensus Vocalis, Floris Visser, his artistic team, conductor Roger Hamilton, the soloists Samuel Boden, Kristina Bitenc, Hanna Herfurtner and Bernadeta Astari and all others involved with the success of this production and the impressive way in which the presentation demonstrated the power of opera.”

At a later date the editors will hand over the award of Opera of the Year 2015 in person.

The full article can be found on Place de l’Opera‘s website here.