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The Latest Breaking News from the Royal Opera House

Royal Opera House accused of 'legitimising' the Russian war on Ukraine by casting Anna Netrebko

The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK said Anna Netrebko is ‘a cultural instrument legitimising killings in Ukraine’

Evening Standard

Art and politics are not the same thing – but the Anna Netrebko case shows what happens when they collide

The arts and politics are bound to mix, but they are not the same thing. In the cold war, Soviet artists performed in the west. Should the Russian soprano, who has condemned the Ukraine invasion, be blocked from singing in London?

The Guardian - UK

Holding opera and Anna Netrebko to account for Putin’s war crimes

Letters: Readers respond to an article by Martin Kettle in which he says the Royal Opera House is making a mistake by hosting the Russian soprano

The Guardian - UK

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As Putin’s bombs fall on Ukraine, the Royal Opera House had a call to make about Anna Netrebko. It made the wrong one

The Russian soprano says she has condemned the war and has no affinity with this Kremlin. But hosting her still seems unwise, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK

Royal Ballet and Opera urged to drop Russian soprano with Putin links

Exclusive: MPs and Ukrainian artists sign letter saying Anna Netrebko is ‘symbol of cultural propaganda for a regime responsible for war crimes’

The Guardian - UK

The Royal Ballet and Opera must reconsider its invitation to Anna Netrebko

Letters: The Russian singer is symbol of cultural propaganda for a regime that is responsible for serious war crimes in Ukraine, say co-signatories including Sergiy Kyslytsya, Andriy Kurkov, Helen Clark and Alex Sobel MP

The Guardian - UK

UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera cancels 2026 Israel show after staff protest on Gaza stance

The Royal Ballet and Opera has cancelled a planned 2026 performance of Puccini’s 'Tosca' at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, after 182 staff signed a letter condemning the organisation's stance on Gaza.

Euronews

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Activists challenge theatre over Ukraine support after Palestine flag snatched

The Royal Opera House is facing criticism after a staff member removed a Palestinian flag from a cast member during a curtain call, prompting…

The National (Scotland)

Cast member displays Palestinian flag at end of Royal Opera House performance

Flag held up during curtain call for Il Trovatore, with attempts to remove it resisted

The Guardian - UK

Royal Opera House chaos as privately-educated 'queer dance artist' unfurls Palestinian flag on stage

The incident involving cast member Daniel Perry took place during the curtain call of Il Trovatore on Saturday night

Evening Standard

Pretty Yende on the raw power of music: ‘opera is literally soul food’

The soprano is singing the lead role of Semele this year, and her star is on the rise. She chats to India Block about getting in character and growing into her voice

Evening Standard

Angela Hartnett at the Royal Opera House: Beloved chef to replace Piazza restaurant

Call it a meeting of two national treasures, says Sam Wilson

Evening Standard

Faust review – darkly gothic production turns Gounod’s opera into boisterous Les Mis

The 1860s French setting mixes panache and musical charm as Faust sells his soul to Méphistophélès and seduces Marguerite

The Guardian - UK

‘Touching the soul is all that matters!’ The outrageous genius of Barrie Kosky and his Wagner phantasmagoria

He put Carmen in a gorilla suit and had Das Rheingold’s Erda represented by an 82-year-old naked woman. What are the the director’s plans for his edge-of-the-seat Die Walküre?

The Guardian - UK

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The Guardian - UK

Turandot review – with high energy, mighty voices and delicacy, epic staging feels newly minted

Andrei Serban’s 1984 production of Puccini’s final opera is meticulously revived with Sondra Radvanovsky and SeokJong Baek both stellar in the central roles. In the pit, Rafael Payare brings care and lightness to the score

The Guardian - UK

‘We fell in love with the ballet and with her’: why 184-year-old Giselle keeps us swooning

The role has inspired the world’s best ballerinas and her story is as popular as ever – whether revived, reimagined or deconstructed. Dancers explain the appeal of Giselle

The Guardian - UK

The week in classical: Il Trovatore; Total Immersion: Symphonic Electronics; Mad Song; Jerusalem Quartet – review

A fearless Agnieszka Rehlis leads a Verdi revival that will leave you rattled, while an electroacoustic extravaganza dives into tech and a viola steals the show in a Shostakovich celebration

The Guardian - UK

‘It’s really a very dark comedy’: Festen, the explosive opera based on the dinner-party-from-hell film

The Danish film about racism, child abuse and self-harm caused jaws to drop in the 90s. Can it work as opera? Absolutely, say lyricist Lee Hall and composer Mark-Anthony Turnage

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The Guardian - UK

The week in dance: Nutcracker; Ruination; Cinderella review – sugar plums, hard centres and off to the ball

ENB’s new Nutcracker recaptures the joy, while Royal Ballet finesse shines through the bling in a Frederick Ashton classic. Plus, a searing festive antidote from Ben Duke

The Guardian - UK

Tosca review – Bryn Terfel’s lustful Scarpia returns to intimidate and compel

Natalya Romaniw brings vulnerability and depth to Tosca and, in the pit, Eun Sun Kim conducts with subtlety and delicacy in this revival of Jonathan Kent’s staging

Evening Standard

Tales of Hoffman at the Royal Opera House review: an engaging and thought-provoking production

4/5 Surreal sets and exuberant lighting powerfully underscore this engaging trio of love stories

The Guardian - UK

Composer Max Richter: ‘I’m a low-key raver! I love all kinds of music’

The creator of the most streamed classical album of all time on working with Margaret Atwood, enjoying Eurovision, and uniting people through music

The Guardian - UK

The week in classical: Eugene Onegin; Cavalleria rusticana; The Acts of Brízida Vaz/You Can’t Kill the Spirit– review

An experimental staging of Tchaikovsky’s opera brings fresh ideas and a few misses, ambitious community opera thrives in south London and a Cornish company goes nuclear

The Guardian - UK

Eugene Onegin review – stripped back staging is compelling and probing

Ted Huffman’s unfussy new production of Tchaikovsky’s opera is detailed and insightful. Kristina Mkhitaryan’s Tatyana is a particular highlight among a strong cast

The Guardian - UK

Ballet star Joseph Sissens: ‘I’d be in this world of gross privilege, and then I’d go visit my brother in prison’

As the Royal Ballet’s newly minted principal, the dancer is on a mission to challenge the industry’s underlying racism from the inside. He discusses his first steps – and the role of his dreams

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