Written by Barry Millington February 20, 2026 The eponymous fake utopia in Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is created because a discontented, disenfranchised populace finds “no harmony, no contentment”. Mahagonny is a promised land with beer and sex apparently freely on tap, a place where you...
Written by Andrew Connal February 16, 2026 Wow! A supercharged Valentine’s votive: a world-class orchestra and our local Diva Deliziosa – obviously musically top-rate, flawless indeed, although I did wonder about the microphone. Does a voice that can fill any opera house really need amplification? Well, yes if it allows her to croon, and smooch,...
Written by Erica Jeal February 17, 2026 Trashy aesthetic … Danielle de Niese and Simon O’Neill, centre, in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the London Coliseum. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian London Coliseum Jamie Manton’s new production for English National Opera is sparky and substantial. Danielle de Niese brings star quality...
Written by Fiona Maclean February 17, 2026 In the hedonistic city of Mahagonny, almost everything is allowed. Eating, sex, fighting and getting drunk are celebrated. But everything has its price. A designer town, built from scratch by three criminals on the run from justice, seems like an implausible starting point, yet the city grows quickly...
Written by Ben Jureidini February 11, 2026 Danielle de Niese was ‘opera’s coolest soprano' way back in 2008; from Carmen to Call Me By Your Name , she's constantly adapting with the times When you are one of the most famous opera singers in the world, even London ’s most loved restaurants can be out...
