Opera Highlights of 2005

My opera-going close to home has been very limited this year due to Opera North going into recess during the refurbishment of the Leeds Grand Theatre and the crushing of Scottish Opera by the Scottish Executive ('opera is not a Scottish art form').

I have been very fortunate, however, to be able to catch a lot of opera on my travels. These included my first visit to the Vienna Staatsoper and to the Canadian Opera Company as well as return visits to opera in New York, Munich and Amsterdam.

Here then are my nominations for the best (and worst) of what I saw in 2005. Some of the categories were very clear (Villazon in both his nominations and Pappano in his). Others were more difficult: did Simon Keenlyside's Billy Budd edge out John Tomlinson (Claggart and Wanderer) and Marcelo Alvarez (Riccardo and De Grieux); Did Renee Fleming beat Ceclia Bartoli (in "Il Turco in Italia")?

At the end of the day I limited myself to one nomination in each category. And here they are!

Best performance overall: “Billy Budd” (ENO)
Worst performance overall: “Il Viaggio a Rheims” (NYCO)
Best Production: Caurier and Leisner “Il Turco in Italia” (ROH)
Worst Production: Doris Doerrie “Rigoletto” (Bayerische Staatsoper)
Female Singer: Renee Fleming (Desdemona – ROH; Manon – Met)
Male Singer: Simon Keenlyside (Billy Budd – ENO)
Conductor: Antonio Pappano (“Otello”, “Siegfried” – ROH)
Female newcomer Hasmik Papian (Norma – Netherlands Opera)
Male newcomer: Rolando Villazon (Romeo – Vienna Staatsoper)
New entrant to the Heavenly Choir: James King
Complete recording: “Tristan und Isolde” (Domingo, Stemme, Pappano)
Recital CD: French Arias (Villazon)
Non-opera highlight: St Petersburg Philharmonic: Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (The Sage Gateshead).