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Tim Ashley

Tim Ashley is a Guardian classical and opera critic, though he's also keen on literature and philosophy so you might sometimes find him cross-referencing all three. His work has also appeared in Literary Review and Opera magazine and he is author of a biography of Richard Strauss

October 2024

  • Marin Alsop conducts the Philharmonia.

    Philharmonia/Alsop review – contrasting voices of the complex Mahlers side by side

  • Elisa Verzier as Violetta in La Traviata at Glyndebourne.

    La Traviata review – perfectly pitched staging with Verzier and Federici breathtaking

September 2024

  • Rice slumps at a desk while Campbell-Wallace sobs into a handkerchief

    Suor Angelica review – Puccini’s maternal tragedy gets a haunting modern update

    A Magdalene laundry in 1960s Ireland is the setting for ENO’s semi-staged production, which conveys quiet anger and deep sadness
  • Antonio Pappano conducts the LSO at the Barbican.

    LSO/Pappano review – new era begins with ghosts and great beauty

    Chief conductor’s kicks off his first season with the London Symphony Orchestra with energy and thrilling drama in beguiling Sibelius and a new work from James MacMillan
  • Subterfuges and mistaken identities … Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Opera House.

    The Marriage of Figaro review – revival sparkles with young cast

    David McVicar’s detailed staging of Mozart’s comedy opens Covent Garden’s new season, with conductor Julia Jones bringing energy and drive and Ying Fang, making her house debut, as an exquisite Susanna

August 2024

  • Extraordinarily elegant on the podium … Lahav Shani.

    Prom 44 Rotterdam Philharmonic/Shani review – a tour de force of conducting and pianism

  • Captivating … The Fairy Queen.

    Prom 24: The Fairy Queen review – street-dance, hip-hop style suits Purcell surprisingly well

July 2024

  • Richard Burkhard in Il Segreto di Susanna.

    Il Segreto di Susanna/Pagliacci review – a double whammy of sexual jealousy

    Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s barbed 1909 comedy Il Segreto di Susanna feels like a Noël Coward play set to music, while Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci is a powerful story of a woman’s murder by an abusive partner

June 2024

  • Energetic … Janine Jansen and Martin Fröst perform at the Barbican, London.

    LSO/Noseda review – Beamish’s Distans is virtuousic and exquisite

    Given its UK premiere by Janine Jansen and Martin Fröst, Sally Beamish’s concerto for violin and clarinet was the centrepiece of a beautifully judged programme
  • Danielle de Niese (Hanna Glawari) and Germán Olvera (Count Danilo Danilovitsch), centre, in The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár at Glyndebourne.

    The Merry Widow review – De Niese and Olvera are compelling, but camp fun stifles subtlety

    Double entendres, extra dialogue and sight gags ensure that Cal McCrystal’s new staging entertains, but it’s at the expense of emotional power. In the pit, John Wilson is superlative, likewise Germán Olvera’s charismatic Danilo
  • Yuja Wang at the Festival Hall, London.

    Yuja Wang review – from delicate finesse to fierce intensity

    The virtuoso pianist balanced edgy 20th-century works with the pastoral calm of Chopin, bringing out the subtleties of each piece with superb control

May 2024

  • A thing of extremes … Andrea Chénier at the Royal Opera House.

    Andrea Chénier review – Pappano ends on a high with this sensational, thrilling revival

  • Sir John Tomlinson (Milton) in States of Innocence BF24 c. Ian Winters

    States of Innocence review – ambitious Milton opera leaves us in the dark

  • Images embargoed until 1700 on 16th May 2024<br>Dmitry Cheblykov (Escamillo) in Carmen by Bizet @ Glyndebourne. Conducted by Robin Ticciati. Directed by Diane Paulus. Set Designer Riccardo Hernández. Costume Designer Evie Gurney. Choreographer Jasmin Vardimon. Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth. (Opening-16-05-2024) ©Tristram Kenton 05-24 (3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550 Mob 07973 617 355)email: tristram@tristramkenton.com

    Carmen review – Chaieb beguiles as the tragic heroine in uneven production

  • Superb … Rachel Redmond (Aminta) centre, Gemma Ní Bhriain (Megacle), Chuma Sijeqa (Clistene), Sarah Richmond (Argene), Alexandra Urquiola (Aristea), Seán Boylan (Alcandro), and Meili Li (Licida) in Irish National Opera's L'Olimpiade.

    L’Olimpiade review – clever and effective Vivaldi staging with music of heartstopping beauty

March 2024

  • John Relyea as Bluebeard in Duke Bluebeard's Castle by English National Opera at the Coliseum.

    Duke Bluebeard’s Castle review – erotic, unsettling and beautifully staged

    A last-minute cast substitution added a remarkable gender twist to Bartók’s opera about marital disintegration
  • Our Mother/Stone Nest. Nadya Pickup

    Our Mother review – reimagination of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater has a timeless directness and simplicity

    Historical ensemble Figure and an excellent cast explore grief, compassion and hope through five women representing multiple generations

    • Jenůfa review – Alden’s harrowing staging remains a formidable piece of theatre

    • Nash Ensemble: Terezín-Theresienstadt review – incredibly moving survey of composers lost to the Holocaust

    • The Rake’s Progress review – stylisation tips towards surrealism in ETO’s staging of Stravinsky parable

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