music
March 8, 2026
Feshareki/BBC Singers/Goddard review
Shiva Feshareki’s Divine Feminine fails to find its focus despite soprano Emma Tring’s incandescent, fearless performance of Celtic deity Brigid

TL;DR
- Shiva Feshareki's 'Divine Feminine' premiered at St Martin-in-the-Fields as a 360° soundscape, not an opera.
- The piece explores the concept of the divine feminine through the story of Celtic goddess Brigid, who must smash the patriarchy.
- Soprano Emma Tring gave a fearless performance as Brigid, supported by the BBC Singers and young singers.
- The work is criticized for lacking a clear narrative focus and musical substance beyond cluster chords, folk songs, and chanting.
- The contribution of poet Karen McCarthy Woolf, a sequence of poems rather than a libretto, is noted.
Continue reading the original article