It’s easier to appreciate Robert Ashley’s 1983 “Perfect Lives” by simply accepting it on faith as an “opera” rather than try to cram it into the narrow definition established for the genre. There’s quite a bit of text, some singing, a story with characters, and perhaps too much of a visual spectacle. Purists with preconceived notions about how exactly these {…}
Having explored the tricky terrain of opera’s more conventional genres, as well as its regional varieties, what is left are the rather obscure versions of opera that have grown from different types of traditions and histories. What would happen if modern politics and opera were combined? What do you get when you feature a small break between each scene of {…}
This week the Metropolitan Opera opened its 2023-24 season with the Met premiere of Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking” with it an all-star cast. Among the performers is Latonia Moore, making her role debut as Sister Rose. In a recent interview with OperaWire, Moore noted that Heggie music “is composed in a Bel Canto way and composed with the singer {…}
The week the San Francisco Opera will showcase “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” for the first time in the company’s history. The production will feature a cast that includes Joseph Lattanzi, a baritone making his debut with the San Francisco Opera in the role Paul Jobs for the very first time. Over the past years, Lattanzi has been on the {…}
Back in February, the Dubai Opera made a major announcement – Dr. Paolo Petrocelli would become the face of the organization, taking over the top position as Head of the company. For Petrocelli, the Director General of the Stauffer Center for Strings, one of Friends of Europe’s 40 most influential young personalities, and the man who literally wrote the book {…}
A film about an opera singer falling in-love, only to fall out of love and pursue her career, is perfect for the screen. Produced in 1953 by American playwright and producer Harry Kurnitz, the embellished biopic “Melba“ is the story of the famed figure of operatic history Nellie Melba who was personified by an equally great actress-singer, Patrice Munsel. Although a {…}
Opera is not one thing, as many people know. Instead, opera is an umbrella term for a large host of different categories and types ranging from the typical to the rather peculiar. While Mozart looks one way, Monteverdi and Wagner will look a different way. Of course they all follow the same trajectory, but their style has led them in {…}
(Photo credit: Kristen Loken) On Sept. 9, Opera San José will open its 40th anniversary with a new production of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” by Shawna Lucey. The production will mark the role debuts of several artists who are also rising stars in the opera world. One of those artists is Joshua Sanders who will take on the lead role {…}
Just a few weeks after sex offender David Daniels pled guilty to sexually assaulting Samuel Schultz, he took to social media to post about his potential return to the stage. “Over the last week, I’ve received not one but two singing engagement offers. Both in Europe: shocking right? With approval, I am going to accept. I better start vocalizing when {…}
