Photo credit: © Philippe Delval / théâtre de Caen Charpentier’s “David et Jonathas” is a forgotten gem. The French composer was an expert in dramatic pace. His operas flow as normal plays do. The singing line hardly distorts the text, making the watching experience extremely accessible even for intermediate French speakers. Moreover, in “David et Jonathas” we find some of {…}
Photo credit: Daniel Boud We can be grateful that the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor Simone Young has a passion for the music of Arnold Schoenberg in this, his 150th anniversary year. On Friday March 15th, it led to the first performance in Sydney of Schoenberg’s concert-drama “Gurrelieder,” a massive work that was first performed in Vienna 111 years ago, {…}
(Photo: Bart Grietens) Tom Johnson entitled his opera “The Four Note Opera.” Certainly, it is not one of the most gripping titles in the catalogue, and when it becomes clear that the reason for the name is that the entire score was composed using just four notes, A, B, D and E, it sounds even less appealing. Moreover, there is {…}
The current “Der Ring des Nibelungen” at Staatsoper Berlin came into being in October 2022 directed by Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov and due to be conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Sadly, though, Maestro Barenboim, had to pull out of the production because of severe health issues, a great blow to all, but so disappointing for Barenboim in his 80th year. {…}
(Photo credit: Vincent Pontet-OnP) A few years ago, when Bieito’s staging of “Simon Boccanegra” premiered at the Paris Opera, the reviews were abysmal. Few things are as catchy in the opera world as negative consensus. I got to see the same production with a very similar cast last weekend, and, somehow, I think it was one of the most emotional {…}
Photo credit: Agathe Poupeney-OnP Thomas Adès’s “The Exterminating Angel” is one of the most successful contemporary operas of the century. Beyond its many productions—the Parisian one being the best of them all—, the opera quickly entered the symphonic repertoire with a very well-crafted symphonic suite. The opera, based on Luís Buñuel’s homonymous film, follows its source material: more than a {…}
Photo credit: Raftermen “Toi toi toi, y’all,” intones the attractive, Southern-inflected t-shirt at The Atlanta Opera’s pop-up gift shop. An apt tagline for a company having outgrown regional status, still honoring its roots in this de facto capital of the American South. Like Atlanta—now the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the United States, having recently edged past Philadelphia and {…}
Photo credit: Maria Baranova The world premiere of Grammy Award-nominated vocalist, composer, and percussionist, Jodie Landau’s “Performance of Self” on March 15, 2024 at National Sawdust draws attention to improvisation’s empathic heartbeat that is still very much alive. Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects (BMP), Landau’s solo debut show upholds BMP’s midas touch. It showcases Landau as the artist he is {…}
The CD release of “Parsifal” under Philippe Jordan is not exactly news. The production dates from the 2021 season of the Vienna State Opera when the gritty, and no less controversial, staging of Kirill Serebrennikov received widespread attention. It was a secular “Parsifal,” highly politicized, and more akin to the oppressive climate of the Soviet Gulag than the Romantic exclusivity {…}