The Haydn Foundation Trento 2023 Review: Hanjo

(Photo Credit: Francesco Bondi) The Haydn Foundation, centered in Bolzano, produces classical music concerts and opera for towns and cities across Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region. The current season included two performances of Toshio Hosokawa’s 2004 chamber opera “Hanjo” at Trento’s Teatro Sociale. Hosokawa is a German-trained composer who seeks inspiration for his music in Japan’s cultural heritage, and “Hanjo” is {…}

Opera Australia 2023 Review: Madama Butterfly

Credit: Keith Saunders Opera Australia’s annual Handa Opera on the Harbor, named after Opera Australia’s Patron-in-Chief, Japanese businessman Haruhisa Handa, is undoubtedly one of Sydney’s most anticipated yearly social events. At the premiere of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” helmed by Spanish director Àlex Ollé on March 24th, a black-tie audience including three former Australian prime ministers indicated that the show had an {…}