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Reviews, Stage Reviews

San Francisco Opera Review 2024-25: The Handmaid’s Tale

https://operawire.com/san-francisco-opera-review-2024-25-the-handmaids-tale/

(Photo credit: Cory Weaver) The West Coast premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale“, by composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley fills the War Memorial Opera House with a performance as harrowing as the dystopic story itself. Delayed by the pandemic from its originally scheduled debut, the co-production of San Francisco Opera (SFO) and the Royal Danish Theatre runs through October {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2023-24 Review: L’Orfeo

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2023-24-review-lorfeo/

(Photo: Monika Rittershouse) Opernhaus Zürich presents a new production of Claudio Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo.” Premiered in 1607, “L’Orfeo” is not the first opera ever composed, but it is hailed as the first great opera. It stands out as the first to use music as a dramatic tool, employing diverse musical colors to express various emotional states. Its monumental success paved the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Royal Opera House 2021-22 Review: Theodora

https://operawire.com/royal-opera-house-review-2022-theodora/

(Credit: © Camilla Greenwell, ROH 2022) A much-publicized intimacy director; bold text warnings about sexual violence and “terrorist themes.” There was a certain gung-ho mood amongst the audience going into Katie Mitchell’s new production of Handel’s tragic oratorio “Theodora” at the Royal Opera House this week. The first performance of the work in Covent Garden for 272 years, in fact. {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Festival d’Aix-En-Provence 2021 Review: Innocence

https://operawire.com/festival-daix-en-provence-2021-review-innocence/

(Photo: Jean-Louis Fernandez) Postponed from last year, owing to COVID restrictions, Kaija Saariaho’s new opera “Innocence” finally received its world premiere at this year’s Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and it did not disappoint. The libretto, written by Sofi Oksanen, interweaves two narratives which relate to a school shooting. One focuses on the students and their teacher who were present at the time {…}