(Photo credit: Khalid AlBusaidi / ROHM) This review is for performances on Sept. 11 and 14, 2019. Writing a review after an initial performance of any run is a challenging proposition. You are essentially recording your views on a first impression without really getting a chance to see the full picture. There are many reasons why this is the case, {…}
With the development of of opera seria at the beginning of the 18th century, the comedic scenes so typical of 17th century Venetian opera lost their standing; lacking the seriousness and dignity of antiquity they were considered inappropriate to the classical tradition and abandoned. This in turn led to the rise of the intermezzo, a short comedy piece in two {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera) Billy Budd, Foretopman, is the center of the conflict between evil and good, dark and light, vulnerable and powerful in Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece “Billy Budd.” Picking this opera for the second night opening of San Francisco’s 97th season was a masterful choice. Everything – the music, drama, ethical conflict, suspenseful, challenging, rewarding – {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera) The San Francisco Opera opened its 97th season with Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliette,” reminding us that music is the food of love and that it spills over all the battles we fight and brings them down. Even though the production was pleasant but not perfect, the evening’s performance brought us into a harmony that {…}
(Credits: Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Pöhn) Verdi’s “Don Carlo” is one of the staples of the repertoire, best-known for its lush ensembles, vocal writing, and impactful drama. It requires six of the greatest voices in the opera world and also requires a conductor who knows how to pace the evening; both are essential to fulfill the work’s masterful potential. On {…}
(Credits: Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Pöhn) “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” is one of the touchstone French operas, especially for tenors. It features a role most tenors look to sing because of the acting possibilities and the rich music that Offenbach wrote. But it is also a challenging evening that requires stamina from its leading man, as well as a solid cast {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper/Michael Pohn) The Wiener Staatsoper’s opening night of the 2019-20 season got off to an interesting start. The season was set to open with a revival of Jean-Francois Sivadier’s production starring Irina Lungu in the title role. But drama struck 20 minutes before the presentation when Lungu canceled. Luckily Ekaterina Siurina, Charles Castronovo’s wife was in the house {…}
(Photo: Innsbrucker Festwochen/Rupert Larl) To mark the 350th anniversary of the death of the Italian composer, Antonio Cesti, the Innsbruck Early Music Festival decided to mount a production of his opera “La Dori, overo Lo schiavo reggio,” written for Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Further Austria, and premiered at the city’s court theatre in 1657. Cesti had a close relationship with {…}
(Photo:Rupert Larl) Each year Innsbruck’s Early Music Festival stages a Barockoper:Jung production in the inner courtyard of the theological faculty in the city’s university, devoted to showcasing the talents of younger singers, including selected finalists from the previous year’s Cesti competition. This year’s presentation was Handel’s 1719 opera, “Ottone.” The libretto, by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino and adapted by Nicola Francesco {…}