“Halka” is considered one of the first great Polish operas in the canon. While it is rarely performed outside of Poland, Stanisław Moniuszko’s work has had a couple of outings in the United States. This season, the Bard Music Festival presented it in collaboration with the Polish National Opera in a semi-staged version that while not completely satisfying in its {…}
Salzburg Festival is about luxury. The audience is filled with celebrities, the casts are filled with stars, and the (relatively) higher priced tickets, all show its luxury. Yet, what defines its luxury, for me, is its long rehearsal period. When Anna Netrebko said in an interview how she wanted more rehearsals and Riccardo Muti said “preparing an opera the way {…}
This review is for the performance on August 4, 2017 and was written in collaboration with Editor-in-Chief David Salazar. “Va pensiero,” the famous chorus from Verdi’s “Nabucco” is often cited as an unofficial national anthem for Italy and proved as such throughout the Risorgimento when the country was battling for its independence from the Austrian Empire. The choral passage, with {…}
Of course, it is impossible – to rewrite, even for opera, Shakespeare’s masterpiece. It is untouchable, even if the Bard wouldn’t have sized up the various Folios and Quartos and come up with a right-as-rain manuscript. But, for Ambroise Thomas, in 19th century France, (1868) to tackle the probing young man and make him sing for his supper – well, {…}
A romp, a fiesta, a “lotta” fun, and musically, young-voice rich – that’s West Edge Opera’s production of “The Chastity Tree,” the 18th century comedy, à la Mozart, by Vicente Martin Y Soler. One of the trio of Summer Opera Festival performances by the “edgy” West Edge Company, founded in 1979, as Commedia dell’Opera, then as Berkeley Opera, has added {…}
Steve Jobs would probably hate all the biopics that have snowballed since his 2011 death. However, the public just can’t seem to get enough of the troubled genius, especially at the Crosby Theatre. Santa Fe Opera presented composer Mason Bates’ and librettist Mark Campbell’s “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” to yet another sold out crowd on Aug. 10, 2017. Though {…}
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov probably knew that a tale of an appallingly incompetent royal would still resonate with audiences almost 108 years after its Moscow premiere. On August 3, 2017, the Santa Fe Opera presented Rimsky-Korsakov’s seldom-performed “The Golden Cockerel,” marking its SFO debut. At the podium was conductor Emmanuel Villaume, paired with famed English director Paul Curran. Years ago, when Santa Fe Opera {…}
You can tell who the real Handel lovers are by those who remain for the entirety of a three hour and 40-minute performance. However, at Santa Fe Opera’s production of “Alcina” on August 2, the house remained mostly full all the way to the curtain call. When it comes to Baroque performed in the 21st century, it helps to rely on {…}
Plácido Domingo has outpaced anyone’s expectations going on to perform more roles than anyone in the history of opera. Moreover, his work as a baritone has also proved to go beyond what all thought was possible. In 2015, Domingo made his debut as Macbeth, a role which is considered among the most difficult in the Verdi baritone canon and triumphed. {…}