“Dreamers,” an oratorio, composed by Jimmy Lopez, Libretto by Nilo Cruz, brought today’s immigration drama to the stage at Cal Performances, UC Berkeley. Composer and Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen led the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus, Volti, a professional vocal and new music ensemble, and soprano Ana-Maria Martinez in the world premiere of the work to an {…}
Roulette recently presented world-renowned vocalist and sound artist Joan La Barbara’s “What’s Left of Me Is Here,” from her opera-in-progress with librettist Monique Truong titled “Dreams of Water Beyond One’s Depth.” Pushing boundaries of thought and expression via singing and an emotionally vast range of design, La Barbara’s musical composition is reminiscent of Britten’s “The Turn of the Screw.” Together, {…}
The 1848 Californian gold rush has an almost mythical place in American cultural history, with its associations of lucky strikes and the pioneering spirit, as well as more negative connotations of lawlessness, hard toil and poverty for those who were not so lucky. It has spawned Hollywood films, documentaries, books and songs, while opera-goers are also likely to associate it {…}
If you’ve never attended a performance of the Mass in B-Minor, its reputation as one of the greatest works of art in the history of Western civilization can be a little intimidating, and it sets a pretty high bar, even for Mr. Bach. Though I know the work moderately well from recordings, last Thursday night, March 14, 2019, was my {…}
On March 14, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera raised the curtain on the next run of performances for its new production of Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila.” Darko Tresnjak’s vision of ancient Israel is one that is both strange and stunning. While there is much to be savored visually, many aspects overplay certain elements of the opera, while not giving their due {…}
Although few people would now recognize his name, Carlo Gesualdo, was one of the most fascinating musicians of the Italian Renaissance. Born into a rich noble family in 1566, he became increasingly obsessed with music over the course of his life, and is most famous for his colorful madrigals, which pushed at the limits of tonal music. However, he is {…}
On March 7, 2019, lovers of classical music gathered at the Church of the Intercession for the latest installment of Unison Media’s celebrated series, The Crypt Sessions. These concerts, curated by company president Andrew Ousley, often sell-out in minutes due to not only the limited size of the crypt, but the world-class performers that fill its depth with music. This {…}
“Silent Night,” Puts’ first opera, received its premiere at Minnesota opera in 2011 and won a Pulitzer Prize the following year. According to its libretto, during a late December in World War I, French, German and Scottish troops found it possible to declare an unofficial “truce” and celebrate a common holiday in brotherhood. This story has been told in several other artistic formats including the French film “Joyeux Noël” on which Campbell based his libretto.
On March 7, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera was celebrating a historical evening. It was the final performance of Sonja Frisell’s legendary production of “Aida,” which has been around for 31 years. Yet for all the publicity that attracted a rapturous audience, the historical evening was business as usual and an anticlimax. The performance featured no tribute or any type of {…}