Palacio de Bellas Artes 2018 Review – El Juego De Los Insectos: Ibarra’s Opera Features A Fascinating Vision That Could Still Use Some Revisions

“El Juego De Los Insectos” has finally had its premiere at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The work was composed in 2008 and it took eight years to have the large scale, full orchestra production. The opera, by composer Federico Ibarra, was created in 2007-08 with a libretto by Verónica Musalem, based on the “Ze života hmyzu {…}

Royal Opera House 2017-18 Review – La Bohème: Matthew Polenzani, Maria Agresta & Company Trapped In Camp Direction

The word “Bohemian” – much like the popular terms “retro,” “Goth,” or “vintage” – is yet another label that has offered countless inferences over a plethora of different times. The “Bohème” clique of Puccini, undercut by the whimsy and exuberance of Italian verismo, would contrast with a play rendition of its source, Henri Murger’s “Scènes de la Vie de Bohème.” {…}

Teatro Comunale di Bologna 2017-18 Review – Don Carlo: Maria José Siri & Luca Salsi Dominate Verdi’s Masterpiece

Verdi made two distinct versions of “Don Carlos” plus a number of smaller-scale revisions. The original 1866 version written in French, was altered before its premiere, mainly for logistical reasons, as it was considered to be too long. The Italian version, written in 1884, with its Italian title “Don Carlo” contained extensive changes, most notably its reduction from five to {…}

Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series 2018 Review – Hopkins, Chang, and Moore Put on a Splendid Evening of Outdoor Opera

The Metropolitan Opera’s Summer Recital Series started off on a high note on June 11, 2018. Audience members gathered in Central Park on a cool and cloudless evening that was filled with selections from operas both old and new, to be sung by some of the company’s most promising young talent. Baritone Joshua Hopkins began the evening with “Largo al {…}

New York Opera fest 2018 Review: The Rose Elf — Hertzberg – Ousley Team Stage a Graveyard Smash

This review is for the performance on June 8, 2018.  This year’s Opera Fest has seen a number of fresh and highly inventive works. David Hertzberg’s “The Rose Elf” offers an immersive, and almost unbearably-intimate recount of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. Staged within the catacombs of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, the audience seated themselves on opposite sides of the long {…}

Spoleto Festival USA 2018 Review – Tree of Codes: Liza Lim’s Work Provides Visual Dazzle But No Vocal Highlights

The Australian composer Liza Lim received royal treatment at the 2018 edition of South Carolina’s Spoleto USA Festival in May, with the premiere of a new opera and two chamber works scheduled for the program and the esteemed JACK Quartet, adding another work to the proceedings upon hearing that she would be in residency. In addition to the quartet, the instrumental works {…}

Royal Opera House 2017-2018 Review – Lohengrin: Christine Goerke Shines Among Solid Cast As Half-Awoken Myths Stay in the (Wartime) Trenches of Reality

Its preludes are themselves landmarks of beauty – but Wagner’s 1850 opera “Lohengrin” is a prelude to his future epics. Rooted in Arthurian legend, taking the son of King Parsifal as its hero, and featuring prayers to the pagan gods Wotan and Freia, it is another battle between the divine and the mortal. In mythical medieval Brabant, Count Friedrich von {…}