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. {…}
On August 2nd, Opera Breve brought a fascinating concept to life with their new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” Stripped of its spoken dialogue and most of its music, this shortened version of the opera found most of its substance through the narration of a fictional psychoanalyst, Dr. Eva Stone. The details presented in the narration helped create an atmosphere in {…}
In what appears to be a trend this summer, Chautauqua Opera’s production of Donizetti’s classic opera buffa “Don Pasquale” was distinguished by its treatment of a non-title character, in this case the gorgeous lyric baritone of Kyle Pfortmiller as Dr. Malatesta. Under the direction of David Schweizer, Malatesta doesn’t just engineer the complicated ruse designed to unite lovers Norina (Laura {…}
Review written in collaboration with David Salazar, Editor-in-Chief Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” is often portrayed as an innocent tale of a country bumpkin often getting the girl of his dreams. Most of the time, Nemorino’s strife emphasizes his luck in landing his beloved, first through the fact that his beloved Adina does, in fact, love him and simply needs a spark {…}