Mission statement: “We want to find those people out there that have never heard an opera, never sat inside of a concert hall, are intimidated by the mere mention of classical music and think it’s only for the rich white people, and we want to sing for them and blow their minds.” Well, consider mission accomplished. Opera On Tap NYC {…}
Buzzing in conversation, an increasingly larger group of people sat around the circular West Side Community Gardens, their proximity one another as close as it was to the numerous flower beds growing around them. A wind octet and string bass were perched on the Northern side of the central circle with conductor Geoffrey McDonald waiting patiently as more and more {…}
As Music director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin kicked off the first notes of Bernstein’s Overture to “West Side Story,” audiences got to view a video showcasing the artistic design and progression toward the creation of the new Metropolitan Opera house. The graphic design and special effects hinted at a nostalgic evening filled with a look back, some looks forward, all while {…}
New York City Opera first became famous for the re-discovery of forgotten works in 1966 when Beverly Sills sang in “Giulio Cesare,” even though the opera was not performed in its original format. However, City Opera can be given credit for re-starting the Baroque Revival that is still going on today. In its new incarnation, the company continues its tradition {…}
For years Meyerbeer’s music has been ignored or gone into obscurity. In recent years, some of his operas have been able to make resurgences thanks in part to star singers. But even so, the composer, one of the most famous of his time, remains an obscurity in the modern opera world. Now Diana Damrau is finally paying homage to a {…}
Franco Alfano’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” has never truly managed to establish a foothold in the operatic canon. The work only premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005 and Roberto Alagna, the opera’s most dedicated interpreter has stated that he struggled to find a company willing to take a chance on it. Despite its Italian composer, the music works very much {…}
Sopranos dead by the final curtain are a dime a dozen; murderous sopranos are rarer; sopranos who slay murderous roles scarcer still. As “Tosca,” in the Canadian Opera Company’s revival of Puccini’s beloved work which opened on April 30th, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka died, murdered, and slayed, not necessarily in that order. A Triumphant Diva Her death should have been {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of “Der Rosenkavalier” by Robert Carsen is as high stakes as it gets these days for the company in both the short and long-term view. In the short-term view, this production is the punctuation on the current season, its final new staging. It will also be the final HD performance of the season, and more {…}
When attending a performance of “Lucia di Lammermoor” at one of the world’s top opera houses one would be very surprised to find a Lucia who is not up to the job. We are, in fact, blessed with an array of professional singers who are well equipped to perform the role to the requisite standard but finding one who can {…}