There have been a good number of performances of “The Pearl Fishers,” or “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” around the country in recent years. Peggy Woolcock’s English National Opera production was seen at the Metropolitan Opera and LA Opera while the late Lee Blakely’s version was in Santa Fe’s 2012 season. The production viewed in probably the most locales is one {…}
A performance of Verdi’s Requiem is a rather rare event at the Metropolitan Opera. That a run of the famed mass is currently underway with the company comes down to the fact that a proposed production for another opera was canceled. But the timing could not have been better. With the unfortunate passing of baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the Met was {…}
What better way to celebrate America in the midst of moral decay? What better offering than a paean to the quest for independence, human dignity, the chance for actual freedom? Meet “Girls of the Golden West,” John Adam’s brand new opera, given its world premiere last night in San Francisco. A collaboration with the renowned artist and visionary, Peter Sellars, {…}
For years Dmitri Hvorostovsky was one of the leading interpreters of “Rigoletto” around the world. And while there are many baritones in the modern era that have successfully realized one of the most complex characters of the Verdi canon, few navigated the emotional turmoil quite the way the great Russian baritone did. He brought crudeness and ugliness to his vocal {…}
Despite fall’s chill blanketing Manhattan, opera-goers are delighting in the light-hearted comedy in Juilliard’s production of Mozart’s “La Finta Giardiniera.” Composed when he was just shy of turning 19, Mozart indulges in the fiery emotions that stir a garden party, gathered at the house of a small-town mayor. The opening scene reels in the listener while two maids whisper about {…}
The beauty of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” could render any critique almost unseemly. After all, to hear that seamless music, the moments that turn transcendent — and then to cavil? I’d suggest that even a modest performance, say, even in the dense rainforest (echoing, of course, Werner Herzog’s “Ftizcarraldo”) would still, inevitably, move one. The score simply flows, with audience and performers {…}
To wait for one whole act, plus a quarter of a second, just to glimpse the heroine, let alone hear her, is practically a crime. Especially, with all the talk. From the moment the curtain rises, what do we hear? Turandot, Turandot, Turandot. And so, where is she? On and on, troops of “the people” – boy chorus, various authorities {…}
Brooklyn’s Regina Opera company has kicked off its 2017-18 season with Verdi’s timeless “La Traviata.” As befitting a company entering its 48th season, its knowledge and execution of the work well-reflected the experience of the cast and crew. The rather-limited stage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy was used to great effect as the faces flooded on and {…}
As he moves into heavier repertoire, one composer has been rather absent from the repertoire of Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez – Mozart. Listening to him dominate the bel canto repertoire, it has always been of great interest to hear this brilliant and polished singing actor take a stab at a composer equally noted for his polish and finesse. The {…}