In the last half century, Gustav Mahler has become arguably the most widely recorded composer in the world of classical music. His music is a deeply personal experience for the truest of Mahlerites, who while open to new interpretations, remain steadfast in their devotion to their all-time favorites. No two recordings of a Mahler work are anywhere close to similar. {…}
Where one would expect the operatic double bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci,” Teatro Comunale di Bologna instead opened last night’s double bill with Poulenc’s “La Voix Humaine” and Mascagni’s ever-famous verismo opera, “Cavalleria Rusticana,” appropriately placed with the approaching Easter season. La Voix Humaine “Voix Humaine,” set to music from Cocteau’s play of the same name, is described as {…}
Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” opens with a conversation between Madame Larina and Filippyevna remarking on arranged marriages and their overall lack of choice in the matter. A few scenes later, Filippyevna jokingly informs her beloved Tatiana that in her old times, the thought of love was nonsense for a young girl and then narrates her marriage at age 13 or 14 {…}
I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 31, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. Despite being such a familiar opera, {…}
A year ago, the name Ryan Speedo Green might not be quite the household name that it has become. The bass, born on April 1, 1986, has had a whirlwind of a year. From his high-profile turn at the Metropolitan Opera in “La Bohème” to the release of “Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music and Family,” a {…}
I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 24, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. 2017 has been the year of {…}
It’s been 11 years since the Metropolitan Opera has performed Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” one of the composer’s late masterpieces and one that requires an ensemble of experienced singers who have the force to take on the composer’s demanding music. As a result, it is rarely performed around the world and for that reason, New York audiences have waited {…}
I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 20, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one performance of a six-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. A few months ago, I wrote about {…}
As Renee Fleming entered from stage right, she garnered a low wave of astonishment from her shimmering silver dress and matching blue shimmering shawl. Taking to the podium, she began to explain that for many aspiring singers, the results of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions competition would propel their careers. For her, it took 3 times before winning (she even {…}