On Thursday, May 14th, Heartbeat Opera presented its seventh of 22 “Lady M,” Virtual Soirées.” The soirées which have, for the time being, supplanted the company’s staged re-imagining of Verdi’s “Macbeth,” having been such a hit that an additional 14 were added after selling out the originally slated 18. The extra meet-ups are scheduled for late-May through early-June. Be glad more {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala was one of the most hotly anticipated performances of the first half of 2020; one might argue that given its sheer star power, the showcase, which was announced just two weeks ago, was more anticipated than any performance the Met had lined up as part of its regular season. While the Met initially reneged on {…}
With the world in the grip of a pandemic that has shuttered opera houses around the globe, composers, librettists, directors, and singers are exploring new ways to connect with audiences and explore technology. With disruption comes innovation, and the spirit of invention took hold of composer Kamala Sankaram, librettist Rob Handel, and HERE Arts Center artistic director Kristin Marting, inspiring {…}
On March 14, 2020, Mercury Opera concluded its run of Puccini’s timeless “La Boheme.” Due to the situation regarding the spread of COVID-19, this production was offered up via live stream; this review is the result of that viewing experience. This production translated the drama into the relatively-modern setting of New York City in 1979, in a time when the {…}
(Credit: Monika Ritterhaus) Audience members were already en route to Unter den Linden when the news began to spread on social media: the evening’s performance of “Carmen,” the second in a much-anticipated run of performances, would be the final night of Berlin opera before the city’s concert halls and opera houses were forced to close their doors for at least {…}
(Photo: T+T Fotografie / Toni Suter + Tanja Dorendorf) Vienna in the 1860s was a period of change, of unrest. Whilst the armies of the Empire had suffered numerous military defeats throughout the 1850s and 60s, its Emperor Franz Joseph undertook a programme of works aimed at modernising the imperial city: the city walls were demolished and the Ringstrasse completed, {…}
Despite closing down in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 around the world, many opera companies are still finding creative ways of reaching their respective audiences in the hopes of giving them some measure of relief. Moreover, these efforts are a reminder that despite these trying times, there is hope of an eventual return to normalcy and that {…}
(Credit: Steven Pisano) I have always been partial to small and regional opera companies as they struggled to hold the flag high for the art of opera, often in the unlikeliest places. First, it seemed to me those small companies mirrored what was the norm in Europe, with so many of the small towns with their own opera theater and {…}
(Photo credit: Casey Kringlen for The Industry) With their latest production, The Industry proves once more why they’re a major reason to consider LA a vital center of opera. “Sweet Land,” directed by The Industry’s founder Yuval Sharon and Cannupa Hanska Luger (also the designer of stunning costumes), and with words by Aja Couchois Duncan and Douglas Kearney and music {…}