On Nov. 21, the final production of the 2021 Donizetti Opera Festival opened. The work was “La Fille du Regiment” in a co-production with the Teatro Nacional de Cuba. The result was a fresh colorful show with an incredible cast singing a new critical edition of the score which was warmly received by a cheerful audience. A Colorful Production The {…}
On Nov. 21, 2021, the San Francisco Opera unveiled Michael Cavanagh’s new production of “Così fan tutte’ that rocked with energy, gaiety, verve, and abundance. The production worked on all fronts. The stage design, created by Erhard Rom, featured the so-called Wolfbridge Country Club, in the 1930s, complete with Fitness Center, Ballroom, Badminton Court, and Swimming Pool, unfolded lively and {…}
Hao Weiya’s one-act “AI Variation” is the operatic embodiment of a single idea: that the greatest danger posed by the rapid advance of technology is people who believe they control it. The work, by composer Hao Weiya and librettist Wang Yuanfei, tells the story of three people over the course of seven life-changing days, sometime in the not-so distant future. {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) Let’s cut to the chase. The Orpheus story is one of the most famous in all of Greek mythology. A musician loses his wife, creates glorious music that moves the gods, and gets a chance to win her back. In the world of opera, this particular story has unsurprisingly been the inspiration for many {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival opened with its newly created show, “C’erano una volta due bergamaschi…” The show was headlined by international opera star Alex Exposito and showcased parallels between his career and Donizetti’s. Overall it was a presentation full of stagecraft. When you look at Esposito and Donizetti’s careers, both were born in Bergamo, had bass voices, started their careers {…}
(Credit: © Tristram Kenton) It is some 20 years since ENO saw a complete “Ring.” Over the next few years they launch a new production, beginning with “The Valkyrie,” reverting next year to “Das Rheingold,” and then on. It is a bold undertaking to launch a new “Ring” in these challenging times for opera, with no little financial and artistic {…}
(Credit: © The Royal Opera / Clive Barda) Covent Garden has a good line in Verdi revivals – Richard Eyre’s “Traviata” has been running over a quarter of a century; David McVicar’s “Rigoletto” lasted nearly two decades; and now Phyllida Lloyd’s “Macbeth” returns too, also nearly 20 years old. It’s a production that has aged gracefully, with no signs of wear. Though chock {…}
On November 19, 2021 Spotlight Artists Management presented a concert of beloved Russian works, titled “Russian Musical Masterpieces.” Held at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, this concert marked the beginning of an artistic partnership between the two entities, and came in celebration of the cathedral’s 120th anniversary, as well as the 75th birthday of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Primate of {…}
(Photo: Zani-Casadio) If there was an Oscar for the best screenplay not to have been made into a film, then Federico Fellini’s “Il Viaggio di G.Mastorna” would surely have been a strong candidate for the 1965 award, and possibly for other years as well, for it was a project he returned to frequently. He even got as far as building {…}
