(Photo: Paula Malone) Rossini’s one act farsa, “L’inganno felice,” premiered in 1812 at Venice’s Teatro San Moise and was an instant success for the young, 19-year-old composer. However, along with most of his other operas, it faded from view following his death in 1868. Even the renewed interest in Rossini’s work following the Second World War has done little to {…}
(Photo: Paula Malone) “Cinderella” is a popular subject for operas, and has attracted its fair share of composers over the years. However, one of the lesser known compositions must be by the French composer, Pauline Viardot, who today, is largely remembered as a famous mezzo-soprano for whom Gounod and Meyerbeer created important roles. However, her influence went much further, for {…}
(Photo: Clive Barda) Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” may not be an opera you would usually associate with Wexford. Judged a success at its premier in Monte Carlo in 1910, in which Chaliapin featured in the title role, it has since struggled to establish itself as part of the mainstream repertoire. It can, therefore, hardly be deemed a forgotten or rarely performed {…}
There were high expectations surrounding the return of superstar Anna Netrebko to the Teatro Real were she had participated in Prokófiev’s “War and Peace” in 2001. The result was a mixture of excitement and disappointment: Firstly, there was the usual imposition of her husband Yusif Eyvazov in the program, a good singer who does not reach the quality and artistic {…}
On Tuesday, Oct 29, 2019, John Jay College was host to the New York premiere of “Zauberland,” which comes as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. This new work follows an unnamed young woman, forced to leave her native Syria and seek refuge in Germany, where she tries to resume her career as an opera singer. Described as “An {…}
(Credit: Paula Malone) In 1856, the 18-year-old Georges Bizet won joint first prize in a competition for an opéra comique to be played at Offenbach’s theatre, the Bouffes-Parisienes, with a one act operetta, “Doctor Miracle.” The work was premiered in 1857, received 11 performances, and was then forgotten until it was revived in 1951. Lasting around one hour, with a {…}
Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” is back at the Metropolitan Opera. It’s big, grand and a crowdpleaser thats gets reaction from the audience, particularly at the opening of Acts two and three. It’s well-known for its detailed, classic take on the opera and is the most staged production in the Met’s repertory. Since its premiere in 1981 the {…}
(Photos: Clive Barda) With a running time of about one hour 20 minutes, Rossini’s “Adina” is a little too short to justify presenting on its own, especially if the intention is to charge full ticket prices. But then, if it is going to be staged as part of a double bill, the question arises, with what? It is not as {…}
Let’s face it: operatic comedy is extremely hard to pull off. When was the last time you saw a comic opera production that was truly, authentically funny? Australian stage director Lindy Hume came about as close as one can to achieving this in Seattle in 2016 with her outlandish “Le Comte Ory” (retitled for marketing purposes as “The Wicked Adventures {…}