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Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – Luisa Miller: An Unquestioned Triumph for Yoncheva and Beczala

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2017-18-review-luisa-miller-an-unquestioned-triumph-for-yoncheva-and-beczala/

“Luisa Miller” is long considered to mark the beginning of Verdi’s “middle period” with themes of class division and an ill-fated romance that foreshadow the composer’s brilliant “La Traviata.”  It also came at a time when Verdi was more open to sourcing from outside of his homeland, with the German playwright Friedrich von Schiller’s Kabale und Liebe the material for {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Franco Vassallo On Playing Villains & His First Scarpia

https://operawire.com/q-a-franco-vassallo-on-playing-villains-his-first-scarpia/

Since winning the international singing competition ‘As. Li. Co’ in Milan, things have only been on the rise for baritone Franco Vassallo. He’s turned into one of the foremost intepreters of the bel canto repertoire of Donizetti and Bellini, as well as many Verdi, and has sung at La Scala Milan, the Vienna Staatsoper, and the Metropolitan Opera New York. {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Gran Theatre del Liceu 2017-18 Review – Andrea Chénier: Sondra Radvanovsky Steals the Show From Jonas Kaufmann in Barcelona

https://operawire.com/gran-theatre-del-liceu-2017-18-review-andrea-chenier-sondra-radvanovsky-steals-the-show-from-jonas-kaufmann-in-barcelona/

There is something of Halley’s comet about Umberto Giordano’s most famous opera “Andrea Chénier.” It reappears every so often (happily not so infrequently as every 75 years) excites and dazzles, leaves verismo fanatics in paroxysms of delight, then vanishes back into the operatic firmament. With the recent notable exception at La Scala, productions of “Andrea Chénier” have invariably been connected to {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Embracing Tradition & Moving Beyond It – Tenor Russell Thomas On ‘Don Carlo,’ ‘Otello,’ & How To Learn From Artists & Audiences Of The Present & Past

https://operawire.com/embracing-tradition-moving-beyond-it-tenor-russell-thomas-on-don-carlo-otello-how-to-learn-from-artists-audiences-of-the-present-past/

This Saturday, March 3, 2018, the Washington National Opera will be staging a four-act version of “Don Carlo” with a superstar cast. While many might turn to the likes of Leah Crocetto, Jamie Barton, or Eric Owens, for the star power, tenor Russell Thomas is poised to have a big night in his Washington National Opera debut. Thomas recently spoke {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Croatian National Opera 2017-18 Review – Der Fliegende Holländer: Great Musicianship & Artistry Salvage Shipwreck of a Production

https://operawire.com/croatian-national-opera-2017-18-review-der-fliegende-hollander-great-musicianship-artistry-salvages-shipwreck-of-a-production/

Many directors who dabble in the lyric theatre seem to think that they know better than the librettist or composer what an opera is about.  “Improvements” can range from the introduction of a new character into the drama (eg. Mariusz Treliński’s ubiquitous  “Mr. O” in “Yevgeny Onegin” for the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw) to scrawling a specific word onto the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review -Tosca: Jennifer Rowley Triumphs in Glimmering Production

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2017-18-review-tosca-jennifer-rowley-triumphs-in-glimmering-production/

This review is for the performance on Friday, January 12th, 2018. In keeping with the spirit of verismo, Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Tosca” offered one of the most realistic portrayals of Puccini’s celebrated work. The set may as well have been a window to another time thanks to the care taken by the creative team headed by John Macfarlane. As {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – Tosca: Yoncheva, Grigolo, Villaume Not Ready for Primetime

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2017-18-review-tosca-yoncheva-grigolo-villaume-not-ready-for-primetime/

This review is for the performance on Jan. 4, 2018. It was the most hotly anticipated production of the new Met season, the run-up to its unveiling on New Year’s Eve as big a melodrama as the opera itself, filled with unexpected twists and turns. And like the opera itself, where its final act feels like an anti-climax after the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Teatro Comunale di Treviso 2017-18 Review – La Cecchina: Piccini’s Opera Gets Comic Treatment to Sterling Success

https://operawire.com/teatro-comunale-di-treviso-2017-18-review-la-cecchina-piccinis-opera-gets-comic-treatment-to-sterling-success/

Born in Bari in 1728, the Italian composer Niccolò Piccinni had an established and successful career in both Italy and France, responsible for the composition of more than 80 operas. Although his work is firmly planted in the 18th century and does not stray from the traditional musical forms of the period, his work was widely praised by fellow composers {…}