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Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Winds of Change – How Deborah Sandler & Joanne Burns Are Transforming The Lyric Opera of Kansas City

https://operawire.com/winds-of-change-how-deborah-sandler-joanne-burns-are-transforming-the-lyric-opera-of-kansas-city/

  The winds of change are sweeping down the plains. Bring them on, say the directors of The Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Given the chance to re-invent itself with the opening of the Kauffman Center in 2011 and new production-facilities buildings shortly thereafter, the Lyric has grasped the opportunity with an impressive energy, wholly characteristic of the region’s revival. {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Baritone Malcolm MacKenzie On The Verdi Chorus, Playing Villains & The Loss of Listening Skills

https://operawire.com/q-a-baritone-malcolm-mackenzie-on-the-verdi-chorus-playing-villains-the-loss-of-listening-skills/

(Credit: Matthew Staver) Baritone Malcolm MacKenzie loves playing the bad guys. On his website he notes that Scarpia, the villainous police chief who sexually harasses Tosca before being murdered, is his favorite role. Another of his favorites is the conniving Iago and he was even the first man to take on the role of the vengeful Roger Chillingworth in the {…}

Opera Meets Film, Special Features

Opera Meets Film: How Joon-Ho Bong’s ‘Parasite’ Develops Ironic Narrative Through Handel’s ‘Rodelinda’

https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-how-joon-ho-bongs-parasite-develops-ironic-narrative-through-handels-rodelinda/

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Joon-Ho Bong’s “Parasite.” In reviewing “Parasite,” Indiewire’s David Ehrlich has previously stated that director Joon-Ho Bong is a genre unto himself. This very film starts off as a comedy of sorts as it follows a family of four slowly con themselves into jobs with a wealthier family. But then the film takes a turn into a darker drama that eventually {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Heading Into Foreign Territory – Mezzo-Soprano Sarah Mesko Set For ‘Carmen,’ The Role Least Like Her

https://operawire.com/heading-into-foreign-territory-mezzo-soprano-sarah-mesko-set-for-carmen-the-role-least-like-her/

(Credit: Dario Acosta) Sarah Mesko is walking a straight path toward an important career. The Arkansas native has built her success on solid academic training and noteworthy apprenticeships, and has received bundles of prestigious awards in return. She has performed with scores of professional companies in the United States, including the Met where she has paid her dues as a {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

New Life With Hearing – How Soprano Anne Walker Overcame Hearing Loss To Revive Her Singing Career

https://operawire.com/new-life-with-hearing-how-soprano-anne-walker-overcame-hearing-loss-to-revive-her-singing-career/

“This is the greatest miracle of science and technology,” said lyric soprano Dr. Anne Walker in a recent chat with OperaWire. “I’m not sure where it’s going, but I know it’s not for nothing.” Though her destination may be uncertain, she has come from a place of feeling isolated and ashamed. Artistically Compromised Over 15 years ago, before she turned {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Bass Maurizio Muraro On Working With Young Stars & His Favorite Roles

https://operawire.com/q-a-bass-maurizio-muraro-on-working-with-young-stars-his-favorite-roles/

(Credit: © ROH Photographer: CLIVE BARDA) The influx of new and younger opera stars is always a major touchstone of the art form across generations. But the old guard is a key part of their development, presenting a gateway between traditions of the past and today’s trends. Italian bass Maurizio Muraro loves being a part of this bridge. He has {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Craig Colclough On His Metropolitan Opera Debut & Singing ‘Macbeth’

https://operawire.com/q-a-craig-colclough-on-his-metropolitan-opera-debut-singing-macbeth/

Those following the opera world and its biggest news items know what happened on Sept. 28, 2019. In the midst of a tumultous week in which the Met Opera’s “Macbeth” featured major cast turnover, there was still one big twist set to take place without much audience anticipation – a new baritone was to make a surprising debut in the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2019-20 Review: Porgy and Bess

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2019-20-review-porgy-and-bess/

While the environment outside the Met Opera on opening night was rather subdued in comparison to previous years, there could be no denying the environment inside of the sold-out house. Everywhere you turned, the opera on hand was a major topic of conversation with great excitement over what it might bring. The Gershwin classic, “Porgy and Bess,” hasn’t been at {…}