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DVD and CD Reviews, Reviews

CD Review: Jakub Józef Orliński’s ‘Anima Sacra’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-jakub-jozef-orlinskis-anima-sacra/

Many young singers, especially in the baroque repertoire, tend to choose dependable crowdpleasers when making their debut CD.  “Lascia ch’io pianga” and “Ombra mai fu” appear with such ubiquity it seems almost sinful not to include them. Polish wunderknabe countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński’s first major release for Erato/Warner Classics courageously breaks the mold. There are so many exotic rarities and {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Theater Bonn 2018-19 Review: ‘Marx in London’

https://operawire.com/theater-bonn-2018-19-review-marx-in-london/

Any composition called “Marx in London,” especially when categorized as a comic opera, is more likely to encourage expectations of Groucho, Harpo and Chico than the ornery, orotund author of “The Communist Manifesto.” Although Karl Marx spent many years in London, Jonathan Dove’s latest operatic endeavor, commissioned by Theater Bonn, focuses on just 24 hours of the philosopher’s domestically dysfunctional {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Carnegie Hall 2018-19 Review: Anna Netrebko In Recital

https://operawire.com/carnegie-hall-2018-19-review-anna-netrebko-in-recital/

There were probably some skeptical people at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018. Anna Netrebko had previously canceled her recital debut at the hallowed hall on two previous occasions. Who said she wouldn’t do it again? But the Russian diva, as she is wont to do, proved them and others else wrong, making the third time a charm and {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Pacific Opera Project’s Artistic Director Josh Shaw On Reaching New Audiences With A ‘Pop’ Aesthetic

https://operawire.com/q-a-pacific-opera-projects-artistic-director-john-shaw-on-reaching-new-audiences-with-a-pop-aesthetic/

POP, the acronym for Los Angeles’ youthful Pacific Opera Project has a number of meanings. It can stand for Pop-up Theater (Pacific Opera Project’s productions can take place in a variety of venues and even at short notice). It can also mean “popular” (POP makes opera accessible for audiences whose principle interest might simply be an affordable night out). Over {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Welsh National Opera 2018-19 Review: War & Peace

https://operawire.com/welsh-national-opera-2018-19-review-war-peace/

On his deathbed, Sergei Prokofiev talked of his hope that “War and Peace,” the opera he considered to be his greatest composition for the stage, would eventually become known the world over in its definitive version. In Russia and other Slavic countries this has largely been achieved, but in the West, performances have been rare indeed. Welsh National Opera’s decision {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opéra de Lyon 2018-19 Review: Mefistofele

https://operawire.com/opera-de-lyon-2018-19-review-mefistofele/

The old Irish proverb “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” is particularly applicable to Barcelona-born director Àlex Ollé. Without insinuating any untoward obsession with Satan, in the past ten years Ollé has had numerous dramaturgical dalliances with the Prince of Darkness. First was the cutesy “F@ust3.0” in  collaboration with Fura dels Baus co-director Carlos Padrissa. In {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

53rd Wratislavia Cantans Festival Wrocław Poland Review: Król Roger

https://operawire.com/53rd-wratislavia-cantans-festival-wroclaw-poland-review-krol-roger/

For many opera lovers appalled by the excesses of regie theater, concert performances are an appealing alternative. Singers standing in sackcloth and rags are infinitely preferable to Hans Neuenfels’ whisker-twitching “Lohengrin” rats or Claus Guth rocketing Rodolfo into outer-space in a South Park Kenny space suit. The problem is that as Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss wittily explained in “Capriccio,” opera has {…}