Q & A: Latonia Moore on ‘Aida,’ Racial Equality in the Opera World, ‘Dead Man Walking’ & COVID-19

The moment Latonia Moore stepped onstage during the Opening Night performance of “Porgy and Bess,” launching the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-20 season, the audience was mesmerized. The soprano stole the show with her potent rendition of “My man’s gone now.” She received arguably the most applause of the evening and critics praised her for her “intensity.” Moore made her Met debut {…}

Opera Meets Film: How the Murder’s Portrayal Alters the Emotional Impact of Both Versions of ‘Dead Man Walking’

(Credit Javier del Real / Gramercy Pictures) “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 “Dead Man Walking.” Over the last few years, Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s “Dead Man Walking” has become a major staple of the international opera repertory, one of the few 21st century operas to really own such a valuable distinction. And it isn’t hard to see why. Based on a true story, the {…}

Barbican 2017-18 Review – Dead Man Walking: Joyce DiDonato Shines In Jake Heggie’s Haunting Disarray Of An Opera

Jake Heggie’s 2000 opera “Dead Man Walking” – based on the memoirs of Sister Helen Prejean and inspired by the film of the same name – hardly conforms to operatic standards. An intersection of “Porgy and Bess”-like motifs, rock opera recitatives, and the echoes of New Orleans jazz, it treats the opera template with a moderate respect: scant arias and {…}