Most musicologists concur that Handel did a major cut and paste job on “Rinaldo,” as more than two thirds of the score was cribbed from earlier compositions. There are also three versions of this tremendously successful opera from 1711, 1717 and 1731. Depending on singers’ availability and vocal condition, innumerable nips and tucks occurred at almost all 53 performances during Handel’s {…}
Opera Atelier has announced its 2019-20 season, which is entitled “A Season of Saints / A Season of Sinners.” The company will kick off the year with a production of “Don Giovanni.” The Mozart work will star Douglas Williams, Carla Huhtanen, Colin Ainsworth, Meghan Lindsay, Stephen Hegedus, Olivier Laquerre, Mireille Asselin, and Gustav Andreassen. “Our audience has made it clear {…}
On Jan. 29, 2019, the Deutsche Oper Am Rhein will present Handel’s “Xerxes.” Those who are unable to attend the performance in Germany will luckily be able to watch it via OperaVision’s live streaming service and for several months thereafter. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. That’s around 1 p.m. EDT and 10 a.m. PST for the {…}
Brescia shares its opera season with a number of other cities in Italy’s Lombardia region, courtesy of the touring company, Opera Lombardia, and if the quality of its recent production of Handel’s “Rinaldo” is representative, then it certainly does not suffer from the arrangement. Boasting a quality young cast, including the highly respected French contralto, Delphine Galou, and two singers {…}
The Oratorio Society of New York is set to present Handel’s “Messiah” following its tradition of presenting the work every year. The classic oratorio will be presented on Dec. 17, 2018, with Music Director Kent Tritle leading the OSNY in its 145th performance of Messiah. The cast will include Leslie Fagan, a beloved Oratorio Society guest artist, countertenor Daniel Moody, tenor {…}
Handel’s oratorio “Israel in Egypt” will open MasterVoices’ 77th season on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 at Carnegie Hall. The performance, led by the ensemble’s Artistic Director Ted Sperling will feature the New York premiere of a multi-media version of the Handel piece. The performances on the evening will include Mikaela Bennett, Jessica Niles, John Holiday, Gregory Feldmann, Andrew Stenson, and {…}
Even by usual standards of patently implausible baroque opera plots, “Rodelinda” reaches new heights of Delphic abstruseness. William Hartston in the London Express described Handel’s 19th opera as “everyone wanting to marry or kill everyone else.” Regardless of Hartston’s hyperbole, confusion certainly abounds. A Penelope-esque wife erroneously thinks her husband is dead not once, but twice. The two principal protagonists {…}
Many Music Festivals rely on remarkable locations to give performances their particular “festive” appeal. The awe-inspiring Arena di Verona, the ancient Aya Irini church in Istanbul, the umbrageous plane trees in Aix-en-Provence, the picnic-enticing gardens of Glyndebourne, the striking castle-fortress of Savonlinna, or the entire picture-postcard-perfect city of Salzburg immediately spring to mind. The medieval town of Girona in Catalonia {…}
Caramoor ended its summer festival with a special treat for opera lovers, a concert with Susan Graham, accompanied by the always-fabulous Orchestra of St. Luke’s, led by Nicholas McGegan. Once again, the weather on the leafy estate of Caramoor, with its sumptuous gardens and grounds, was a perfect match to the delightful and intriguing program. The first part of the {…}
Last summer, amidst Caramoor’s summer festival, I got a chance to informally talk to Jeff Haydon, the CEO of the music and arts center that happens to be in my home town of Katonah. I was told that Caramoor’s long-time successful operatic series “Bel Canto at Caramoor,” headed by Will Crutchfield, would be leaving. Crutchfield, after decades at Caramoor, was {…}
Entering into its third season, the Concerts at Saint Thomas has announced its line-up of performances. The season, which opens on Oct. 5, will see the inauguration of the new Miller-Scott Organ, which will be prominently featured throughout the season in a number of different concerts. Highlights of the 2018-19 season include Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” Handel’s “Messiah,” and more, including {…}