It’s somewhat of a cliché for Golden Age thinking to creep into the dialogue of the opera world. How many times have you heard someone make the claim that they don’t make great voices the way they used to? The obvious answer is that they don’t because the world has changed and so have tastes. But sometimes, you’ll find those {…}
In recent years, Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” has slowly but surely established a potent foothold in the Metropolitan Opera’s standard repertory. The main reason? David McVicar’s striking and still awe-inspiring interpretation of Verdi’s middle-period masterwork. A Master At Work The inspiration of Francisco de Goya and his tableaus is obvious from the opening curtain and onwards. At the core of it {…}
The Dallas Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which is set to include five classic operas and numerous international stars. The season kicks off on Oct. 12, 2018 with Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” starring Greer Grimsley in the title role, Anja Kampe in her Dallas debut, and Jay Hunter Morris. Music director Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Performance Date: Oct. 12-20 (4 {…}
On Jan. 22, 2018, the Metropolitan Opera will revive David McVicar’s production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The production runs until Feb. 15, a total of eight performances. This year’s production is set to offer up quite some delights for newcomers to Verdi’s mid-period masterpiece. Here’s a look at some reasons you must see this revival. Rising Stars Take the Lead {…}
This review is for the performance on Dec. 22, 2017. We’re going to change things up a bit for this review. I don’t enjoy writing in the first person for this kind of article, but “Hansel and Gretel” is an extremely personal experience for me. It was the first opera I ever saw in my life at the age of {…}
Soprano Marjorie Owens and baritone Quinn Kelsey will be performing in the George London Foundation Series on Dec. 10th, 2017. The George London Foundation for Singers, established in 1971, awards promising young opera singers with awards of up to $10,000 to support their budding careers. In 1995 the recital series began in order to give winners of these grants exposure, {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its season with a fabulous collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet with the French version of “Orphée et Eurydice.” It was a sensational production, although the fact that Gluck’s work doesn’t really feature a great amount of singing perhaps left a void for some hearty Lyric operagoers. Anybody who felt that way certainly had their {…}
“Rigoletto” can’t be topped for its humanity. A father and a daughter, a jester, a virginal naif, longing for and trying to sustain a good a life in selfish and lecherous world, power-hungry and greedy, 16th century Mantua. Such is the subject of Verdi’s middle period masterpiece. The libretto by Francisco Maria Piave is based on the play “Le Roi {…}
The George London Foundation has announced the singers that will be taking part in its 2016-17 season events. This upcoming season will feature three recitals with six of the great young stars in the opera world. Of those six four have won the George London Awards over the course of the last eight years. The first of this series kicks {…}
Another light weekend in North America’s Opera World with only a few companies putting on shows. Opera Theater of Saint Louis continues its run of Gordon’s “The Grapes of Wrath” on Friday. The next day the company puts on Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito.” The company closes out the weekend with “Madama Butterfly.” Portland Opera puts on its lone performance {…}
This week San Francisco Opera’s summer season begins, offering three favorites from the repertoire with intriguing casts. But it is Quinn Kelsey who has the honor of opening the season and bringing one of his most acclaimed roles to the house. As “Rigoletto” the Hawaiian baritone has brought his portrayal to Paris, Hawaii, London, Zurich, Santa Fe, and, most recently, {…}