01 Feb 2006
Turandot at Carnegie Hall
On 30 January, the Collegiate Chorale presented Puccini: A Composer's Journey. Here are two reviews.
On 30 January, the Collegiate Chorale presented Puccini: A Composer's Journey. Here are two reviews.
A New Ending For 'Turandot'
By GEORGE LOOMIS [NY Sun, 1 February 2006]
Few operas are perfect, but Puccini's first and last operas have shortcomings that are hard to overlook.They also have strengths, which is why the Collegiate Chorale presented the early "Le Villi" and the final, unfinished act of "Turandot" at Carnegie Hall on Monday evening. Juxtaposing the two gave an arresting glimpse of Puccini's stylistic progression in his wildly successful career.
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Le Villi/Turandot, Carnegie Hall, New York
By Martin Bernheimer [Financial Times, 1 February 2006]
Robert Bass, who led a concert labelled Puccini: A Composer's Journey at Carnegie Hall on Monday, is an imaginative musician who knows his way around choruses. Unfortunately, he is not particularly persuasive as an opera-conductor. His tempos tend to be sluggish and his dynamic preferences loud. He engages stellar singers but, stationed on a podium behind his soloists, finds it hard to communicate with them.