By Anne Midgett [NY Times, 14 October 2005]
“Daphne” is the story of a woman who turns into a tree. Dramatic? Indubitably. Operatic? It depends on your outlook. After all, what you’re left with, after the coup de thÈ‚tre, is a singing tree, which cannot but strike some listeners as a wee bit static. “Aida” it’s not.