With the New York Premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas, the New York City Opera Steps Out of the Shadows of the Past
Category: Reviews
Idomeneo, re di Creta, Garsington
Opportunities to see Idomeneo are not so frequent as they might be, certainly not so frequent as they should be.
Don Carlo in San Francisco
Not merely Don Carlo, but the five-act Don Carlo in the 1886 Modena version! The welcomed esotericism of San Francisco Opera’s extraordinary spring season.
Jen?fa in San Francisco
The early summer†San Francisco†Opera season has†the feel of a classy†festival. There is an introduction†of†Spanish director Calixto Bieito to American audiences, a five-act Don Carlo and two awaited,†inevitable role debuts, Karita Mattila as Kostelni?ka and Malin Bystrom as Janacek’s Jen?fa.
Musings on the “American Ring”
Now that the curtain has long fallen on the third and last performance of
the Ring cycle at the Washington National Opera (WNO), it is safe to
say that the long-anticipated production has been an unqualified success for
the company, director Francesca Zambello, and conductor Philippe Auguin.
Nabucco, Covent Garden
Most of the attention during this revival of Daniele Abbado’s 2013 production of Nabucco has been directed at Pl·cido Domingo’s reprise of the title role, with the critical reception somewhat mixed.
Tristan, English National Opera
My first Tristan, indeed my first Wagner, in the theatre was ENO’s previous staging of the work, twenty years ago, in 1996. The experience, as it
should, as it must, although this is alas far from a given, quite overwhelmed me.
The Cunning Little Vixen, Glyndebourne
Four years ago, almost to the day (13th to 12th), I saw Melly Still’s production of The Cunning Little Vixen during its first Glyndebourne run. I found
myself surprised how much more warmly I responded to it this time.
London: A 90th birthday tribute to Horovitz
This recital celebrated both the work of the Park Lane Group, which has been
supporting the careers of outstanding young artists for 60 years, and the 90th
birthday of Joseph Horovitz, who was born in Vienna in 1926 and emigrated to
England aged 12.
Opera Las Vegas: A Blazing Carmen in the Desert
Headed by General Director Luana DeVol, a world-renowned dramatic soprano, Opera Las Vegas is a relatively new company that presents opera with first-rate casts at the University of Las Vegas’s Judy Bayley Theater. In 2014 they presented Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and in 2015, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. This year they offered a blazing rendition of Georges Bizet’s Carmen.