Some composers, like Dvořák for instance, seemed at home in whichever genre they chose to write. Mahler, by contrast, though he repeatedly wrote for the human voice, never attempted an…
Category: Reviews
Glyndebourne’s musically gripping Parsifal
Directors have a habit of interfering with composers’ intentions in their efforts to draw out new perspectives. That’s no bad thing when a novel approach creates insightful correspondences with the…
A choral and orchestral extravaganza from The Lighthouse, Poole
Hats off to David Hill for overseeing the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s last hurrah of the season with three career-defining works that changed the musical landscape in both Britain and the…
Gustavo Dudamel conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in Strauss and Ravel
We often get reminded that a review is just one person’s opinion. In this particular instance, I am going to be shamelessly subjective rather than assume some kind of position…
RAM students’ powerful and vivid enactment of Britten’s Biblical drama The Burning Fiery Furnace
The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) is the second of Britten’s Church Parables, based on an episode from the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. Its immediate literary inspiration is…
Nouvelle production d’Il Trittico à l’Opéra Bastille, Paris
There are certain stagings when good fortune shines on casting decisions and produces an operatic miracle. Such is the case with this new production of Puccini’s Il Trittico given at…
On a nature trail with Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Raës
Artfully arranged white lilies flanked Wigmore Hall’s stage, but roses were the flower of choice in the perfumed texts of the romances and mélodies performed by Cyrille Dubois and Tristan…
Bel Cantanti Opera Presents a Dreamy Roméo et Juliette
For over 20 years now, Bel Cantanti Opera has been a staple of the opera scene in the Washington, D.C. area, and if you take in one of their productions…
Magical Surreality: The Excursions of Mr Brouček from Simon Rattle and the LSO
Simon Rattle’s survey of the Janáček operas has proved a tale of two cities: Berlin (first the Philharmonic and latterly the Staatsoper) and London (the LSO). The latter has been…
Washington National Opera’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs: Mesmerizing Tech Opera
Having heard two of the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz young artists at an event at the Kreeger Museum in D.C. earlier this season, I knew I was in for something…