Der Fliegende Holl‰nder, New York

Pick the word: soupÁon? snippet? tidbit? quark? to describe the infinitesimal bite of Wagner bestowed upon us by the Met this year — and we had to wait till the end of April, to boot!

Wagner’s Gˆtterd‰mmerung and Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten

Chaos and disorder rule at Los Angeles Opera of late, and not just in the fervid imagination of director Achim Freyer, the artistic force behind the controversial staging of Richard Wagner’s four-evening glorification of chaos and disorder.

Shadowboxer, the opera

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland
— College Park is presenting Shadowboxer, an opera based on the
life of Joe Louis, with music composed by Frank Proto to a libretto by John
Chenault.

Shadowboxer — A Tormented Joe Louis

From the Maryland Opera Studio comes a riveting new opera that transforms
the life of American boxing legend Joe Louis (“The Brown Bomber”)
into an epic tale of human struggle, triumph, and failure.

Shadowboxer’s Left Jab

This month, the Maryland Opera Studio (MOS) at the University of Maryland,
College Park, marked its spot in opera history with the world premiere of
Shadowboxer, a jazz-infused opera based on the life of iconic American
boxer Joe Louis.

Shadowboxer — The Rise and Fall of an American Hero

The Shadowboxer project, an opera about the life of heavyweight
boxing champion Joe Louis, began as an idea in director Leon Major’s mind
twenty years ago.

A “CNN Opera” — Shadowboxer at UMD

The University of Maryland Opera Studio premiered a new commission this
week: Shadowboxer, composed by Frank Proto, and based on the life of
boxing champion Joe Louis.

Shadowboxer — The Inner Life of Joe Louis

An opera about boxer Joe Louis might seem like a futile undertaking:
according to 1930s New York Times reporter Meyer Berger, “Joe
Louis avoids meeting people, hates conversation (even fight talk) and says less
than any man in sports…”

Christopher Maltman, Wigmore Hall, London

The abiding elegance and beauty of Christopher Maltman’s baritone,
complemented by the interpretative wisdom and experience of Graham Johnson, one
of the finest vocal accompanists of recent times, made this an evening of
assured musicianship and expressive poise.

Christoph PrÈgardien, London

‘Come sweet death … for I am weary of the world’: thus,
the opening lines of Bach’s aria, ‘Komm S¸fler Tod’, from the
Schemelli Liederbuch, led us into the realms of the afterlife, and
encapsulated the central sentiment of this evening of songs meditating on, and
calling for, release from toilsome human cares.