CLASSICAL MUSIC THEATER REVIEWS

A winning powerful tribute to James Brown from those who sang and played with him....

Georgia O'Keeffe dressed in monk-like clothes and probably wouldn't have worn lipstick on a dare--hardly the image you'd associate with glamorous soprano Renee Fleming. But when Fleming opened her mouth and began to sing the first of the five songs in Kevin Puts' song cycle, LETTERS FROM GEORGIA, at...

Despite it's bombastic and highly visible ensemble of cheery papas, THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT is a showcase for its two stars, Oropesa and Brownlee....

With the popularity of film screenings paired with live symphony orchestras at an all time high, I'm glad one of the many to get the treatment is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first installment of the 8-film movie franchise adapted from JK Rowling's worldwide best-selling books. What an...

This past Friday night the Kiryat Motzkin Theatre Hall opened its 9th season of the successful classical series 'Classical Excitement', led by music director Gil Shohat, which truly lived up to its distinguished reputation....

The opera's called JENUFA, after the unfortunate young woman at the center of its story. But the star of the show at the Met's revival of this soaring musical masterpiece by Janacek is the Kostelnicka of the magnificent Finnish soprano Karita Mattila....

Returning to Carnegie Hall this year after more than 25 years, the Richard Tucker Gala—celebrating the current winner of the Richard Tucker Award, soprano Tamara Wilson, as well as the life and career of the famed tenor for whom it was named—was a grand night for singing....

There is nothing like the resonating echo of instruments tuning on a stage. For me, this sound is a perfect indicator that a fantastic evening is about to occur. This definitely was the case Sunday night at the Tilles Center when I saw A Broadway Romance Starring Tony Award nominees Laura Osnes and ...

Simon Rattle is often called 'the one that got away' in Philadelphia - but he's not alone. The Philadelphia Symphony has a rich and storied history of losing great conductors to other institutions. Mr. Rattle is in town conducting a very well received new production of Tristan and Isolde at the Met,...

Melding all forms of the arts into a cohesive program is never an easy task. Former New York City Ballet dancer Damian Woetzel is trying to do this with a series called Demo, which brings artists from the worlds of theatre, dance and opera together on one stage....

When the Met's production of Rossini's L'ITALIANA IN ALGIERI made its debut in 1973, it must have seemed a welcome laugh riot. Think of it as a kind of Hope-Crosby “Road” picture from the '40s. Flip forward 43 years to last week, and the world has changed much--for better and worse--but “The R...

The prolific eight-time Academy Award-winning composer---perhaps best known for his decades of unforgettable work in several landmark Disney animated musicals---was on hand to unveil a world premiere concert entitled 'A WHOLE NEW WORLD WITH ALAN MENKEN' on September 30, 2016 at Orange County's Seger...

For the sheer magnitude of its singing, there hasn't been anything like the Met's ecstatic new production of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE--seen a week after it opened the season on September 26--in a very long time....

On Site Opera is one of New York's most endearing little companies, under Artistic Director Eric Einhorn, frequently giving us a chance to hear unfamiliar works in congenial settings and get up close and personal with the performers. For its first benefit dinner, the company presented a double bill ...

When last seen at the Met , baritone Simon Keenlyside showed off his suave vocalism and superior acting skills in operas based on Shakespeare: He was elegant and intelligent in HAMLET by Ambroise Thomas and a charismatic Prospero in Thomas Ades's THE TEMPEST. He could have picked up on any of those...

Legend has it there were five encores at the triumphant Viennese premiere of Mozart and da Ponte's Le Nozze di Figaro on May 1, 1786. By the same token, Washington National Opera's new production of the effervescent comic opera deserved just as many ovations. Now playing through Sunday, October 2 in...

BREAKING THE WAVES, the stark, brutal new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, had its premiere last week at Opera Philadelphia, with a thrilling score and a star-making turn by soprano Kiera Duffy. Directed by James Darrah, the gripping production doesn't let anyone off easy, including the aud...

Hershey Felder's 'MAESTRO' returns to NYC triumphantly....

On September 16, 2016, Artistic Director, Miro Magloire, and company New Chamber Ballet, kicked off its' 2016-17 season with an exciting mix of old and new works at the City Center Studios. With this not being my first time seeing the troupe perform, I was curious what to expect since I saw them las...

World renowned "Little Orchestra" PINK MARTINI returns to Sydney to pair up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a fantastic party of a concert....

While listening to baritone Rod Gilfry's masterful, mesmerizing performance in the world premiere of David Lang's monodrama, THE LOSER, at BAM's “Next Wave Festival,” I thought I could listen to him sing the telephone book. Come to think of it, he came pretty close to that, at BAM's Howard Gilma...

Guest violinist Shunske Sato stuns audiences with his expressive and incredible interpretation of three 19th Century works with the support of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in SATO & THE ROMANTICS....

This was an evening of nothing but highlights....

Great credit is given to the Artistic Director, Slava Grigoryan, for making this a world class event....

I defy anybody to listen to the music of Spain without experiencing a noticeable lifting of their spirits....