BWW Review: 'Orange' is the New FIDELIO from Heartbeat Opera at NY Opera Fest
Despite some great music, nobody ever said that Beethoven's FIDELIO is an easy opera to love.
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BWW Review: COC's THE NIGHTINGALE AND OTHER SHORT FABLES is a Magical Night at the Opera
The word most-associated with Robert Lepage's THE NIGHTINGALE AND OTHER SHORT FABLES is 'magic'.
BWW Review: Walking the Tightrope at Met's National Council Auditions Finals Concert
Can you imagine coming out on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera--facing an audience of about 4000 and be ready to sing without really much of a chance to warm up? That takes guts--and it's what the nine finalists in the Met's National Council Auditions Grand Final Concert did on Sunday, April 29.
BWW Review: Going Down Under with JOHN HOLIDAY in the Crypt
John Holiday is a countertenor for people who don't usually appreciate countertenors--or think of them as “an acquired taste.
BWW Review: At the Met, LAMMERMOOR is Filled with Crazies--and Not Just LUCIA
Donizetti's LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR--the story of a fragile young woman, Lucia, who's caught in a feud involving her family, the Ashtons, and the Ravenswoods--is one of the mainstays of the repertoire at major opera houses around the world, famed particularly for its mad scene.
BWW Review: A Poet's Love and the CYCLES of Lawrence Brownlee at Carnegie's Zankel Hall
On the surface, the two major works on Lawrence Brownlee's recital at Carnegie's Zankel Hall might seem not to have much in common.
BWW Review: Have You Met Ms. BULLOCK? JULIA, That Is, At Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall
When the radiant, intellectual soprano Julia Bullock stepped on stage Carnegie Hall's intimate venue, Weill Recital Hall (just 268 seats), to wild applause, I felt like I was the only one hearing her “live” for the first time.
BWW Review: TURANDOT at Metropolitan Opera
The Met's production of Turandot delivers a visual blast from the moment the curtain rises.
BWW Review: TROUBLE IN TAHITI AND GALLANTRY at Center Stage Theater
A rare treat this weekend only, Opera Santa Barbara presents an evening of one-act comic operas in the intimacy of Center Stage Theater.
BWW Review: French Creampuff CENDRILLON Finally Reaches Met with DiDonato
The Met's new CENDRILLON is a Cinderella of a production, finally allowing Massenet's take on the classic tale of the girl from the cinders who finds her Prince Charming to reach the Met's stage 119 years after its premiere at the Opera-Comique in Paris.
BWW Review: City Opera's AMORE DEI TRE RE Gets the Kiss of Death
Italo Montemezzi's L'AMORE DEI TRE RE, which played four performances at City Opera's Rose Theate this weekend, was greeted as a masterpiece when it premiered at La Scala in 1913 proved popular for years at the Met.
BWW Review: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN at Theater Erfurt - This DUTCHMAN finally takes flight on the wings of Kelly God's magnificently sung Senta
Theater Erfurt's General Director, Guy Montavon was responsible for nearly turning THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, (Der fliegende Hollander) Richard Wagner's technicolor, romantic dream of an opera into a black, white and grey nightmare.
BWW Review: A Tantalizing Taste of Kaufmann's TRISTAN, Nylund's ISOLDE with Boston Symphony under Nelsons at Carnegie
It's hard for opera singers to keep off the radar when they're dipping their feet into a new role--particularly if the role is Tristan in Wagner's great opera, or if your name is Jonas Kaufmann.
BWW Review: A Capella or Not, Oxford's Cathedral Choir Shows Fine Touch of Conductor Darlington at NY's St. Thomas 5th Ave.
I must admit that Christ Church Cathedral Choir--performing at New York's St.
BWW Review: CAV/PAG at Deutsche Oper Berlin
At the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Saturday night, David Pountney, director of CAV/PAG saddled these beloved works with a concept so profound in its stupidity that it was often mind-blowing and jaw-dropping in its inanity.
BWW Review: PIGMALIONE/PIGMALION at City Opera Not Lover-ly Enough
There's no 'Enry 'Iggins or 'Liza Doolittle in Donizetti's IL PIGMALIONE or Rameau's PIGMALION--we'll have to wait for Lincoln Center Theatre's MY FAIR LADY revival (based on Shaw's PYGMALION) next month for that.
BWW Review: Spectacular RINALDO by Handel at Carnegie with Bicket and the English Concert
Just about the most spectacular opera event of the season so far arrived at Carnegie Hall Sunday afternoon, with the English Concert and Harry Bicket making their annual foray into Handel territory, with a superb RINALDO.
BWW REVIEW: Amanda Muggleton Channels One Of Opera's Greatest Divas As She Reprises Her Portrayal Of Maria Callas In Terrence McNally's MASTERCLASS.
Sydney audiences were treated to a new immersive expression of Terrence McNally's award winning MASTERCLASS with Amanda Muggleton returning to the role that won her a Helpmann Award in 2002.
BWW Review: LA TRAVIATA with Philharmonia Orchestra Of New York - Innovation for Innovation's Sake
As classical music presentations continue to innovate in the 21st century, it's paramount that a keen eye remains focused on the purpose of this innovation.
BWW Review: SAN DIEGO OPERA'S FLORENCIA EN LA AMAZONAS at San Diego Civic Center
The San Diego Opera's production of Daniel Catan's Florencia en el Amazonas was premiered Saturday at San Diego's Civic Center.
BWW Review: With Cast Headed by O'Hara and Maltman, Guess Who Gets the Last Laugh on Mozart's COSI at the Met?
To answer the most burning question for many: Yes, Broadway's Kelli O'Hara can sing opera, acquitting herself nobly and well in the company of “real” opera singers and filling the huge Met Opera without a mike.
BWW Review: Winter Opera of St. Louis Presents L'ELISIR D'AMORE
We went out into the chilly spring evening - and it became, for me, one of the most totally pleasing evenings of opera I've ever experienced.
BWW Review: Exciting Goerke and Nezet-Seguin Change Dynamic of Met's ELEKTRA
When Christine Goerke took on the title role in the Met's revival of Richard Strauss's masterwork ELEKTRA--the final work of director Patrice Chereau--she wasn't so much competing with Nina Stemme, who sang the premiere of the production last spring, but with herself.
BWW Review: WNO's Passionate DON CARLO
Giuseppe Verdi's epic opera is being staged for the first time in two decades at WNO and features a sterling cast in a grand production.
BWW Review: HAMLET: ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2018 at Adelaide Festival Theatre
Allan Clayton's performance as Hamlet is riveting.