Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, like “Il Trovatore”, the opera that immediately followed it, has had popular approval from its very first performances. With one of the most familiar arias in all of Italian opera, the lead tenor’s La donna e mobile, and a succession of familiar and infectious musical numbers, its position at the very core of … Read more
From time to time this website highlights upcoming performances of operas along various themes – such as our features on performances of Belle Epoque French Operas, or those of Benjamin Britten, or of Bizet’s “Pearl Fishers”, or of productions this website has reviewed favorably. With this posting, we cite upcoming performances of the three towering … Read more
The work of German artist Achim Freyer has been seen twice before at Los Angeles Opera, including a new production of Berlioz’ “Damnation of Faust” in 2003, which Los Angeles Opera co-sponsored with the Warsaw Opera. Influenced by surrealist artists and by ideas from the theater and opera of Japan and China, a Freyer production … Read more
Opera Australia’s 2006 co-production of Delibes’ “Lakme” with the Opera de Montreal was imported by the Florida Grand Opera, providing a well-received vehicle for a reigning star of the Florida Grand Opera – coloratura soprano Leah Partridge. The production, seen in Sydney and Melbourne in 2006 and in Montreal in 2007 is comprised of a … Read more
For the third time in a 365 day period, I am reviewing a performance of Delibes’ fascinating opera, “Lakme”, which appears to be building its fan base for an eventual return to the standard opera repertory, much in the way that an opera by Delibes’ close friend, Georges Bizet, “The Pearl Fishers (Les Pecheurs de … Read more