Month: November 2010
Arthur Bloomfield: Dropping in On the Final Adler Years at the San Francisco Opera – The Spirit of ’78
Our guest commentator Arthur Bloomfield writes: When, in 1977, my publisher asked me to bring my history of the SFO up to date, naturally I jumped at the opportunity and the book, The San Francisco Opera 1922-78, was duly published. But this was several years before the great regime of Kurt Herbert Adler came to an end, … Read more
Review: Britten’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is Enchanting, Luminous, Hilarious – Lyric Opera of Chicago, November 17, 2010
Australian Opera and Legitimate Stage Director Neil Armfield was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera to present four productions of Benjamin Britten operas in Houston, including a new production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2009. Lyric Opera, that co-produced that work, scheduled it for Chicago for the Britten opera’s 50th anniversary – the third production of Lyric … Read more
Review: Countdown to the Wagner Bicentennial – James Conlon Conducts Bel Canto “Lohengrin” – Los Angeles Opera, November 20, 2010
The Los Angeles Opera unveiled a provocative new production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin”, beautifully sung by a cast led by Canadian Tenor Ben Heppner in his Los Angeles Opera debut in the title role, with (also debuting) Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski as Elsa and American mezzo Dolora Zajick as Ortrud. My comments will speak to the … Read more
Review: Donizetti Revival, Second Stage: Beautifully Sung “Anna Bolena” Completes Dallas Opera’s Tudor Trilogy, November 14, 2010
In 2008 Dallas Opera began a three season project, enlisting the team of British Stage Director Stephen Lawless and Belgian Set Designer Benoit Dugardyn to create new productions of three operas by Gaetano Donizetti – “Maria Stuarda” (2008), “Robert Devereux” (2009), and “Anna Bolena” (2010). The three operas, at least since the time of the … Read more