Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
A year ago, American soprano Lise Lindstrom opened San Diego Opera’s 2011 season in the title role of Puccini’s “Turandot”, at opera’s end evoking a vociferous, standing ovation. This year, Lindstrom opened San Diego Opera’s 2012 season in the title role of Richard Strauss’ “Salome”, at opera’s end evoking a vociferous standing ovation. Salome and … Read more
One year ago the Seattle Opera teamed Italian Conductor Carlo Montanaro with basso John Relyea in a new production of a relative rarity – Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” [See Masterful Massenet: John Relyea’s Don Quixote at Seattle Opera – February 26, 2011.] Montanaro has returned to Seattle as Relyea’s conductor as the young basso adds yet another … Read more
A half century ago, the only opera written earlier than Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” that was occasionally performed by American opera companies was Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice”. But since then the operas of Handel and Gluck have become much more familiar fare than anyone would have ever expected, and Monteverdi’s and sometimes even Vivaldi’s operas … Read more
Robert, who has had the San Francisco Opera subscription seats across the aisle from me for decades, related a funny incident to me. According to him, a young woman, attending her first opera at a Los Angeles Opera performance of Puccini’s “Tosca”, came out at the intermission after the second act and remarked about Tosca … Read more