Month: February 2012

Review: Countdown to the Britten Centennial: Conductor James Conlon, Director Paul Curran in Reverential Mounting of Britten’s “Albert Herring” – Los Angeles Opera, February 25, 2012

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Opera companies around the world have been preparing for the 2013 bicentennial celebrations of the births of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, the two mid-19th century giants of the operatic repertory. The year also marks the centennial of the birth of British composer Benjamin Britten. At least four of Britten’s 13 operas (“Billy Budd”, “Peter … Read more

Review: A Majestic West Coast Premiere for Heggie’s “Moby Dick” – San Diego Opera, February 18, 2012

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San Diego Opera became the fourth of the five companies that sponsored the world premiere production of Jake Heggie’s “Moby Dick” to present it to their home town audiences. The opera’s actual world premiere took place in April, 2010 at the Dallas Opera. During the two intervening years the production traveled to Adelaide, Australia (August 2011) … Read more

Review: Legend Making at Los Angeles Opera – Placido Domingo, James Conlon Lead Star-Studded “Simon Boccanegra”, February 11, 2012

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The Los Angeles Opera’s first offering of calendar year 2012, the year before the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth, is Verdi’s masterpiece “Simon Boccanegra”. Placido Domingo, one of the greatest tenors in operatic history, sings the title role, which is written for the baritone voice. There is an inherent baritonal quality to the tenor voices that … Read more