Month: June 2014
Review: Stephen Lawless’ Creative New “Carmen” Production Opens 2014 Santa Fe Opera Season – June 27, 2014
British Stage Director Stephen Lawless’ brilliantly conceived new production of “Carmen” was unveiled at Santa Fe Opera, with notable performances by Argentine mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as Carmen, Italian tenor Roberto de Biasio as Don Jose, Lebanese soprano Joyce El-Khoury as Micaela, and Greek bass-baritone Kostas Smoriginas as Escamillo. The production’s most remarkable features were the arresting … Read more
Anticipated Operatic “Double Bills” in Santa Fe and Los Angeles – July-November, 2014
This feature highlights selected performances of operas at the 2014 Santa Fe Opera Summer Festival and in Los Angeles that I am scheduled to review. This list is supplementary to previous lists in this “Quests and Anticipations” series of selected operas being performed from July, 2014 through February, 2015. These are Bizet’s “Carmen” in Santa Fe and … Read more
A Selection of Popular Puccini Opera Performances – July 2014-January 2015
This feature highlights selected performances of the Puccini operas at the Glimmerglass Festival and the San Francisco and San Diego Operas I am scheduled to review. This list is supplementary to previous lists in this “Quests and Anticipations” series of selected operas being performed from July, 2014 through February, 2015. These are Bizet’s “Carmen” in Santa Fe … Read more
A Conversation with Lyric Tenor Saimir Pirgu
The following conversation took place at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. with the deeply appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera. [Below: Lyric tenor Saimir Pirgu; edited image of a Fadil Berisha photograph, courtesy of Saimir Pirgu.] Wm Saimir, this is my first opportunity to congratulate you on your Edgardo in … Read more