World Premiere Review: “JFK”, a Fort Worth Fantasy – April 23, 2016

The Fort Worth Opera chose to celebrate the opening of its 70th season by commissioning a new opera, with music composed by David T. Little to a libretto by his frequent collaborator Royce Vavrek. The opera’s commission was intended to commemorate President John F. Kennedy’s early morning hotel stay and campaign breakfast in Fort Worth in the hours before his … Read more

Review: Houston Grand Opera’s Convincing Case for “Carousel” – April 22, 2016

The Houston Grand Opera mounted Broadway director Rob Ashford’s production of Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s dark classic “Carousel” with an appealing cast of opera singers, led by Australian baritone Duncan Rock and American soprano Angela Carroll. [Below: Julie Jordan (Angela Carroll, left) stands by her man, Billy Bigelow (Duncan Rock, right) on a Maine coastal sea wall; … Read more

Review: Jay Hunter Morris, Christine Goerke Lead a Vocally Strong “Siegfried” Cast – Houston Grand Opera, April 20, 2016

The Houston Grand Opera (HGO) assembled a strong cast for “Siegfried”, its third entry in its mounting (over four seasons) of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” in an imaginative, often visually dizzying production from Spain’s Fura dels Baus. Jay Hunter Morris’ Siegfried Siegfried is a role that dominates all three acts of the opera, requiring power and … Read more

In Quest of European Opera Performances (Part Two) Mid-May 2016

Later this Spring, I begin another Self-Directed Opera Live Performance Tour (this trip with eight performances in 16 days). The last four performances are described below:   Carmen (Bizet), Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, Germany, May 13, 17 and 20, 2016. The fifth stop on my Self-Directed Live Opera Performance Tour will be the famous Lina Wertmüller production of … Read more