Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
I attended the first two performances of the Seattle Opera’s new production of Berlioz’ “Beatrice and Benedict”. Each performance had a different pair of artists in the title roles. My review of the February 24, 2018 performance [Review: “Beatrice and Benedict”, Seattle Opera Reinvents Berlioz’ Opera – February 24, 2018] discussed the Beatrice and Benedict … Read more
The Seattle Opera chose to participate in a multi-institutional initiative, “Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare”, in which 25 cultural organizations came together to present Shakespeare’s plays or other artistic endeavors based upon his plays. For its part in the Shakespeare festivities, the Seattle Opera selected “Beatrice and Benedict”, which Berlioz loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About … Read more
I will be reviewing – at the Sarasota Opera, Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera – four iconic operas written in the Italian “verismo” style exemplified by such composers as Puccini, Mascagni, Giordano, Leoncavallo and Cilea. Three of the operas are from the first four years of the 1890s that defined and popularized the … Read more
Over the next year, I will be attending performances in Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Seattle of works by Giuseppe Verdi. Interestingly, Verdi operas are not represented in the 2018-19 repertories of the companies each of whose performances I regularly review. Don Carlo (Verdi), Washington National Opera, March 3, 5, 8, 14, 16 and 17, … Read more
The following conversation with Kevin Burdette was conducted with the cooperation of the Seattle Opera, whose facilitation of the conversation is deeply appreciated. [Below: Kevin Burdette as Don Alfonso in the Seattle Opera production of Mozart’s “Così fan Tutte”; edited image, based on a Philip Newton photograph, courtesy of the Seattle Opera.] Wm: Hi … Read more