Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
The Glimmerglass Festival presented Janacek’s lushly melodic opera “The Cunning Little Vixen” in an brilliantly realized production (shared with with Boston University’s Opera Institute.) Glimmerglass’ resident artist, Pennsylvania bass-baritone Eric Owens, performed the lead male role of the Forester. One or more of each of the opera’s other 35 roles were performed by members of … Read more
An impressive new production of “Ariadne auf Naxos” was unveiled at the Santa Fe Opera. Brilliantly conceived by British director Tim Albery, [Below: the center of the island of Naxos, containing the cave of Ariadne (Amanda Echalaz, center right) and guarded by the nymphs Najade (Meryl Dominguez), Dryad (Samantha Gossard) and Echo (Sarah Tucker); edited … Read more
Rossini’s perennial operatic favorite “Barber of Seville” received a witty new production by Francesca Zambello, Glimmerglass Festival’s General and Artistic Director. Joshua Hopkins’ Figaro In Zambello’s production, the title character, Figaro, is charmingly played by Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins. Possessing a rich lyric baritone, command of Rossini’s tongue-twisting patter, and a superb sense of comic … Read more
Francesca Zambello’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s acclaimed 1957 musical “West Side Story” at the 2018 Glimmerglass (New York) Festival is extraordinary. Zambello’s staging immerses us in the performance traditions of one of the great collaborations in the history of the American musical – Bernstein’s music and Jerome Robbins’ choreography set to a Shakespeare-inspired storyline of … Read more
One of this website’s ongoing features is the identification of relationships between sets of operas that we are scheduled to review. Often the relationship is that the operas’ music is composed by the same person. The four listed below are all compositions of Mozart, all to be presented in productions created by respected directors. Idomeneo … Read more