Thomas Rubbert

Barrie Kosky’s and Suzanne Andrade’s production of Mozart’s perennial favorite fantasy opera, last seen in 2013, proved so popular that it was quickly revived for a second showing with a new cast. In our previous review, the concept and origins of the production was described in great detail [Outrageously Inventive, Unceasingly Entertaining – Kosky/Andrade /Barritt’s Silent … Read more

Tom’s Review of Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci” continues his observations of the Los Angeles Opera’s double bill, the first offering of the company’s 2015-16 season. [See Review: Domingo Dominates Double Bill: Part 1 “Gianni Schicchi” – Los Angeles Opera, September 24, 2015.]   After an intermission which clearly was too short for Maestro Domingo (who had just completed singing the title … Read more

Los Angeles Opera launched its 30th Opera Season with two operatic treasures beautifully joined in an evening featuring one of the world’s true Superstars of Opera, Placido Domingo. He not only sang, but, later in the evening, he also conducted — in short, running the whole show! [Below: Gianni Schicchi (Placido Domingo, left) gestures as … Read more

Two years ago, the most wildly enthusiastic, cheering, vociferous happy audience I’ve seen in the 50-year history of the San Diego Opera (I’ve attended since Day One) greeted Mexican composer Jose “Pepe” Martinez’ opera performed by the Mariachi Vargas De Tescalitlan band. [See my previous review at Operatic mariachi: “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna” – San Diego Opera, … Read more

A fully dressed Mariachi stand-up orchestra in silver-studded black traditional Mariachi costumes with huge straw Sombrero hats in an Opera House performing an Opera, you ask in disbelief? [Below: the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitan amidst representations of monarch butterflies; edited image, based an Edward Wilensky photograph, courtesy of the San Diego Opera.] Surely you jest, you say, but no … Read more

Commemorating stellar super-composer Richard Wagner’s 200th Birth Date on May 22, 2013, Los Angeles Opera joins many other opera companies, worldwide, by presenting one of his most entrancing-dramatic works, Der Fliegende Holländer — The Flying Dutchman. The cast features Tomas Thomasson as The Dutchman, making his Los Angeles Opera debut. Tomasson’s Dutchman brought down the house. He scored a home run at Los Angeles Opera as did this entire … Read more

A Review by Tom Rubbert A cold, rainy night did not dampen the spirits of the excited full-house seeing Los Angeles Opera’s opening night performance of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”. The house was treated to a superbly crafted evening of glorious music very aptly conducted by Grant Gershon, whose experience as Los Angeles Opera’s long time chorus … Read more

The Thoughts of Tom Just 14 months after Nixon was in China, I was in China, but somehow neither Mao Tse Tung nor anyone else in China danced for me!! But, like Nixon and his wife Pat, ultimately I very much wanted and got to see The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, The Great Wall, and … Read more

Arriving at the War Memorial Opera House before this season’s wildly extraordinary “Siegfried”, San Francisco was treated to colorful flags all over the city proclaiming this 2011 Ring Festival, continuing a long tradition in San Francisco of presenting full-scale Ring productions for decades – as in 1935, 1972, 1985, 1990, 1999. But the first full cycle … Read more

Concluding the very sensational 2011 San Diego Opera Season is the all time operatic winner in every opera house world-wide – Bizet’s marvelous crowd-pleaser (and revenue-enhancer) “Carmen”, which has graced San Diego’s stage many times, always to huge applause. As expected, the house was sold out and the audience highly enthusiastic about the sun-dappled production with its impressive cast … Read more

In past years, Tom’s Tips have featured such diverse holiday fare as the Bracebridge Dinner during Christmas Week at Yosemite National Park and “Phantom of the Opera” performances in Las Vegas. This year, he will highlight a production of Menotti’s Christmas opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, performed by the newly formed Intimate Opera Company … Read more

Earlier this year, William, your website host reported on Placido Domingo’s feat of conducting a series of performances of Thomas’ “Hamlet” at Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center (see Michael Chioldi, Micaela Oeste Enrich Washington National Opera’s Theatrically Absorbing “Hamlet” – May 22, 2010, while preparing and singing Siegmund in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Los … Read more

Santa Fe Opera audiences have been treated in recent years to two of England’s great composer Benjamin Britten’s most gritty – and greatest – works, most recently his “Billy Budd” in the 2008 season reviewed by your website host William (who noted it as one of his most superlative productions ever), a hard-edged, gut-wrenching maritime … Read more

Wolfgang Amadeus (note about film Amadeus below) Mozart’s final operatic masterpiece, “Die Zauberfloete” (The Magic Flute) once again enchants Santa Fe Opera audiences. The summer 2010 season is the 54th for The Santa Fe Opera in beautiful olde Santa Fe  – now celebrating its 400th anniversary. The “Magic Flute” has been a very frequent show-stopper of the all-time operatic wunderkind … Read more

We are three years from the worldwide bicentennial celebration of the birth of the great Italian opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi. In the countdown to the bicentennial, San Diego Opera’s 2010 Season presented two of Verdi’s great successes  – an utterly smashing production of the 29 year old Verdi’s first big hit, “Nabucco” (championed and conducted … Read more

How can any of us Fifty-Something Plus Types ever forget that incredible, epochal meeting in February 1972 when Nixon met Chairman Mao Zedong (modern [pinyin] Chinese for the formerly spelled Mao Tse Tung) in Beijing (used to be Peking), literally changing history from that episode foreward? Prolific American composer, Pulitzer-Prize winning John Adams (born 1947, California-based) … Read more

Is there anyone out there in the world of opera who doesn’t adore Puccini’s super-popular “La Boheme”? Who doesn’t dab at tears at the end when Mimi dies in Rodolfo’s arms? This is opera verisma (opera in the Real World) at its absolute best! And how do you top Act II’s rollicking Cafe’ Momus Christmas Eve scene for sheer delight. [Below: A Paris … Read more

San Diego Opera had only presented Benjamin Britten’s ultimate masterpiece “Peter Grimes” in one previous season, 25 years ago. Its revival, again utilizing Carl Toms’ sets, returned for the 2009 Season, hugely enriched with American lyric tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. More than  “starring” as Peter Grimes, Griffey dynamically personalized this gritty role, living it and … Read more

Los Angeles’ super-genius film-maker Alfred Hitchcock released flocks of aggressive birds in his renowned and justly famed film “The Birds” upon startled and unsuspecting film-goers decades ago, but now Los Angeles Opera has released very exotic birds of its own in their new production of German composer Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) opera “The Birds (Die Voegel)” … Read more