Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
William Burnett 
Three of the world’s most popular operas were written by Italian composers Giuseppe Verdi (“La Traviata”) and Puccini (“La Boheme” and “Tosca”), all three of which I am scheduled to review over the next year. Tosca (Puccini), San Francisco Opera, October 3, 7(m), 11, 14(m), 17, 20, 23, 26 and 30, 2018. Robert Innes Hopkins … Read more
The Santa Fe Opera commissioned a new production of Adams’ 2005 opera “Doctor Atomic”, securing an impressive cast and conductor and engaging the opera’s librettist Peter Sellars as stage director. The opera, created for another company 13 years prior, was re-purposed for Santa Fe, for Northern New Mexico and for the indigenous populations who inhabit … Read more
The following interview was conducted with the much-appreciated facilitation of the Santa Fe Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. [Below: Baritone Joshua Hopkins; edited image, based on a Simon Pauly photograph.] Wm: I ask my interviewees their earliest memories of music and of opera. What were yours? JH: My parents didn’t listen to classical music, but … Read more
For the first time since 2002, the Santa Fe Opera is presenting its popular production “The Italian Girl in Algiers (L’Italiana in Algeri”). The company has enlisted a young and talented cast of artists who display mastery of the florid style of singing associated with the opera’s 19th century Italian composer, Gioacchino Rossini. In its production Isabella … Read more
The 2018 Glimmerglass Festival mainstage offerings include 19th and 20th century works of Rossini, Janacek and Bernstein, and Kevin Puts’ 2011 opera “Silent Night”, with libretto by Mark Campbell. “Silent Night” proved to be a dramatically impactful, emotionally absorbing work, in a powerful production created by Israeli-born director Tomer Zvulun. Glimmerglass became the 14th opera … Read more
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, Amanda Echalaz’ Ariadne [Photo: Ariadne (Amanda Echalaz), abandoned on Naxos, occupies a cave awaiting her fate; edited image, based on a Ken Howard photograph, courtesy of the Santa Fe Opera.] South African soprano … 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
The Santa Fe Opera revived its 2010 production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, created by the late Lee Blakeley. A strong cast and insightful direction provided a dramatically exciting evening in the theatre. The performance included a considerable amount of rarely heard music from the earliest versions of the opera, which, although eventually cut by Puccini, … Read more
Santa Fe Opera opened its 2018 season with a lively new production of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” from French director Laurent Pelly. The centennial of the composer’s birth was observed with this first performance of “Candide” in Santa Fe Opera history. A strong cast was led by stellar performances from Alek Shrader, Brenda Rae, Kevin Burdette, Helene Schneiderman … Read more
The second complete cycle of Wagner’s four opera “Ring of the Nibelung” ended with a superlative performance of “Götterdämmerung”, conducted by Maestro Donald Runnicles and starring Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde and Wisconsin heldentenor Daniel Brenna as Siegfried. Iréne Theorin’s Brünnhilde Brünnhilde is among the most challenging roles in the operatic repertory. It weaves through the final … Read more
San Francisco Opera’s revival of Francesca Zambello’s production of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelung”, continued with the third opera, “Siegfried”. Six of the opera’s eight characters (and the artists singing those roles) had been introduced in the preceding “Ring” operas. The evening’s newcomers were the cocky, fearless mortal, Siegfried and his avian friend, the Forest … Read more
The San Francisco Opera’s presentation of Francesca Zambello’s production of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” continued with “Die Walküre”, the second of the four-opera cycle. This review will concentrate on this season’s cast, as this is my fifth time reviewing the Zambello “Walküre”. Most of my observations and commentaries on the production contained in the previous … Read more
June 2018 marks the San Francisco Opera revival of Francesca Zambello’s ambitious retelling of Wagner’s four opera “Ring of the Nibelungs”. Last seen in San Francisco in 2011, the “Ring” returns in three cycles, each over six days. I am reporting on the second of this year’s cycles. This is my fourth Zambello “Rheingold” review in … Read more
The following conversation was facilitated by through the deeply-appreciated auspices of the Opéra de Lyon, where Paul Groves is scheduled to sing Faust in Boito’s “Mefistofele” in Fall, 2018: [Below: Lyric tenor Paul Groves; edited image, based on a YouTube photograph.] Wm: It’s been seven years since I interviewed you [Master of the Lyric Voice … Read more
The Spoleto Festival-USA, which encompasses a wide range of performing arts, scheduled two mainstage operas, neither before seen in the United States. One (Donizetti’s “Pia de’ Tolomei”) was from the early 19th century, the other (Lim’s “Tree of Codes”) premiered in Germany in 2016. Australian composer-librettist Liza Lim’s “Tree of Codes” is inspired by the … Read more
The Spoleto Festival-USA imported Italian director Andrea Cigni’s production of Donizetti’s rarely-performed 181-year old opera, “Pia de’ Tolomei”. Amanda Woodbury’s Pia Lyric coloratura soprano Amanda Woodbury performed the role of Pia, exhibiting vocal control, expressiveness and brilliant technique. [Photo: Pia (Amanda Woodbury, right, facing forward) explains who her suspicious visitor was to Ghino (Isaac Frishman, left, … Read more
In the fourth of six scheduled performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, the Los Angeles Opera introduced new cast members for the opera’s three principal roles that included two impressive company debuts. Michael Fabiano’s Duke of Mantua [Photo: Michael Fabiano as the Duke of Mantua; edited image, based on a Karen Almond photograph, courtesy of the … Read more
The following is a list of the operas that will be presented at the Spoleto USA Festival 2018 (Charleston, South Carolina) or the Glimmerglass Festival (Cooperstown, New York) that I will be reviewing for operawarhorses.com in June and July, 2018. Tree of Codes (Lim), Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, South Carolina), May 26, 29, June 1, … Read more
The following interview took place through the arrangements of the Houston Grand Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is appreciated. This is posted in coordination with the Spoleto Festival USA, where Costanzo will perform in concert. [Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo; Matthu Placek publicity photograph from IMGArtists.] Wm: We are conversing just after your performance … Read more
The following is a list of the operas by Richard Wagner that comprise “Ring of the Nibelung”, whose production by director Francesca Zambello I will be reviewing for operawarhorses.com in June, 2018. Das Rheingold (Wagner), San Francisco Opera, June 12, 18 and 26, 2018 Francesca Zambello has created evocative American-themed images for each of … Read more
The following is a list of operas by Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti that I will be reviewing for operawarhorses.com between May and September, 2018. Pia de’ Tolomei (Donizetti), Spoleto Festival, USA (Charleston South Carolina), May 27, 31, 3(m), 6 and 8, 2018. Italian director Andrea Cigni, who staged Minnesota Opera’s May 2018’s rewarding … Read more
The Minnesota Opera presented Italian director Andrea Cigni’s beautifully conceived production of Massenet’s opera “Thaïs”. The event took place at Minnesota Opera’s home in the Saint Paul (Minnesota) Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Kelly Kaduce’s Thaïs Soprano Kelly Kaduce brought vocal beauty and dramatic intensity to the role of Thaïs, a famous, wealthy courtesan … Read more