Avatar photoWilliam Burnett

I have been attending opera performances since my early teenage years. In 2005, I created operawarhorses.com, and have traveled throughout North America, and to Europe and Asia to report on opera performances and to interview opera performers, conductors and administrators.

Historical Performances: “Tosca” with Marie Collier, Jess Thomas and Ramon Vinay – San Francisco Opera, October 21, 1965

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Note from William: This post continues my series of observances of historic performances that I attended at San Francisco Opera during the general directorship of Kurt Herbert Adler. This is the eleventh of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. Five days after attending a performance of Puccini’s “Tosca” on my 1965 … Read more

Historical Performances: “Tosca” with Collier, Konya and Vinay – San Francisco Opera, October 16, 1965

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Note from William: This post continues my series of observances of historic performances that I attended at San Francisco Opera during the general directorship of Kurt Herbert Adler. This is the tenth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The next offering on my 1965 Saturday night subscription was the return, … Read more

World Premiere Review: Jake Heggie’s Celestial Transformation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” – Houston Grand Opera, December 2, 2016

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California composer Jake Heggie’s new opera “It’s a Wonderful Life” was launched at the Houston Grand Opera. Heggie collaborated with librettist Gene Scheer, with whom he created “Moby Dick”, his most ambitious opera to date [See World Premiere: Heggie’s Theatrically Brilliant, Melodic “Moby Dick” at Dallas Opera – April 30, 2010], Heggie and Scheer incorporated ideas from both the 1943 Philip van Doren Stern … Read more

Rising Stars: An interview with Leah Crocetto

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The following interview was conducted at the “ranch” of the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of the interview is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Michigan soprano Leah Crocetto; edited image of a publicity photograph, courtesy of Leah Crocetto.] Wm: What were your first memories of music and of opera? LC: I was born in South Carolina, and … Read more

In Quest of Italian Opera Masterpieces, February – July, 2017

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Early in 2017, I will be reporting on productions in San Diego and San Francisco of Italian operas by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini: Falstaff (Verdi), San Diego Opera, February 18, 21, 24 and 26(m), 2017. Italian baritone Roberto de Candia makes his San Diego Opera debut in the title role of Verdi’s “Falstaff”, in the famous production … Read more

Review: Oropesa, Brownlee, Burdette in Rollicking Washington National Opera “Fille du Régiment”, November 18, 2016

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The Washington National Opera mounted Donizetti’s witty “La Fille du Régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment)”.  Staged by Robert Longbottom, with sets by James Noone and costumes by Zack Brown, the production married the talents of members of Broadway musical theater’s elite with the comic virtuosity of American opera stars. Lisette Oropesa’s Marie The title role … Read more

Review: A World Class Cast for Berlioz’ “Les Troyens” – Lyric Opera, Chicago, November 13, 2016

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Chicago’s Lyric Opera mounted director Tim Albery’s absorbing “modern dress” production of Berlioz’ epic opera, “Les Troyens [The Trojans]” with a brilliant cast led (in alphabetical order of the artists’ surnames) by Christine Goerke (Cassandra), Susan Graham (Dido) and Brandon Jovanovich (Aeneas).  Notably, the major artists and almost the entire cast are American-trained singers. [Below: … Read more

Review: A Transcendent “Madama Butterfly”, San Francisco Opera, November 6, 2016

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The San Francisco Opera revived the Jun Kaneko production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” for Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian. [Below: Goro (Julius Ahn, front left, in silhouette) and Lieutenant Pinkerton (Vincenzo Costanzo, front, right in blue tunic) observe the bridal procession in Jun Kaneko’s production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, … Read more

Review: Zambello’s Spectacular “Aida”, San Francisco Opera, November 5, 2016

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The San Francisco Opera unveiled its new production of Verdi’s “Aida”, created by Director Francesca Zambello. The new production was the occasion for the role debuts of two respected artists, Michigan soprano Leah Crocetto and New York tenor Brian Jagde whose international careers were launched by the San Francisco Opera. [Below: the triumphal scene in the 2016 … Read more

Review: A Fascinating “Eugene Onegin” at The Dallas Opera, October 30, 2016

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The Dallas Opera imported veteran French director Jean-Claude Auvray’s production of Tchaikovsky’s most popular opera, “Eugene Onegin”. Auvray’s production was created for the Israeli Opera Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Although “Onegin” is usually presented as a straightforward story, the Auvray production is constructed of psychoanalytic symbols and surreal elements. Only the first part of the third act, set in the ballroom of a … Read more

Review: Engaging “Elixir of Love” at Houston Grand Opera, October 29, 2016

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The Houston Grand Opera, as its 2016-17 season opener, imported director’s Daniel Slater’s production of Donizetti’s romantic comedy “The Elixir of Love (L’Elisir d’Amore)”. The production, whose sets were created by designer Robert Innes Hopkins for Britain’s Opera North, places the opera in the 1950s in a resort (the Hotel Adina) on Italy’s Amalfi Coast resort. … Read more

Review: World Class Singing in Classic “Faust” – Fabiano, Martinez, Pisaroni, Hopkins at Houston Grand Opera, October 28, 2016

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The Francesca Zambello production of Gounod’s “Faust” was created for the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) in 1985. Thirty years later, it has been revived with a stellar cast, whose performance was as theatrically arresting as it was vocally resplendent. [Below: the Earl Staley sets and costumes for the scene of parish church kermesse; edited image, based on a Lynn … Read more

In Quest of Donizetti and Bellini – November 2016 to August 2017

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The popularity of the operas of Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini, both of whom tragically died young, continue to increase, and the dramatic possibilities of their operas from the early 19th century continue to be explored. I will be reporting on productions at the Washington National Opera, The Dallas Opera, the Santa Fe Opera and the … Read more

Verdi and Verismo: An Interview with Baritone George Gagnidze

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The following interview took place at the War Memorial Opera House, in conjunction with a rehearsal of Francesca Zambello’s new production of Verdi’s “Aida”, with the much-appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera.   [Below: Georgian baritone George Gagnidze; edited image of a Maik Reishaus photograph, courtesy of George Gagnidze.] Wm: What are your earliest … Read more

Review: Nadja Michael’s Arresting Performance in “Makropulos Case” – San Francisco Opera, October 14, 2016

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For her long-awaited return to the War Memorial Opera House, German soprano Nadja Michael takes on the role of Emilia Marty, the mysterious lead character in Janacek’s “The Makropulos Case”. Effectively performed, the role of Emilia Marty can be a supreme achievement for a prima donna with a dramatic soprano voice and consummate acting skills. Michael’s performance was astonishing, projecting the emotions … Read more

Opera as Drama: An Interview with Director Stephen Lawless

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The following conversation took place at the Santa Fe Opera Cantina, with the much-appreciated facilitation of the Santa Fe Opera.   [British Director Stephen Lawless; edited image, based on a photograph from Askonas Holt.] Wm: My traditional first question is: What are your earliest memories of music, and of opera? SL: My parents were of the … Read more

Review: Maurizio Muraro Leads An Appealing “Don Pasquale” Cast – San Francisco Opera, October 2, 2016

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Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale”, a timeless comic treatment of generational conflicts, returned to the War Memorial Opera House stage after a generation’s absence. For the opera’s re-emergence, the company presented French director Laurent Pelly’s zany production, created for the Santa Fe Opera in 2014 and seen last year in Barcelona. Maurizio Muraro’s Don Pasquale [Photo: Italian bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro as … Read more

A Second Look Review: Sir David McVicar and “Andrea Chénier” at the San Francisco Opera – September 25, 2016

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Earlier this month, I had anticipated [Six or so Reasons to Experience “Andrea Chénier” at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House] and then reviewed [Review: Yonghoon Lee is an Eloquent Andrea Chénier in McVicar’s Cinematic Staging – San Francisco Opera, September 9, 2016] Sir David McVicar’s production of “Andrea Chénier”. My review was of the … Read more

Rising Stars: An Interview with Anna Pirozzi

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The following interview was conducted with the much-appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera. [Below: Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi; edited image of a Victor Santiago photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.] Wm: I ask each of my interviewees the following questions: What are your earliest memories of music? of opera? AP: As a young girl … Read more

In Quest of Less-Often Performed Core Repertory Operas – November 2016 -May 2017

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In recent years, live performances of some important operas of the “standard repertory” have become rarer. I am scheduled to review four such operas, each with major international casts, in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston.   Berlioz, The Trojans (Les Troyens), Lyric Opera of Chicago, November 13(m), 17(m), 21(m), 26(m) and December 3(m), 2016 British director Tim Albery … Read more

Rising Stars: An Interview with Kyle Ketelsen

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The following interview was conducted in the Santa Fe Opera Cantina, with the much-appreciated facilitation of the Santa Fe Opera:   [Below: Bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen; edited image of a publicity photograph from kylek.net.] Wm: I have a question that I ask all my first time interviewees: What are your earliest memories of music? KK: I come from … Read more

World Premiere Review: “The Dream of the Red Chamber” Transforms into a Fascinating Opera – San Francisco Opera, September 10, 2016

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The 18th century Chinese classic “The Dream of the Red Chamber” qualifies as one of the significant contributions to the literature of the human experience. That does not necessarily mean that one can extract a successful opera out of the sprawling epic. Chinese composer and co-librettist Bright Sheng and his California co-librettist David Henry Hwang have … Read more

Review: Yonghoon Lee is an Eloquent Andrea Chénier in McVicar’s Cinematic Staging – San Francisco Opera, September 9, 2016

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The San Francisco Opera opened its 2016-17 season with an elegant production of the verismo classic, Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier”, about the trajectory of three lives during the events of the French Revolution. The occasion was the North American unveiling of Sir David McVicar’s eye-catching staging, a co-production of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the San Francisco Opera and … Read more

A Champion of Opera and American Song: An Interview with Stephanie Blythe

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This interview of Stephanie Blythe took place in her dressing room, preparing for the final dress rehearsal of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” at the Houston Grand Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is deeply appreciated.    [Below: Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe; edited image, based on a publicity photograph from stephanieblythemezzo.com] Wm: Let me begin this interview with my … Read more