Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
William Burnett 
The following interview took place at the 2016 Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation of the interview is deeply appreciated. Wm: Typically, my opening interview questions relate to one’s childhood experiences with music and opera. However, you have given quite a summary of your life so far in your autobiography Odyssey of an African Opera Singer: From Zwide Township to … Read more
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 twelfth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The next opera on my Saturday night San Francisco Opera live performance series … Read more
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
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
Beginning with calendar year 2006, I have given letter grades to each of San Francisco Opera’s productions during that calendar year. Like the seminars associated with Ph.D. programs, I do not grade “on a curve”, but, instead expect that a San Francisco Opera performance of any opera, like a seminar grade for a doctoral student, … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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