Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
William Burnett 
The great British director, Sir Nicholas Hytner, once famously quipped that you could set Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” on the Moon, as long as you located the doors in the right place. His colleague, Michael Grandage, CBE, chose not the Moon, but Andalusian Spain in the late 1960s (in the countryside near Seville) for his 2012 Glyndebourne Festival co-production with … Read more
Houston Grand Opera imported Melly Still’s production of Dvorak’s “Rusalka”, created for England’s 2009 Glyndebourne Festival. The principal singers in HGO’s strong cast are Puerto Rican soprano Ana Maria Martinez, the star of Still’s Glyndebourne production, as the Rusalka, and New York tenor Brian Jagde, in his HGO debut, as the Prince. Ana Maria Martinez’ Rusalka [Photo: Ana … 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 eighth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The fifth offering on my Saturday night San Francisco Opera … Read more
The following interview took place at the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is deeply appreciated. [Below: Tenor Brian Jagde; edited image of a publicity photograph.] Wm: My usual first questions of artists are about your earliest memories and experiences with music. What were yours? BJ: For me, I first bonded with music … 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 seventh of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The October 2nd performance of Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” was the first … 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 sixth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. Even pursuing college courses, I had managed to see five performances of the … Read more
Note from William: this continues my series of “end of the year” thoughts on the live performance of opera. My “Thoughts and Assessments” series began at the end of calendar year 2009. Each year since then I’ve discussed a variety of subjects. Before I begin my schedule of 2016 performance reviews, including upcoming performances in California, Texas, Washington, France, … 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 fifth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The third 1965 offering of the San Francisco Opera’s Saturday night … Read more
Beginning with calendar year 2006 (the year that the current San Francisco Opera general director David Gockley assumed his post), 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 … 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 fourth of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. During the company’s 1965 season, Renata Tebaldi returned to the San … 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 third of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The second offering of San Francisco Opera’s 1965 Saturday subscription series was my … Read more
This is the second part of a conversation began at the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation is greatly appreciated. See Singing Opera and Unexpectedly Famous: A Conversation with Sean Panikkar, part 1. [Below: Tenor Sean Panikkar; edited image of a Kristina Sherk photograph.] Wm: We began this conversation during your run of Glimmerglass Festival performances of Mozart’s “The … Read more
The following conversation began at the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation is greatly appreciated. The conversation follows previous interviews posted at Rising Stars: An Interview with Sean Panikkar, Part 1 and Rising Stars: An Interview with Sean Panikkar, Part 2. [Below: Tenor Sean Panikkar; resized image of a publicity photograph from Facebook/Sean Panikkar.] Wm: Since we last spoke … Read more
Claude Debussy’s fragmentary “La Chute de la Maison Usher”, completed by British Debussy scholar Robert Orledge, is the second half of a double bill of operas based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher”. (My comments on the opening opera of the double bill opening opera may be found at Review: Getty’s Ghostly “Usher … Read more
The San Francisco Opera presented the American premiere of Gordon Getty’s “Usher House” as the first offering of a double bill of operas based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short horror story “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Brian Mulligan’s Roderick Usher Baritone Brian Mulligan was cast as the reclusive Roderick Usher, the last living male of … 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 second of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. My Saturday series at the San Francisco Opera had three performances scheduled … Read more
Maestro Lawrence Foster is currently music director at the Opera Marseille, and conductor of the production of Lalo’s “Le Roi d’Ys” that I reviewed last year. This season he made his San Francisco Opera debut, conducting Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. He will also conduct the double bill of Getty’s “Usher House” and Debussy’s “The Fall of … Read more
The Dallas Opera commissioned composer Mark Adamo to develop the music and lyrics to a new opera. The subject chosen by Adamo was the backstory of Santa Claus’ childhood and how he transitions from the privileged Prince Claus of Nifland – deprived of the paternal attention he craves – to the selfless champion of loving attention to … Read more
The San Francisco Opera revived its 2013 Emilio Sagi production of Rossini’s joyous comic opera, “The Barber of Seville”. [Below: Festivities take place at the hastily called Almaviva wedding; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.] Lucas Meachem’s Figaro North Carolina lyric baritone Lucas Meachem has become strongly associated with the … Read more
Jake Heggie’s 2010 opera “Moby Dick”, the most successful 21st century American opera to date, has added the Los Angeles Opera to the list of companies that have launched this tale of doomed men at sea. [Below: in a scene from “Moby Dick’s” second act, the whaling ship Rachel implores captain and crew of the Pequod for assistance in … Read more
Los Angeles Opera assembled a cast of rising American stars for Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma” that met and exceeded the opera’s bel canto imperative. Washington state soprano Angela Meade was cast as Norma, joined by Georgia mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Adalgisa, Florida tenor Russell Thomas as Pollione and Georgia basso Morris Robinson as Oroveso, each artist chosen for an opera expressly created to exemplify … Read more
For David Gockley’s final season as General Director of the San Francisco Opera, Sir David McVicar’s 2011 Glyndebourne Festival production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger” was mounted. Even for an opera company with a strong tradition of great Wagner performances, the McVicar “Meistersinger” was an extraordinary success. [Below: the unit set for David McVicar’s production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger”, here … 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 first of sixteen such observances of performances from the company’s 1965 Fall season. The 1965 San Francisco Opera season opened Friday, September 10th with Giordano’s … Read more
The following interview took place at the War Memorial Opera House, home of the San Francisco Opera, where René Barbera is scheduled to perform the role of Count Almaviva in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”. The facilitation of this interview by the San Francisco Opera is deeply appreciated. [Below: Tenor René Barbera; resized image of a … Read more
The following interview of the great 20th century star of opera and musical theater took place on the ranch of the Santa Fe Opera, whose hosting is gratefully acknowledged: [Below: Soprano Reri Grist; edited image of a publicity photograph.] Wm: I ask each of the artists I interview about their earliest memories of music. … Read more