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: Geraint Evans, Stuart Burrows, Jane Marsh Welcome “The Magic Flute” into the San Francisco Opera repertory – September 23, 1967 and October 8, 1967

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I previously reported on a June 1967 performance I attended during the San Francisco Opera’s Spring Opera Theater [SPOT]. Between that June SPOT performance [Historical Review: Nicholas di Virgilio, Simon Estes Lead Impressive Cast in “Tales of Hoffmann” San Francisco Opera’s Spring Opera Theater [SPOT] – June 23, 1967] and the September 1967 opening of … Read more

Review: Luke Sutliff, Replacing Injured Rolando Villazón, Triumphs in Opening Night of Monteverdi’s “Orfeo” – Santa Fe Opera, July 29, 2023

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The fifth opera to be offered in Santa Fe Opera’s 2023 season, Monteverdi’s “Orfeo”, dating from 1607, is the oldest opera holding a space in the international performance repertory. Never before performed by the company, a new production was designed by director Yuval Sharon and new orchestration was created by contemporary composer Nico Muhly. The … Read more

Review: Passionately Sung, “Pelléas et Mélisande” in Netia Jones’ Attractive, Introspective Production – Santa Fe Opera, July 28, 2023

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The Santa Fe Opera, for the third time in its history (the first and second being 51 and 46 years ago) performed Debussy’s operatic masterpiece, “Pelléas et Mélisande”, in a new production created by British director Netia Jones. Jones’ attractive production, incorporating an absorbing lighting design by Canadian designer D. M. Wood, explores the contemporary … Read more

Review: Ailyn Perez Leads Vocally Splendid Cast in Pountney’s Alternative Vision of “Rusalka” – Santa Fe Opera, July 26, 2023

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I am reporting on the second performance of the Santa Fe Opera’s first mounting of Dvorak’s “Rusalka” in its history. It is a new production from British-Polish director Sir David Pountney. Although Santa Fe Opera’s production is new, it incorporates the main elements of Pountney’s 1983 “Rusalka”, created when Pountney was English National Opera’s newly … Read more

Review: Nicholas Brownlee, Elza van den Heever Lead a Vocally Splendid Cast for Director David Alden’s New Production of “Flying Dutchman” – Santa Fe Opera, July 1, 2023

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The second night of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2023 season was devoted to a new David Alden production of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer)”, last performed by the company 35 years ago. Nicholas Brownlee’s Dutchman) Alabama bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee is cast as the mysterious Dutchman. The role’s dark first aria Die frist ist … Read more