Reviews, appreciation and analysis of all things opera
William Burnett 
This web-post continues previous discussions about the expansion of opera’s standard repertory. (See Opera in Live Performance, Thoughts and Assessments at the End of 2010, Part One.) Most observers of the contemporary state of opera performance will concede that Bizet’s “Carmen” is the most durable representative of the French repertory, and I have argued that … Read more
[William: This is the second part of an interview, most of which was conducted in June 2010 in the Press Room of the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, with supplementary information provided through recent communications between William and Mr Delavan. The first part of the interview can be accessed at The Dawning of a New Wotan: … Read more
[William – This is the second part of an interview with bass-baritone John Relyea, most of which took place at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco in June, 2010. For the first part, see: Rising Stars: An Interview With John Relyea, Part 1.] Wm: Recently, you have become associated with the “villain” roles, … 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 five such observances of performances from the company’s 1960 Fall season. The standard repertory of opera is disproportionately represented by the output … 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 fiourth of five such observances of performances from the company’s 1960 Fall season. The first Italian opera that I had experienced in live performance … 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 five such observances of performances from the company’s 1960 Fall season. I have already noted 1960 performances of Puccini’s “Fanciulla del West … Read more
Note from William: Since 2006, at the end of each calendar year concurrent with the David Gockley administration at the San Francisco Opera, I have given letter grades to each of the productions performed by the company that year. The criteria are simple. An “A” reflects a musical and theatrical performance and production that would … Read more
[Note from William: The second part of my interview with basso cantante Raymond Aceto took place in San Diego at the administrative offices of the San Diego Opera, where he was appearing as Zaccaria in Verdi’s “Nabucco” and in London, England, where he was performing Sparafucile in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Royal Opera House, Covent … Read more
Los Angeles Opera Music Director James Conlon is conducting all performances of two-thirds of the operas of Los Angeles Opera’s 2010-2011 season, most recently conducting both of the mid-19th century masterpieces currently in performance rotation – Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto”. Each of these two works were major influences on the course of opera’s history, … Read more
Australian Opera and Legitimate Stage Director Neil Armfield was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera to present four productions of Benjamin Britten operas in Houston, including a new production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2009. Lyric Opera, that co-produced that work, scheduled it for Chicago for the Britten opera’s 50th anniversary – the third production of Lyric … Read more
The Los Angeles Opera unveiled a provocative new production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin”, beautifully sung by a cast led by Canadian Tenor Ben Heppner in his Los Angeles Opera debut in the title role, with (also debuting) Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski as Elsa and American mezzo Dolora Zajick as Ortrud. My comments will speak to the … Read more
In 2008 Dallas Opera began a three season project, enlisting the team of British Stage Director Stephen Lawless and Belgian Set Designer Benoit Dugardyn to create new productions of three operas by Gaetano Donizetti – “Maria Stuarda” (2008), “Robert Devereux” (2009), and “Anna Bolena” (2010). The three operas, at least since the time of the … Read more
In the past two months, I have reported on world class performances of Verdi’s “Aida” at the San Francisco Opera (see Brilliant Cast, Colorful Production, Luisotti’s Masterful Conducting Enliven San Francisco “Aida” – September 19, 2010) and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London (see 21st Century Verdi: Hvorostovsky, Ciofi, Kim, Aceto in McVicar’s … Read more
“Peter Grimes” is Australian designer Neil Armfield’s fourth production in Houston Grand Opera’s multi-year cycle of Benjamin Britten’s operas. I had reported previously on second and third of the series (see Incandescent Houston “Midsummer Night’s Dream” – January 25, 2009 and Houston’s Haunting, Inscrutable “Turn of the Screw” – January 29, 2010). “Billy Budd” had been presented … Read more
Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” is the 20th century’s most popular opera. San Francisco Opera, for the third time in in the past five calendar years has mounted it. Although the opera company itself owns a fine production, this season it chose to import the famous 1988 production of Chicago’s Lyric Opera, which was conceived by the … Read more
Placido Domingo first performed at San Francisco Opera in 1969 (a single performance as Rodolfo in “La Boheme”) at age 28. Forty-one years later, at age 69, he returned to the War Memorial Opera House after an absence of 16 seasons, for appearances rich with symbolism and strategic purpose. There is much that is remarkable about … Read more
[Note from William: This report on Handel’s “Radamisto” at English National Opera in London, is the last in the series of four reports I have posted on performances I attended in Great Britain and France in early October 2010.] Handel operas are performed because of their music, rather than their dramatic content. A Handel opera’s … Read more
[Note from William: This is the third in the series of four reports I am posting on performances I attended in Great Britain and France in early October 2010.] Des McAnuff is the Tony award winning director for 1985’s Broadway theatre production, “Big River”, as well as 1993’s “The Who’s Tommy”, also directed “Jersey Boys”, … Read more
[Note from William: This is the second in the series of four reports I am posting on performances I attended in Great Britain and France in early October 2010.] The Opera National de Paris has, since the opening of their new larger opera house at the site of the Bastille, has used the glistening Opera … Read more
William: 75 years ago this fall, “Porgy and Bess” had its premiere. The following is the second part of an interview for operawarhorses.com with Gershwin biographer Walter Rimler. The first part of the interview may be accessed at “Porgy and Bess” at 75 Years: An Interview with Gershwin Biographer Walter Rimler, Part I.] * * … Read more
William: 75 years ago this fall, “Porgy and Bess” had its premiere. The following interview for operawarhorses.com is with Gershwin biographer Walter Rimler. * * * * * Wm: 2010 is the 75th anniversary year for George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”. You are the author of a major recent biography of the composer, George … Read more
[Note from William: This is the first in the series of four reports I am posting on performances I attended in Great Britain and France in early October 2010, that include a smashing new production; the British premiere run of a production that originated in the United States; and two famous productions of the past … Read more
The Copley Experience Of the many delights that must be cited for San Francisco Opera’s current production of “The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro)”, the direction of British opera director John Copley is appropriately listed first. Copley’s staging for four revivals of this production, originally created by Sonja Frisell in 1982 for Hermann … Read more
