Reviews

Sarasota Opera mounted Alfredo Catalani’s masterwork, “La Wally”, one of the core works created as part of the Italian verismo movement that began in the 1890s. Caitlin Crabill’s La Wally Like his Italian contemporaries Pietro Mascagni and Giacomo Puccini, Catalani was a disciple of the composer Richard Wagner, whose influence can be discerned in the … Read more

The Los Angeles Opera mounted Donizetti’s operatic masterpiece “Roberto Devereux” about the aging Queen Elizabeth I’s romantic entanglement with the dangerously impetuous Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux. A few days before the first performance, Canary Islands soprano Davinia Rodriguez, who was to sing the role of Elizabeth I, became ill and withdrew from the performance … Read more

The Los Angeles Opera joined the New York Metropolitan Opera in commissioning a new opera, “Eurydice”, based on a play by poet-dramatist Sarah Ruhl. The opera’s music was composed by the Los Angeles Opera’s resident artist, Maestro Matthew Aucoin. Danielle De Niese as Eurydice Australian mezzo-soprano Danielle De Niese led a stellar group of artists … Read more

The Houston Grand Opera presented “La Favorite” in its original French, as a vehicle for Georgia mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Donizetti’s 1840 masterpiece “La Favorite” was one of the mid-19th century vehicles for operatic superstars to display their vocal prowess. Jamie Barton’s Léonor The opera proved a triumph for Jamie Barton, singing the role of Léonor … Read more

For the Seattle Opera’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” two pairs of artists sing the lead roles of Eugene Onegin and Tatyana, alternating performances. This review of the second performance supplements my remarks contained in Review: Seattle Opera’s Melodious “Eugene Onegin” led by John Moore and Marjukka Tepponen, January 11, 2020. Michael Adams’ Eugene Onegin … Read more