Talking with conductors: Oliver Zeffman

Interview

"I set up the Melos Sinfonia at 16 - no-one is going to invite a wannabe conductor with zero experience in front of their orchestra, so you've got to start something yourself. Ask your friends from school, from youth orchestra, their friends and relatives. You'll probably be terrible to start out with (I was at least!) but over time you get better, they get better, you build a wider network of players and at some point you'll be making good music!"

Embarrassments of riches: Opera Season at the BBC

News

The eight hours of live streaming includes interviews, exclusive performance, archive footage and behind-the-scenes content; the day culminates on BBC Radio 3, where listeners can vote for one of four Royal Opera productions (The Magic Flute, Faust, Tosca and The Flying Dutchman) to be broadcast that evening.

Review: Arabella, or "Poor Little Rich Girl"

Review

Unlike the song-dialogue-song-dialogue-duet-quintet-dialogue-finale formula of operetta - which uses dance forms like polka, czardas, and waltzes - in Arabella, we find characteristic soaring beauty and dramatic pulse in a through-composed score which is what we love about Herr Strauss's music. The appealing play between consonant and dissonant harmonies, lush strings, and emphatic brass were handled masterfully well from the pit under the baton of maestro Patrick Lange.

Don't miss: Oshawa Opera's 2017/18 season

News

This month, the Oshawa Opera kicks off its fall season of 2017/18, with Mascagni's verismo favourite, Cavalleria rusticana, for one performance only on October 29, 3pm. Mezzo-soprano (and Oshawa Opera Artistic Director) Kristine Dandavino (Santuzza), tenor Jason Lamont (Turridu), mezzo-soprano Anna Belikova (Lucia), baritone Kyle Lehmann (Alfio), and mezzo-soprano Victoria Borg (Lola) join the Oshawa Opera Chorus and William Shookhoff at the piano.

Duets for lunch: UofT Opera in concert

Review

Hearing pre-professional singers is always fascinating, at least for me. It's a chance to hear new voices, in a context that allows for the in-flux status of their vocal development. Personal opinion: voices that are settling and sorting themselves out are one of the world's most interesting things.

Don Pasquale: a colorful season starter at Minnesota Opera

Review

This production had an entertaining concept, though I wish it had been taken further. The "release" of the technicolor was not gradual enough to stay present in the audience minds in the second and third act. Additionally, Doctor Malatesta's apparel was changed into vibrant colors but the Don's was not. It would have been interesting for his clothes to change when he is at the end of his rope with Norina; then, when there was a happy ending to switch back to black and white.

R.B. Schlather, Susan B. Anthony, & connecting opera with community

Interview

Not only is Schlather's latest project site-specific, but one which is in response to a performance space's unique history. "That's exciting for me, and it's the continuation of explorations that I've been doing for the past couple years," he says. These explorations, he explains, haven't always been clear in direction, but they have always ben led by the question, "what does it mean to do this opera in this location?"

Cleaned-up Callas: the remastered live recordings

Review

What does an opera lover in the 21st century do with something like Warner Classics' recently released Maria Callas Live Remastered Recordings (1949-1964)? The first thing would be to squeal with glee: the box set includes live recordings of 20 full operas, 5 filmed recitals, and a book detailing each of the iconic roles sung by Callas.

A bold debut album: Brian Mulligan sings Dominick Argento

Review

Mulligan has a thrilling quality in his voice, an open-throated sound that's masculine, honest, and completely appealing; his is an exhilarating balance between constant beauty and toeing a risky edge.

Living up to its name: Experiments in Opera

Interview

"Our most successful projects are ones where we invite composers to make work in a community where everyone is being asked to respond to similar restraints of story, instrumentation, performers, etc. This way, we can create an artistic dialogue about the process, invite audiences to note the differences between each composers' styles and approaches, and engage a wider and more diverse range of singers and instrumentalists who are flexible in terms of style, genre and technique."