A subtle burn: Garden of Vanished Pleasures

Review

Garden of Vanished Pleasures is available to stream through October 10, and you should watch before it's gone. I'd say this is one of the more mature, well-produced digital items I've seen, and I'm not really surprised that it comes out of Soundstreams.

BLO Cavalleria a welcome, if not triumphant, return

Review

I think the night, strangely, was best summed up by the opening act: BLO elected to open the evening with the prologue from Cavalleria's much-beloved double-bill partner, I Pagliacci, with Arrey singing Tonio's line.

Wilson shines in the COC's digital fall opener

Review

Wilson may be my new favourite interpreter of Wagner. Her Isolde did things to me, made me stop and zone in. Wilson always impresses me in her attention to detail; it's very clear that in the practice room, she has given attention to each note she sings.

Before it's gone: gems out of Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Review

The Tongue & The Lash features some of the night's best singing. Markel Reed as Baldwin orates with a steely baritone that comes with some bite; tenor Jonathan Johnson exudes an easy power that's slightly unnerving — even a bit colonialist — in his portrayal of Buckley, fan of racial segregation.

An opera fan's must-read: The Monster I Am Today

Review

The Monster I Am Today is an excellent pick for the contemporary opera fan. It's grand and operatic, with its emotional peaks and depths. For me, it's a completely new — and frankly, overdue — perspective on this beloved art form. It's a fresh read, and I highly recommend.

New inventions & app-eras at Tête à Tête's 2021 Opera Festival

Review

As ever, I was truly inspired by the creativity of the artists in the line-up this season at Tête à Tête; they never fail in their curation of and encouragement for any and all work that lies outside the realm of the traditional.

Smiles of a Summer Night: Barber brings live opera back to New York

Review

Indeed Barber, the most thoroughbred of warhorses and the ultimate comic opera, has the potential to delight anew with a sense of tradition that feels like innovation, even in a sprawling park on a smiling summer night.

A busy weekend at Des Moines Metro Opera

Review

The pandemic may have put performances on hiatus, but audiences are back and eager to enjoy live theater with all the passion and perseverance of the human experience. Welcome back, opera. We've missed you!

DMMO's Fellow Travelers: no happy ending, but perseverance

Review

The heart wrenching scenes we did get were truly compelling, but I found myself getting impatient in the less exciting sections. The brief flashes of forbidden passion just weren’t enough to keep the momentum going, and I just wanted them to skip to the juicy parts!

Opera Atelier’s The Resurrection is resplendent art in the face of adversity

Review

What a pity, then, that Zingg and Pynkoski’s production couldn’t be showcased on a traditional stage, like that of Koerner Hall—where this production was originally set to premiere in April 2020—or the Elgin Theatre, Opera Atelier’s de facto home.