Satire meets serious singing: TOT's Candide

Review

There was also the choice for some characters to use dialects - dangerous territory when you're already dealing with the pitfalls of Mid-Atlantic English pronunciation. I found the inconsistency of the dialects to be a bit distracting in the longer dialogue scenes, but the focus on great singing always brought you back home.

Cautiously aspirational: Book of Dreams

Review

GLMMR's creative team has constructed a scenario in which a Promethean ur-man (David Adam Moore) grapples with a deity-like overseer (pre-recorded narration by new-music impresario Beth Morrison), as he searches for identity in a world bereft of humankind.

The price of vengeance: Rigoletto at ROH

Review

A patch of barbed wire symbolised Gilda's fragility in this ruthless world. Giovanna, Gilda's nurse, meets the Duke and the two converse through the fence. A slit in the middle of it, hinting at Gilda's sexuality, becomes the medium for the Duke to bribe Giovanna, and he punches his fist through it in boorish coarseness. Gilda is clearly too pure for this world.

In review: Falstaff, man of faults

Review

Despite the sombre mis-en-scene for a comedy, the characters pull the production together with finesse and theatrical flair. The artistic decision to put the intermission in the middle of Act III makes for a long first half – and the energy in the room seemed to dwindle before they called the curtain for a much needed breather. This decision made more sense after the intermission - there is a surprise for the audience as far as staging goes, and it doesn't disappoint.

Equal parts stressful and reverent: #AtGBound

Review

Never a stranger to tackling contemporary subject matter, Against the Grain once again confirms its position as a leader of the pack in the world of underground, indie opera. BOUND is currently finishing the first stage of its multi-year workshop journey, and the direction it's heading in is both exciting and scary - in very good ways.

More than The Scream: Dear Edvard

Review

The piece hones in on Munch (Tim McDevitt) who, having admitted himself to a sanitarium, is treated by an impressionable, young nurse (Pearl Sun). Enamored of her celebrity client, she takes charge of his unconventional treatment. In lieu of shock therapy, this fictional version of Munch undergoes a series of role-playing reenactments in order to relive the traumatic events that formed his personality; a conceit no more plausible than say, time travel.

A generous Winterreise at Wigmore Hall

Review

Mitsuko Uchida's playing was beyond beautiful from the very beginning. The music seemed to be a part of her. Her musicianship was flawless, creating a churning winter landscape full of ice and storms. Her playing never lost its relentless energy, driving the story to its inevitable conclusion.

Winning combos: Coote, Drake, & Schubert

Review

They finished the first half with a stirring rendition of Erlkönig, a song which Coote navigated with a wonderful array of vocal colours and a beautiful sense of drama. Drake created a gorgeous picture of the dramatic song through the energy of his playing, the pair bringing to life the scene in an intense and visceral way.

Seasonal opera done right at HGO

Review

Rarely have I ever been able to use the word "effervescent" to describe performances of newly-composed operas, but that is exactly the word I used to describe this one upon its conclusion. This work came as a breath of fresh air. It did not try overly hard to be anything other than a setting of a good story which happened to be set at Christmastime, and that is precisely why I perceive this work as having longevity.

#AtGBound: "A shocking, immediate connection."

Review

A certain type of demographic goes to the opera, and perhaps there's only a small amount of overlap between that demographic and those who may understand more clearly what it feels like to be detained, mistreated, or bound by others' rules.