Searching for superlatives: LOC's suberb Rigoletto

Review

Here is when a reviewer typically starts reaching into his bag of superlatives, but at the risk of hyperbolizing, Kelsey's performance sets a new standard. At just 39 years old, the Ryan-Opera-Center-alumnus looked and sounded every bit the part of a father aged and disfigured by paranoia, disillusionment, and delusion.

Laughing out loud: The Barber of Seville at ENO

Review

Count Almaviva was sung by Eleazar Rodríguez, a singer who had as much energy in his stage presence as he did in his singing. He brilliantly toed the line between goofy and sincerely lovestruck, playing the character of Almaviva full of youthful optimism and romantic determination. His singing, too, was wonderful - his lovely leggiero voice handled the technical demands of Rossini with ease.

Rowley wins the night in Nashville Opera's Tosca

Review

My companion for the evening hadn't seen Tosca before (or even heard the music!), and quickly read a synopsis in advance ("I get the idea," she texted me, "Opera war Italy love murder. Papal stuff."), but a synopsis can't really prepare one for this opera, can it?

AAM's King Arthur: a missed Brexit

Review

Some segments worked well, such as the famous freezing scene as a metaphor for the despair felt by the Remainers, or the ambiguity subverting the triumphalism of "Saint George, the patron of our isle". But why the duet "Two Daughters of Aged Stream are we" should evoke a nightclub or the martial posturing of "Come if you dare our trumpets sound" should call to mind a train station will have to be explained to me.

Folk songs for lunch: Esprit Orchestra & Krisztina Szabó in the RBA

Review

Szabó takes a cue from folk-song performance practice, keeping things simple and all about storytelling. She found ease in her role among Berio's varied sound worlds, and let her listeners settle in to what's familiar in these songs: the tunes. The light-filled, close-up environment of the Amphitheatre is unnerving for many artists, but Szabó is a performer who relishes the chance to step into her audience's personal space.

55 years of Minnesota Opera: a gala celebration

Review

A company well-known for their journeys into new music and non standard repertoire, this concert was a refreshing take on the typical opera company showcase. The spirit of bringing new works to life was certainly felt at this performance, and I hope The Minnesota Opera will continue to grow in their mission for years to come!

Overdue for the stage: Haymarket Opera Company's Ariane et Bachus

Review

A highlight of the performance was the chorus of the furies in Act IV, as summoned by the sorcerer Géralde. Snakes were an effective unifying visual element here: not only were the demons themselves swaying like charmed snakes and brandishing faux snakes, but their Medusa-like wigs and skirts fashioned from wide strips of flowing fabric brought great movement to the scene. The music's regular flowing triple meter was often unexpectedly interrupted by hemiola hiccups so typical of baroque dance rhythms.

Stellar singing & curious costumes in ENO's Aida

Review

This production was very beautiful from a visual perspective. The sets were colossal, drawing the audience into a strange fantasy world. It was full of stunning tableaus, especially those that included the whole cast, the chorus and the wonderful acrobatic ensemble, Improbable. The lighting design was particularly clever, illuminating the production in a way which seemed almost symbolistc. For me, the most stunning moment of the whole production was the strange ending.

Larmore leads "Sinful" success

Review

The laziness that the characters feel in having to get ready when the star diva hasn't arrived (sloth), the pride that Mr. Dunham's self-named character feels towards Ms. Holdsworth, Ms. Larmore's cameo can be seen as anger and covetousness towards Holdsworth's envy, Mr. Munson's alcoholism is addressed as gluttony, Ms. Holdsworth's lust towards Mr. Dunham, Mr. Munson, and Mr. Stolz, all is masterfully and subtly woven into the script by director Brian Clowdus, helping tie in his cabaret to the front-billed one-act.

The Invictus Games come to the RBA

Review

When packed together into a single recital, it's always interesting to hear how different composers write the sounds of war. Kurt Weill writes the literal sounds of drums in his "Beat! Beat! Drums!", and Charles Ives capitalizes on the sounds of grossly happy Americana (propaganda, really) in "He is there!" Dominic Argento's "War (June, 1940)" gives a disorienting, broken image of combat that sounds in stark contrast to the more familiar sounds of war-themed songs, the nostalgia and longing of Gerald Finzi and George Butterworth.