In review: Sweat

Review

It's a story that confirms one's hunches about where their $12 tank tops come from, and one that addresses the unresolved truths that are sadly outweighed by the temptations of corporate profit and customer convenience ("If I don't buy it, someone else will."). The opera itself is a cross between an ensemble piece and a vaguely heroic story of one factory worker who fights for fair treatment.

In review: SOLT's Canadian double-bill

Review

Night Blooming Cereus and A Northern Lights Dream have little in common except the fact that they're Canadian operas, set in the worlds of small-town Shakespeare, Ontario.

In review: Dead Man Walking at Miami Music Festival

Review

The audience was left with no question of Joseph De Rocher's guilt – but Sister Helen's resolute narrative transformed the convicted murderer into a man who is conflicted, complicated, and deeply human. In the final scene, De Rocher was administered the lethal injection, strapped upright to a gurney in imagery undoubtedly evoking a crucifixion. The audience, then, was left with questions: did De Rocher's death truly achieve justice? In admitting his guilt, did he open himself to forgiveness? Or were his horrible crimes simply unforgivable?

In review: TSMF's Night at the Opera

Review

There were some serious highlights of the evening; Lorèn earned some well-deserved "bravas" after her stunning "Caro nome" from Rigoletto, and Honeywell made an impactful entrance with his first aria, "Ah, la paterna mano" from Verdi's Macbeth. Relyea made us lean in with his "Il lacerato spirito" (Don Carlo), and Nesrallah broke the ice with her lovely starter, "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" (Samson et Dalila). Plus, honourary singer of the evening Nikki Chooi broke hearts with the Méditation from Massenet's Thaïs.

Cute & catchy: The Schoolyard Carmen

Review

Hardcore opera fans will also get a kick out of a show like Schoolyard Carmen. It's entertaining to hear how the music is re-purposed, and there's an added layer of humour comparing the aria contexts of Bizet's work, and Shoestring Opera's. The "Toreador Song" was basically the same - a cocky kid telling everyone how great he really is - and Carmen's sombre Card Aria retains its fateful mood as the young newcomer to school ponders her destiny while sitting expectantly in the Vice Principal's office.

New voices: TSMF's Art Song ReGENERATION

Review

Hearing final-product concerts like this second Art Song reGENERATION is a bit like looking through a keyhole, piquing plenty of curiosity about these singers' work in a broader sense. Their performances spoke of a combination of thoughtful artists and excellent mentors.

In review: Laura Mvula with the LSO

Review

Singing her own songs arranged by Troy Miller, Mvula possesses that truly remarkable quality that has come to be a holy grail for singers of all styles: that when she is performing, you feel like she is looking directly at you, talking to you specifically.

In review: The Merchant of Venice

Review

At the end, we were left feeling like this was too big a piece for Welsh National Opera to chew on. With most of the cast underwhelming and the orchestra's lack of musical interpretation, it wasn't easy to sit through. We're glad to feel uncomfortable in an opera because of sensitive issues is might broach, or because of a controversy it might cause. But in this case, we were just wondering if they would make it to the end.

In review: the JPYA summer performance

Review

The audience's favorite seemed to be a duet between Francesca Chiejina and Thomas Atkins from L'amico Fritz - their two strong voices were very well matched to each other and each full of character and vibrancy. The pair had some of the best chemistry on stage, everyone grinning at Chiejina's sultry consumption of a cherry.

In review: The Cradle Will Rock

Review

Thanks to this production, I am ready, as a devotee of Blitzstein’s work, to let go of Marc on the piano stool and allow his authorial Authority to grow, to allow the ongoing struggle to reconcile Power, Authority, and Truth to be carried forward through the lens of a conductor’s vision. I encourage everyone else to witness as Blitzstein’s powerful orchestral Cradle at last begins to earn its rightful Authority by catching this production while the paint’s still wet.