In review: Chris Thile at Wigmore Hall

Review

The virtuosity of his mandolin playing reminded us of the pristine coloratura of singers like Marilyn Horne or Joan Sutherland - every note is perfect, and every note has purpose. We hear every note in its exact place, and even as Thile was playing in just one voice, we heard how the harmony progressed.

In review: The First Commandment

Review

"Flaws" like an overly thick orchestration, or a vocal tessitura that is relentless and awkward, are what thrill the lovers of music history; it's indicative of just how much of a genius Mozart was, that moments of orchestra imbalance or slightly less organic melodies - largely harmless in the big picture - seem the "rudimentary" product of 11 year-old Wolfgang.

In review: Daniels & Katz at Wigmore Hall

Review

With a career that started twenty-five years ago, singing entirely different from our patriarchs of Alfred Deller and James Bowman, Daniels is responsible for growing what was once a niched zoo animal of a fach into one to stand up with the rest of them. In doing so, he has set the bar extremely high for countertenors, to a standard to which he continues to hold himself.

"Kinder schafft neues": Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Review

Die Meistersinger is a story about tradition, and whether or not it's good for anything; it exposes how people treat tradesman differently from artists, and the contempt that makers of "high art" can have for the opinions of the general public. Holten's production seems to shine extra light on the tradition of using women as prizes, even complicating the matter with an Eva Pogner who doesn't even get the chance to manipulate the system to her own advantage.

In review: Sondra Radvanovsky's stunning London recital debut

Review

Looking around the crowd in Cadogan Hall, we've never seen so many people wiping their eyes or stifling sniffles. Radvanovsky pairs truly excellent singing with her whole heart and soul; she's honest and candid with her audiences, and with that bridge of personal connection come all the listeners' waterworks.

In review: Partenope at ENO

Review

There's no envy on our end for directors who put up Handel operas, and Partenope seems another which poses tricky dramaturgical questions; the biggest of these is the problem fo where these characters are, and why they share a common space. Alden's open-house concept, where everyone seems to hang out chez Partenope, works well; he finds an organic way to waver between real-time action and inner monologues, as though he hits "pause" and "play" on the general timeline of the story.

In review: LPO presents St. Luke Passion

Review

What struck us most about this performance was how clear these characters appeared to this modern audience. The passion is truly a timeless story, and to see these thousand-year-old character’s come to life in an extremely relatable way is why we yearn to keep seeing passions performed.

Sexy operas: The Tale of Januarie

Review

It has all the stuff of classic storytelling: an old man marries a young blonde girl, a young man is lovesick over that same blonde girl, and the whole story is fuelled by sex. In fact, Priapus himself (played by Carl Stone) sets quite the tone indeed, introducing the story with a penile hat atop his head, a wheelbarrow in front of him to carry the weight of his four-foot-long penis.

In review: Songbook VII at Tapestry Opera

Review

For the last few years, one of my favourite events is the Songbook series presented by Tapestry Opera. It's one of my favourite events because it's something I believe we should see more of here in Toronto. As Artistic Director Michael Mori pointed out in his preamble speech, the unfortunate thing that often happens in Canada with new works is that they only get heard once.

At arm's length: Goerne & Hinterhäuser in recital

Review

Not only did Hinterhäuser make for an uncomfortable start to a recital, but he seemed to behave it poor, selfish taste. Goerne seemed prepared to continue singing, even if Hinterhäuser needed to scramble to save the missed page-turn; yet this pianist decided to stop the whole thing entirely, draw attention to the human error that may have happened beside him, and force Goerne to restart.