Ariodante, or the Hebridean Handel

Review

As Dalinda, Ambur Braid delivers the most nuanced and moving performance. As the meek and quiet and withdrawn maiden, you're drawn in to her from the moment the curtain rises. Then she sings, and she pours every ounce of Dalinda's yearning, innocence, and devotion into every note she sang. She had the remarkable ability to blend into the scenery and be all you can see at the same time.

Review: Sondra slays in Bellini masterwork

Review

Obviously, Canadian-American soprano sensation Sondra Radvanovsky knocked it out of the park. The instrument is astounding, the acting is on point. Watching Radvanovsky sing this role is guaranteed to remain a highlight of the season, not just for me, but for Toronto as a whole. I could go on and on (and on), but the only way you're going to understand is really to get your butt down and hear it.

"A dove, as you know, is respected."

Review

At the back of the Natural History gallery, soprano Christine Buras was found in pigeon-like garb, curiously inspecting the listeners with twitching movements and unsettling direct eye contact. The story unfolded of a pigeon, whose feet had been cruelly severed by "country folk," and put "in the pockets of farm boys," as a good luck charm.

In review: Don Giovanni at Nashville Opera

Review

Commendations go to stage director John Hoomes. We were promised a "visually striking" production, and that promise was fulfilled. Mr. Hoomes, whose choice to juxtapose the classic opera with modern, minimalist (yet effective) set design, action that ebbed and flowed between pleasing camp and very human, and innovative color schemes, used exciting visual symbolism to highlight the thematic duality of the story.

"Thank you for the music..."

Review

I would highly recommend checking out the TSO Pops series. It's a great way to stay in touch with the orchestra and their incredible versatility, but it's also nice to sit and relax and hear some of your favourite tunes from the pop side of life. I love Mahler too, but every now and again one needs a little disco in their life.

In review: Tosca at ENO

Review

Performing Tosca in English is about on par with performing Peter Grimes in Italian, when you think about it. Like with all great operas, Puccini's music leaps from the ebbs and flows of the text; simply put, if the libretto had been different, there would be different tunes for us to hum post-show.

Opera for lunch: the ROH Young Artists in concert

Review

Safe as the programme may have been, the singers and pianists impressed; some of our highlights were the performances by tenor Thomas Atkins, sopranos Jennifer Davis and Vlada Borovko, and tenor David Junghoon Kim. The quality of singing was quite high across the board, and yet it's always a fascinating exercise to notice recurring differences between artists who are so-called "young," and those with more experience.

In review: Nashville Symphony's season opener

Review

Lyric soprano Nicole Cabell and the Symphony Chorus joined the orchestra and Ms. DeYoung for the last movement – a section that searches for its identity (it’s all of us!) and produces wall after wall of orchestral and vocal sound. Ms. Cabell’s solid technical performance and effective interpretation were sometimes eaten by the orchestras’ fortissimo, but her glittering high notes rang out clear and sturdy. Hers are what high notes are supposed to sound like.

In review: Don Giovanni at ENO

Review

So, it was a real moment of excitement to settle into the first minutes of Richard Jones's new production at English National Opera. His is a production that ingeniously straddles the line between the symbolic and the real; the characters are at once archetypes - the virgin, the scorned, the doting boyfriend - and specific people.

In review: Jamie Barton leaves you wanting more

Review

I know I often talk about the immense amount of amazingly talented singers, but I want to go on record and say it applies to all musicians - and last night was proof positive of that. That being said, this was Mahler, so the night belonged to the brass.