Don't miss: Haus Musik

News

"Adventure ensues as we experience the world around us for the first time through the eyes of the recently awoken Leeka, a curious and vivacious young woman from a galaxy far away."

Opera composers we just don't like, okay?

Maybe it's unfair to accuse a pioneer of made-for-TV opera of being super-duper cheesy. But among English-language opera in the 20th century, Gian Carlo Menotti seems to be the poor man's Britten/Adams/Barber (#zing, right?).

Pianists: where's the fire?

How-to

It can be extremely humbling for a trained pianist to discover just how hard it is to stay with a conductor. It may seem unfair - shouldn't a conductor be a living, breathing version of a metronome, after all? In some cases, that's true; Philip Glass' music works well when a tempo is set and maintained, but we guarantee you wouldn't want to hear your Puccini at an unwavering 108 clicks a minute.

In review: Tim Mead & James Baillieu in recital

Review

Mead's sound is truly impeccable. When he sings, it's as if he's insistently speaking, listening to the impact of his words. He listened, too, to Baillieu at the piano. Baillieu, with his warm sound and enpathetic ear, is one of our favourite pianists these days. Baillieu has a knack for creating a soloistic phrase out of a singer's intent; he follows, without losing his autonomy.

A true operatic classic: "Kill the wabbit!"

Humour

It propelled the stereotype that opera singers are angry, horned ladies. It taught us some of Wagner's best tunes, before we even realized what they were. It tugged at our heartstrings, tickled our funny bones. It's one of the most epic face-offs between Bugs and Elmer, cloaked in a 7-minute version of the entirety of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. If you haven't yet seen it, get comfy and prepare yourself for some genius.

Transparent Glass: the composer turns 80

Editorial

Alsop met Glass when she was a young violinist, and perhaps it was that familiarity with the composer and his work that allowed her to conduct the BBC Orchestra and Chorus with a focused, efficient hand. There was a settled ease to her posture that emanated into the orchestra, a physical representation of how Glass' music works, which is to simply stay out of its way.

In review: Three Way

Review

Exposure to culture so outwardly, unabashedly about sex (whatever form it takes) will very likely challenge the typical Nashville Opera patron (#biblebelt). Three Way manages to take a subject that is most taboo, particularly in the American South, and – I think, I hope – manages to inspire its audiences to a greater understanding of their fellow person…which is something we all super need right now.

Enjoying opera: it's not snobby to be informed

Editorial

Perhaps my knowledge of singing technique and what it takes to create opera puts me among the "elite" (or maybe it's even a form of "opera privilege"). It doesn't change the fact, though, that the more you know, the more you hear. If you know the singers personally, their performances are more meaningful. If you know the score well, you can hear the choices being made by different artists.

Apian opera: don't miss The Swarm

Interview

"Our aim is for the audience to feel part of the colony and one of the bees. The message is togetherness and love and we want the audience to be included within that. Just as every bee has a role within the colony, so too does the audience."

2017/18: Canadians in Paris

News

Paris accueille les chanteurs canadiens à bras ouverts. Comme on peut en témoigner depuis le début de la saison 2016-2017, le public parisien semble beaucoup apprécier les talents de chez nous. C'est au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées que Julie Boulianne a chanté, en décembre dernier, sa première Donna Elvira dans Don Giovanni. Étienne Dupuis terminait, il y a quelques semaines, une série de représentations d'Iphigénie en Tauride à l'Opéra Garnier et Karina Gauvin triomphait cette semaine, aux côtés de Marie-Nicole Lemieux, dans la Rodelinda de Handel.