Rightly uncomfortable: FGO's Don Giovanni

Review

The over-the-top, 50's-horror-movie vibes of the opera's finale? Go ahead and laugh (some in the audience did). But an aria cataloguing thousands of victims of rape; a rapist sharply calling a survivor of his violence "You bitch!" – we should feel uncomfortable laughing at these moments.

TAP:EX Augmented Opera lives up to its name

Review

As opera, and theatre in general, is forever evolving with the times, it's quite exciting to see new, cutting-edge approaches being used so successfully.

Check out: the Irish Art Song Project

Editorial

“Even though I was brought up speaking Irish Gaelic, it didn't occur to me to commission composers to write on Irish Gaelic texts,” says Ní Mheadhra. “Colonization does weird things to a country.”

Patience rewarded in Oper Frankfurt's Tamerlano

Review

The characters begin as caricatures. Tamerlano (Lawrence Zazzo), a sadistic Southwestern oil baron who's a cross between Yosemite Sam and Daniel Day Lewis's tics in There Will Be Blood, has a grin (and mustache) glued to his face.

A Don Giovanni with style in Chicago

Review

For generations of (male) musicologists, the character Don Giovanni has been something of an egalitarian sex god. These academics propped up their vision of Don-G-as-political-progressive with weak evidence, citing his willingness (compulsion?) to sleep with any woman, even fat, poor, and old ones.

A family-friendly fan favourite: Minnesota Opera's Barber

Review

Props must be given to Minnesota Opera for scheduling this family-friendly fan favorite, the seats were certainly filled. Hopefully the next generation of opera goers were hooked during this brief run!

Grand opera & cloudy politics in Il Postino

Review

It's a sour and tragic ending for an otherwise delightful love story. Moreover, the political subplot of the opera has a vagueness to it that leaves you wondering what its point of view is.

Fellow Travelers a cathartic, necessary affair

Review

As Thomas Mallon said in the TalkBack after the performance, the suffering of LGBT+ people brought on by witch-hunting politicians in the 50s was unspeakable, and it is a place he hopes we never return to.

Khalil "pristine," Barrett "exquisite" in whimsical production of La bohème

Review

Calgary-born director Brenna Corner should be celebrated for her vision in making this production so memorable. Her sense of whimsy permeated everything, from the character relationships to the set design, resulting in an experience where one can sit back and let the drama unfold.

Talking with singers: Rachel Willis-Sørensen

Interview

"I used to think that you can be exactly yourself, but what I have learned is that not everyone deserves to see you that way. Your family and close friends and some trusted colleagues can see you how you are, but it is ok to present more a guarded version of yourself until you find who is trustworthy."