Laughing out loud: The Barber of Seville at ENO

Review

Count Almaviva was sung by Eleazar Rodríguez, a singer who had as much energy in his stage presence as he did in his singing. He brilliantly toed the line between goofy and sincerely lovestruck, playing the character of Almaviva full of youthful optimism and romantic determination. His singing, too, was wonderful - his lovely leggiero voice handled the technical demands of Rossini with ease.

Rowley wins the night in Nashville Opera's Tosca

Review

My companion for the evening hadn't seen Tosca before (or even heard the music!), and quickly read a synopsis in advance ("I get the idea," she texted me, "Opera war Italy love murder. Papal stuff."), but a synopsis can't really prepare one for this opera, can it?

4 things you're probably thankful for if you're an opera fan

Humour

For our Canadian readers, we head into Thanksgiving weekend (it's true, Americans!), and the deal is we have to say out loud the things for which we're thankful. We're a bunch of thankful opera lovers over here, so here's our list of gratitude, tailor-made for our fellow fans of big, loud singing.

A singer and her ego

Op-ed

Like I said, this is a stereotype. But even if the opera singer herself is a humble, down-to-earth type, the above scene is still part of her job. She might be a sci-fi nerd and an excellent giver of hugs, but she's still standing up on that stage holding flowers and looking like a cross between a swan and Grecian fresco.

Leonard Bernstein & NYFOS: "I think he'd be pretty proud of it."

Interview

"I think he'd be pretty proud of it," Barrett imagines of Bernstein's reaction to NYFOS' entering its 30th season of thematic vocal programming in large and small venues around New York. Barrett adds in another surprising anecdote: "In fact, he was our founding president."

Verdi at 204, Toscanini at 150: the 2017 Festival Verdi

Interview

"The Festival Verdi was inaugurated in 2001, one hundred years after Verdi's death. Since then, extraordinarily talented artists have performed here, including Bruno Bartoletti, Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Daniel Oren, Antonio Pappano and Yuri Temirkanov."

AAM's King Arthur: a missed Brexit

Review

Some segments worked well, such as the famous freezing scene as a metaphor for the despair felt by the Remainers, or the ambiguity subverting the triumphalism of "Saint George, the patron of our isle". But why the duet "Two Daughters of Aged Stream are we" should evoke a nightclub or the martial posturing of "Come if you dare our trumpets sound" should call to mind a train station will have to be explained to me.

Folk songs for lunch: Esprit Orchestra & Krisztina Szabó in the RBA

Review

Szabó takes a cue from folk-song performance practice, keeping things simple and all about storytelling. She found ease in her role among Berio's varied sound worlds, and let her listeners settle in to what's familiar in these songs: the tunes. The light-filled, close-up environment of the Amphitheatre is unnerving for many artists, but Szabó is a performer who relishes the chance to step into her audience's personal space.

James Robinson's Elixir of Love: "I think it's one of the best comedies."

Interview

"I'm always the first person to say, 'Ok, I had a bad idea, let's try something else'," he says, smiling. "When singers feel that they are part of the discovery process, making choices on their own, they memorize it faster, they're more reliable, they're more comfortable, and they sing better."

55 years of Minnesota Opera: a gala celebration

Review

A company well-known for their journeys into new music and non standard repertoire, this concert was a refreshing take on the typical opera company showcase. The spirit of bringing new works to life was certainly felt at this performance, and I hope The Minnesota Opera will continue to grow in their mission for years to come!