John Adams’s oratorio, which draws on a diverse set of texts to tell the biblical story, receives a joyful production at the Metropolitan Opera; at NYU’s Skirball Center, Catapult Opera presented the U.S. premiere of a work by the eminent 20th-century composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. By Heidi Waleson April 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm ET Julia …
Author Archives: Andy Manshel
Heartbeat Opera: Productions Grounded in the Present
The company, celebrating its 10th anniversary season, offers a contemporary spin on Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ and the world premiere of Dan Schlosberg’s eco-themed ‘The Extinctionist.’ By Heidi Waleson April 8, 2024 at 5:04 pm ET The company of ‘Eugene Onegin’ in the Heartbeat Opera production. PHOTO: RUSS ROWLAND New York Heartbeat Opera, now presenting its 10th anniversary season at …
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‘Songbird’ Review: Making Offenbach Swing in Washington
The composer’s operetta ‘La Périchole’ gets a smartly trimmed adaptation set during the Prohibition and starring Isabel Leonard and Ramin Karimloo at Washington National Opera. By Heidi Waleson March 20, 2024 at 2:08 pm ET Isabel Leonard and Ramin Karimloo PHOTO: SCOTT SUCHMAN Washington “Songbird,” the adaptation of Offenbach’s operetta “La Périchole” now playing at the …
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‘Europeras 3 & 4’ Review: John Cage’s Controlled Chaos
Detroit Opera presents two of the avant-garde composer’s rigidly devised but cacophonous works, jumbling together various arias and piano works from music history into a disorienting whole. By Heidi Waleson March 12, 2024 Kisma Jordan PHOTO: AUSTIN RICHEY Detroit What happens when you put classic European operas into a Mixmaster on stage? You get John Cage’s cycle …
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‘La Forza del Destino’ Review: A Light in the Darkness at the Metropolitan Opera
Mariusz Treliński’s new production of Verdi’s revenge drama moves the action to a war-torn present and stars the shining Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen. By Heidi Walseon ) Soloman Howard and Lise Davidsen. PHOTO: KAREN ALMOND / MET OPERA New York Mariusz Treliński’s new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” which opened at the Metropolitan Opera on …
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‘The Anonymous Lover’ and ‘Handel: Made in America’ Reviews: New Angles on the 18th Century
Boston Lyric Opera gave the work by Guadeloupe-born composer Joseph Bologne a snappy staging without making a strong case for its score, while MetLiveArts deftly put the more famous composer’s work in a global context. By Heidi Waleson Ashley Emerson and Brianna J. Robinson in ‘The Anonymous Lover’ PHOTO: NILE SCOTT STUDIOS Boston and New York With opera …
Prototype Festival Review: Originality in Opera
The annual festival returned with an uneven slate of new works, from Huang Ruo’s oratorio ‘Angel Island’ to Heather Christian’s lively ‘Terce: A Practical Breviary.’ By Heidi Waleson Jan. 16, 2024 at 5:30 pm ET A scene from ‘Angel Island’ PHOTO: MARIA BARANOVA New York and Brooklyn, N.Y. At its best, the annual Prototype Festival, coproduced by Beth …
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‘Carmen’ Review: A Misguided Modernization at the Met
Carrie Cracknell’s production, which had its premiere on New Year’s Eve, sets the opera in the present-day U.S. while offering few fresh insights into Bizet’s classic By Heidi Waleson Rafael Davila and Aigul Akhmetshina PHOTO: KEN HOWARD / MET OPERA New York Director Carrie Cracknell, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut with a new production of Bizet’s …
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‘Rodelinda’ Review: Handel Well-Handled at Carnegie Hall
The English Concert, an ensemble led by Harry Bicket, returned to the New York venue for its annual performance of an opera by the Baroque master, turning in one of its finest productions to date. Conductor Harry Bicket (at the harpsichord, back to camera) and Lucy Crowe PHOTO: STEVE J. SHERMAN By Heidi Waleson Dec. 13, 2023 at …
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‘Florencia en el Amazonas’ Review: Exuberant Spanish Singing at the Metropolitan Opera
Just the third work in the language ever performed at the New York institution, composer Daniel Catán’s homage to magical realism proved lavish but low on drama. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 21, 2023 at 5:33 pm ET Griffin Massey and Mattia Olivieri PHOTO: KEN HOWARD New York The Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s “Florencia en el Amazonas,” which …
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