This year’s Prototype Festival features six boundary-pushing operas, most of which can be enjoyed at home. By Heidi WalesonJan. 13, 2021 5:07 pm ET The annual Prototype Festival (through Jan. 16), produced by Beth Morrison Projects and HERE, always explores new territory in chamber opera theater. This year’s iteration, restricted to digital content due to the Covid-19 …
Author Archives: Andy Manshel
Satisfying, Bite-Sized Operas
Short pieces from 20 Irish composers, a serial space opera and a trio of works inspired by famous diaries. By Heidi Waleson Dec. 28, 2020 2:42 pm ET With opera gone digital due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fans can experience voices, composers and opera companies they might never otherwise have heard. The Irish National Opera commissioned …
‘The Anonymous Lover’ and ‘Dido and Aeneas’ Reviews: A Rediscovery and a Rehash
A filmed production from the Los Angeles Opera spotlights the work of an 18th-century Black composer; the Boston Camerata offers a clumsy filmed staging of the Purcell classic. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 18, 2020 12:49 pm ET It turns out that pandemic times offer opportunities for new discoveries. The Los Angeles Opera, having canceled its scheduled fall …
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‘4/4’ and ‘New Dark Age’ Review: Streamed and Sung From London
Two original productions from the Royal Opera House, performed live before small audiences and viewable on the company’s website, offer a stirring reconnection to opera as it was. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 4, 2020 1:58 pm ET Listen to this article7 minutes00:00 / 07:051x Since government money subsidizes much of their activity, some opera houses in …
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Singing at a Social Distance
Opera companies’ online offerings, including White Snake Projects’ ambitious ‘Alice in the Pandemic,’ continue to explore the possibilities of virtual performance. By Heidi Waleson Oct. 26, 2020 3:58 pm ET One challenge to making live ensemble music online is latency—the signal lag between the computers of musicians who are not in the same location. With the …
‘Twilight: Gods’ Review: Drive-Through Opera in the Motor City
Director Yuval Sharon has repurposed Wagner’s ‘Götterdämmerung’ in an inventive, Covid-appropriate Michigan Theatre Opera production staged in a parking garage for an audience confined to their cars. By Heidi Waleson Oct. 19, 2020 4:50 pm ET Detroit Leave it to director Yuval Sharon to come up with a thought-provoking, original way to do live opera for …
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‘Ellen Reid Soundwalk’ Review: Scoring Central Park
This GPS-enabled work of public art uses an app to create a unique sonic experience on your next stroll. By Heidi Waleson Sept. 29, 2020 3:38 pm ET New York After six months without live performance, plus the geographical claustrophobia imposed by barriers to travel, “Ellen Reid Soundwalk” offers both solace and liberation. Ms. Reid, the …
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Designed for the Digital Stage
American opera companies, including Houston Grand Opera, have begun to create original content for virtual viewing. By Heidi Waleson Sept. 22, 2020 2:47 pm ET Live performance with audiences remains difficult for opera companies as long as Covid-19 infection rates remain too high to permit large indoor gatherings. In response, several American companies have embraced comprehensive …
‘The 7 Deaths of Maria Callas’ and ‘Joyce DiDonato Live in Concert’ Reviews: Divas Past and Present
In Marina Abramović’s multilayered work for the Bavarian State Opera, the performance artist inserts herself into the stories of operatic icons; in a streamed recital as part of a series from the Met, the singer offered expressive renditions of Monteverdi, Mahler and more. By Heidi Waleson Sept. 15, 2020 5:05 pm ET The premiere of Marina …
Abroad at Home: Summer Festivals Still Sing
Opera festivals have moved most of their programming online this year, but the offerings, such as Salzburg’s virtually viewable production of Strauss’s ‘Elektra,’ remain tempting. By Heidi Waleson Aug. 14, 2020 5:02 pm ET Like so many other things, summer festivals and festival travel have mostly fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic, but opera fans can …
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