For all its romance, Bard SummerScape’s indoor production of Ernest Chausson’s rarely performed opera resembles an action movie with an underlying message: Don’t let a girl into the boys’ club. By Heidi Waleson Updated July 27, 2021 4:21 pm ET Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. Some American festivals moved their staged operas outdoors this summer, but Bard SummerScape mounted …
Continue reading “King Arthur’ Review: Round Table Love Triangle”
In Opera Parallèle’s remount of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s fact-based opera, the story of a perilous mountain expedition is presented using sophisticated animation. By Heidi Waleson July 19, 2021 5:39 pm ET “Everest,” an opera by Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer, made a powerful impression at its Dallas Opera world premiere in 2015. A taut, absorbing …
Continue reading “Everest-A Graphic Novel Opera’ Review: Drawn From Life and Death”
Boston Lyric Opera teams up with television professionals on an inventive project set in a supernatural motel. By Heidi Waleson June 2, 2021 4:37 pm ET Live opera performance with in-person audiences is gradually returning, with summer festivals putting on (mostly) outdoor productions and opera companies announcing indoor seasons for the fall. This is a happy …
Continue reading “‘Desert In’ Review: Opera Gets the Miniseries Treatment”
Three virtual walking tours from On Site Opera explore Black music and history in New York; the Tulsa Opera pays tribute in song to the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre By Heidi Waleson May 5, 2021 5:39 pm ET New York In normal times, On Site Opera stages works in locations that relate to their …
The soprano, with collaborators guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Christian McBride and pianist Dan Tepfer, tried to create a jazz-club vibe at the socially distanced Hudson Yards venue with a mix of classical and popular fare. By Heidi Waleson April 22, 2021 3:49 pm ET New York There was a live, in-person performance at The Shed at …
Continue reading “Renée Fleming Warms a Chilly Night at the Shed”
Carl Maria von Weber’s ‘The Marksman,’ moved to today’s corporate world; a song cycle by composer Jake Heggie and poet and novelist Margaret Atwood, performed by baritone Joshua Hopkins in response to the murder of his sister by her ex-partner. By Heidi Waleson March 3, 2021 4:45 pm ET Trying to give Carl Maria von Weber’s “Der …
Boston Lyric Opera fuses Philip Glass’s 1987 work with the story of a migrant child in detention; Washington National Opera releases a graphic novel version of Beethoven’s only opera. By Heidi Waleson‘ Feb. 2, 2021 2:32 pm ET James Darrah’s new film of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” available on Boston Lyric Opera’s operabox.tv, represents …
A dark opera explores the mind of a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder; a pastoral comedy features earnest lovers, meddling gods and sheep puppets. By Heidi Waleson Jan. 26, 2021 2:29 pm ET Operas directed especially for film have been an intriguing artistic byproduct of the Covid-19 pandemic, opening new interpretive avenues. A case in point is …
Continue reading “‘Soldier Songs’ and ‘Titon et L’Aurore’ Reviews: War’s Wounds and Love’s Arrow”
Now available to watch online, the Atlanta Opera’s in-person performances embraced Covid-19 restrictions as a creative challenge. By Heidi Waleson Jan. 20, 2021 1:21 pm ET The Atlanta Opera has been one of the few American companies to perform live for in-person audiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last fall, using a custom-built, open-sided tent situated on …
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 …
