These reviews first appeared in The Quarterly of the Lute Society of America in significantly altered form. John Dowland (1563-1636) is indisputably the premier composer for the lute. He led a peripatetic life around Europe, including a decade in Denmark as the court lutenist, which brought a cosmopolitan experience to his composing. He was a …
Tag Archives: music
‘Turandot’ and ‘Shall We Gather at the River’ Reviews: Classics in New Contexts
Washington National Opera performed a world premiere production of Puccini’s work with a new final scene by Susan Soon He Stanton and Christopher Tin; at Park Avenue Armory, Peter Sellars directed a program of Bach cantatas and African-American spirituals presented as a call to action against climate change. By Heidi Waleson May 22, 2024 at …
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‘An American Soldier’ and ‘Les Fêtes de Thalie’ : Modern Tragedy and Baroque Comedy at the Opera‘An American Soldier’ and ‘Les Fêtes de Thalie’
With music by Huang Ruo and a libretto by David Henry Hwang, an opera at New York’s Perelman Performing Arts Center about a viciously bullied Army private proved taut and haunting; uptown, Opera Lafayette’s production of Jean-Joseph Mouret’s 1714 work was a skillful, snappy delight. By: Heidi Waleson May 14, 2024 Brian Vu and Alex DeSocio …
‘El Niño’ and ‘La ville morte’ Reviews: A Radiant Nativity Tale and a Lackluster Rarity
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 …
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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‘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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