Reviews
Canadian Opera Company Carmen A “fine ensemble cast”
In his 1888 polemic, The Case Against Wagner: A Musician’s Problem, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche cites Bizet’s Carmen as the perfect opera: “With it” he writes, “one bids farewell to the damp north and to all the fog of the Wagnerian ideal.” Beyond its...
Pacific Opera Victoria Carmen Mezzo Carolyn Sproule “a stand-out” in the title role
Pacific Opera Victoria’s Carmen finally opened on October 12, 2022, after multiple COVID-caused postponements. It was well worth the wait. First mention has to go to the chorus, which did such an extraordinary job they came close to eclipsing the rest of the...
The Metropolitan Opera Medea “Sondra Radvanovsky, giving one of the most fully immersive performances I’ve ever seen on an opera stage”
Is Luigi Cherubini’s Medea—or Médée, to cite the opéra-comique original of 1797—a prima-donna vehicle, reliant on the right fiery voice and temperament for ignition, or a masterwork with distinct merits of its own? Over the years I’ve leaned heavily toward the former...
Canadian Opera Company The Flying Dutchman A “gripping performance” to open the season
After almost three years in virtual drydock, the Canadian Opera Company launched its 2022/23 season October 7 with a gripping performance of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. This is the company’s third revival of the production it commissioned in 1996 from American...
Opéra Comique Lakmé “Sabine Devieilhe and Frédéric Antoun triumph”
Eight years after their débuts in Leo Delibes's Lakmé, Sabine Devieilhe and Frédéric Antoun triumph once again as the ill-fated lovers in this orientalist Romeo and Juliette story. Set in British India in the 19th century, Nilakantha, a Brahmin priest, is stoking...
ALBUM: Robert le Diable Palazetto Bru Zane “a milestone in the history of opera that should be heard by anyone with an interest in the development of the genre”
The latest release in the CD/book series from the Palazetto Bru Zane is Meyerbeer’s 1831 grand opera Robert le Diable.
San Francisco Opera Eugene Onegin “Few opera productions live as long and travel as widely as this one has”
When Tchaikovsky based his lushly Romantic, quite personal, opera on Alexander Pushkin's then already classic novel in verse, he bravely cut both against the grain of its iconic author's scintillating, ironic manner (inspired by the English poet Lord Byron) and...
Tapestry Opera Box Concerts “A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon”
If you’re a die-hard Toronto voice/opera fan like yours truly, you may well have heard of “Box Concerts.” It’s a 30-minute long, packaged show offered by Tapestry Opera. Simply put, it’s music on wheels—a singer performing on a travelling stage that goes to wherever...
Ashkenaz Festival Bas-Sheve A Curious Yet Worthy Addition to the Operatic Canon
It’s not everyday that opera fans get to experience a premiere, let alone a Yiddish opera that had been forgotten for nearly a Century. The 2022 Ashkenaz Festival (Aug 30–Sept 5) has done that, presenting the North American premiere of Bas-Sheve as its centrepiece. It...
Highlands Opera Studio Eugene Onegin “An exciting era of new talent”
Highlands Opera Studio’s return to a full season with masterclasses, concerts, community events, and operas, culminated with a fully staged version of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. In order to showcase the artists in Valerie Kuinka’s and Richard Margison’s unique...
Manitoba Underground Opera 2022 Summer Festival For Better or for Worse Thoughtful Boundary-Pushing Programming
Manitoba Underground Opera took a deep dive into the bonds of matrimony this summer with its 2022 Summer Festival titled For Better or Worse, presented repertory style between August 18-27, completing a two-year, nonetheless pandemic-interrupted series that initially...
Highlands Opera Studio / Loose Tea Music Theatre A Powerful Partnership in Haliburton, ON
One of Highlands Opera Studio’s mandates is the creation, development, and presentation of new Canadian operatic works, including telling stories of people who have been historically silenced and marginalised. This summer, Highlands Opera teamed up with Toronto’s...