Reviews
Review: Santa Fe Opera returns to its Straussian roots with a new, “not to be missed” Ariadne auf Naxos
When the late John Crosby created an opera house in the middle of the New Mexican desert, just north of Santa Fe, one of the operas in its inaugural season (1957) was Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. As much as possible, Crosby featured a Strauss opera every...
Review: Robert Lepage’s techno-heavy The Magic Flute at Festival d’Opéra de Québec
The blockbuster show at this summer’s Festival d’Opéra de Québec is Robert Lepage’s new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (seen Aug. 2). It marks the continuation of a long, fruitful collaboration between the Québecois mega-director’s production company, Ex...
Review: Karina Gauvin’s “consistently beautiful singing” is the highlight of Glyndebourne’s Saul
Back in the days before we expected Handel’s oratorios to be staged as operas, the smart comment was always that they were essentially the same thing; because the Church decreed that operas could not be staged during Lent, Handel instead tackled biblical subjects and...
Review: BrottOpera’s production brings “artistic strength” to Mozart’s The Magic Flute
After a seven-year absence, fully staged opera returned to FirstOntario Concert Hall for one night as BrottOpera mounted Mozart’s The Magic Flute (seen July 19) in an English-language production directed by Patrick Hansen. Founded in 2014, BrottOpera’s two-week...
Review: Royal Opera House’s midsummer Falstaff is “truly a dream”
It’s no secret that Robert Carsen’s production of Falstaff (seen July 13), which premiered at London’s Royal Opera House in 2012, has become an absolute must for zealots of Verdi’s ultimate opera, not to mention for unconditional Carsen fans. After some highly...
Review: Wallis Giunta brings “real passion” and “undeniably glamorous charisma” to Music and Beyond Festival’s Dido and Aeneas
Now in its 9th summer, Ottawa’s Music and Beyond festival was launched by Ottawa cellist Julian Armour after his split with Ottawa Chamberfest which he founded 25 years ago. The newer festival takes place two weeks before Chamberfest, and tries hard to differentiate...
Review: The Llandovery Castle brings “real emotional power” to premier performance in Toronto
On 27th June 1918, the Canadian hospital ship, HMHS Llandovery Castle, laden with doctors, nurses and medical supplies, was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Ireland by German submarine U86. 234 people, including 14 Canadian nursing sisters died. There were only 24...
Review: Opera 5’s “simple and successful adaptation” brings new life to Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia
Opera 5’s new production of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (seen Jun. 13) proves that a small, intimate space is all that’s really needed to stage the romantic comedy. Directed by Jessica Derventzis, its few set pieces and simple costuming allow the performances...
Review: Catherine Daniel brings “smoky allure” to The Little Opera Company’s La Tragédie de Carmen
The Little Opera Company wrapped up its 2017/18 season with British theatre director Peter Brook’s radical adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen. His distilled version, La Tragédie de Carmen, pierces the heart of Prosper Mérimée’s original novella with the rapier acuity of a...
Review: In Paris Opera’s L’heure espagnole Michèle Losier shows off her “sharp comic timing”
Fourteen years after its first run at the Palais Garnier in 2004, French director Laurent Pelly's double bill: L'heure espagnole and Gianni Schicchi, has been unpacked, moved across town to the immense Bastille venue, and re-staged without a crease (seen May 30). It...
CMIM 2018: The grand finale—an evening of surprises
Last night at Montreal’s Maison symphonique, the six finalists in the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal’s (CMIM) Aria competition presented their final programs. As in the previous two semi-final rounds, they were accompanied by British conductor Graeme...
CMIM Aria Semi-finals: All tenors, all the time
Last night at Montreal’s Maison symphonique, the second group of six singers who advanced through the first round of the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal’s (CMIM) Aria competition got their turn. They were accompanied by British conductor Graeme Jenkins...