Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
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Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
ReviewDelicacy and bombast strode hand in hand as they astonished with their surmounting of its dizzying transitions. Virtuoso playing came from every section of the orchestra and concertmaster, David Chan's prolonged and masterly solo work was precise and thrilling.
The Tin Angel: Le jazz cold
ReviewWe are told that 'Jazz clubs fade but the sound beneath the sound remains' -- one of the 'invisible assets' is the 'music' that the departed leave behind. A lovely idea, in theory. In this case, though, the 'sound beneath the sound' is not only 'invisible' but, like the non-existent jazz, inaudible.
The English Consort's Giulio Ceasare in Egitto -- Handel is the total package
ReviewSung with campy abandon by countertenor, John Holiday, his Tolomeo is a scene-stealing divo, edgy and pompous, whose obsequious charm is laced with poison. Hearing Holiday and Dumaux have at it is a reminder that Handel was a master of vocal effect.
Review: LA Opera's tear-jerking, star-studded, world-class Rigoletto
ReviewMy favorite, 'Cortigiani, vil razza dannata', left me in tears, as it was meant to; Kelsey allowed his voice and his dramatic performance to move through all the ranges of Rigoletto's emotions, ending with a simple heartbreaking plea, on his knees, for the return of his daughter.
Nina Stemme onstage at Carnegie Hall
ReviewPerhaps it was a collectively held breath at the sounds of the distant and desolate notes of the Liszt-transcribed Liebestod. Such is the magic of a soprano who can conjure Isolde's hallucinatory and surreal musing with emotional conviction. It is perhaps the most complicated and woeful moment in song. Yet Stemme and Pöntinen found clarity in the fog and guided us to its stunning conclusion.
Konstantin Krimmel: a commanding presence
ReviewThen we discover that Krimmel has perfect diction. It's a gift to the high born German texts of the Schubert and Loewe songs. They come through with a clarity that at key moments virtually eliminate the need for translation.
A collaborative artist: Kristin Hoff and the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer
InterviewWhen I ask Hoff what it means to her to be lauded as a collaborative artist, she admits that the inclusion of the word 'collaborative' in the Prix Goyer is the only way she feels comfortable receiving such an honour.
COC's evocative La Reine-garçon an enticing piece of homegrown opera
ReviewThe queen then decides to abdicate the throne and consign herself to a virginal Catholic life -- thus dying a virgin queen. There are suitors, and surgeries, and soaring chants; it was a pretty cool night at the opera.
Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou at the Armory: the only place to be
ReviewHannigan, as the musical world knows, divides her time between singing and conducting, a second and impressive discipline that it seems is never far away from her singing.
San Diego Opera's 60th Anniversary La bohème sees Mimì as a ghost
ReviewI do not have enough superlatives to describe Moore's rich, clear, precise and beautifully rounded voice but suffice it to say she is for me one of the best sopranos singing currently.