Surrealism in Spain: Pacific Opera Victoria's Ainadamar

Surrealism in Spain: Pacific Opera Victoria's Ainadamar

Akin to a photographic vignette, each 'image' is a static setting onstage with highly stylized scenery, projections, and costumes. While the imagery is visually lush and brilliant, it made the pacing extremely slow, with little on-stage action to complement the modern design.

Melissa Ratcliff - Mar 1, 2024
Vancouver Opera's Mod cats Don Pasquale

Vancouver Opera's Mod cats Don Pasquale

Vocally, Polese was triumphant, breezing through incredibly difficult coloratura with such skill that it looked effortless.

Melissa Ratcliff - Feb 27, 2024
Simplicity strikes a chord in BLO Anonymous Lover

Simplicity strikes a chord in BLO Anonymous Lover

This opera is a rather simple affair, where the entire storyline is 'Valcour loves Leontine and absolutely cannot spit it out until their mutual friends and a young peasant couple in love inspire him to do so', and… that's it.

Arturo Fernandez - Feb 21, 2024
Archibald shines in COC's whimsical, physical Vixen

Archibald shines in COC's whimsical, physical Vixen

While the direction was creative and clear for the most part, I felt the show was trying to tackle too many struggles in a way that I think somewhat detracted from what I assume the primary allegory is: the need for feminism.

Greg Finney - Feb 12, 2024
Thrilling debuts and stellar alumni in the COC's Don Giovanni

Thrilling debuts and stellar alumni in the COC's Don Giovanni

The set and design were a technical marvel. The massive stage was filled with a giant cube, with morphing walls and configurations set on a revolve. There seemed to be an endless amount of staircases.

Greg Finney - Feb 12, 2024
high-notes-and-deep-emotion-dont-miss-fgos-i-pagliacci

high-notes-and-deep-emotion-dont-miss-fgos-i-pagliacci

Together, Pulliam and Brown form a powerhouse duo, breathing life into the timeless narrative of I pagliacci.

Samuel Loetscher - Jan 27, 2024
López sings a nuanced Violetta in FGO's Traviata

López sings a nuanced Violetta in FGO's Traviata

Cecilia Violetta López's portrayal of Violetta Valéry was a _tour de force_. Her nuanced performance effortlessly traversed the character's emotional complexity, delivering a portrayal that was both vulnerable and powerful.

Samuel Loetscher - Nov 17, 2023
Vancouver Opera's glittery Magic Flute

Vancouver Opera's glittery Magic Flute

Vocally breathtaking, with phenomenal control, [MacKinnon] would effortlessly float high notes above the orchestra, and then tackle larger passages with incredible vocal strength and size. An absolute force of nature who brought the house down.

Melissa Ratcliff - Oct 26, 2023
Latonia Moore: 'It's our job to keep pushing things forward.'

Latonia Moore: 'It's our job to keep pushing things forward.'

'When [you ask me why] I sing, I get a wonderful release, a release of stress, an emotional release. I also I like the giving to people and I like making them feel goosebumps. I like making them feel emotional, want to cry or want to throw something. I like eliciting an emotional response from them.'

Eva Cahen - Oct 18, 2023
A clarifying and revelatory evening with Schubert and Jonas Kaufmann

A clarifying and revelatory evening with Schubert and Jonas Kaufmann

The tenor's wrenching interpretations of the cycle's 14 songs while performing strenuous physical movement left no doubt that he was as wholly committed to the rigors of Doppelgänger as he was to the rueful Schwanengesang.

John Hohmann - Oct 10, 2023

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