Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
Summer Opera Nights in Palm Beach
ReviewWith PBO's Young Artists away for the summer, the September 28 event starred South Florida mainstays: bass-baritone Neil Nelson – a familiar face from past PBO productions – and soprano Robyn Marie Lamp. The duo were joined by PBO rehearsal pianist and coach Cassie Makeeff, who heroically made the most of an electric keyboard.
Eugene Onegin, or the time Tatyana dodged a bullet
ReviewIt's hard to get a sense of whether Tchaikovsky means us to see Onegin as an anti-hero, a villain, or some pitiful shell of a man (like Patrick Bateman's less murderous brother, Sean). By the skin of her teeth, Tatyana comes out of their whole uncomfortable relationship unscathed, but not without some doubt; she rightly turns Onegin down in the final scene, but it's frustrating that she only does so because she's married to someone else.
Die Fledermaus adaptation delivers effervescent performance
ReviewThe standout performer of the evening, however, was soprano Laura Brandt as Eisenstein's wife, Rose. Brandt's spinning, confident voice pervaded this production from beginning to end with richness and depth. And in the tradition of a true leading lady, Brandt's chemistry with each of her castmates - from her husband to her ex-lover to her maid and beyond - is naturally seamless with each interaction. Hers was truly a tour-de-force performance.
Leaning into the discomfort
Op-edWe each go through life with our own subjective experience of the world around us: a personal story as unique and beautiful as a fingerprint, but with implicit bias and limitation. Art allows us the opportunity to reach out to one another, to find connections and disparities, to compare notes on different ways of seeing the world.
Opera adapts a medium more adept at adapting
ReviewFor an opera, the score doesn't have much singing. Mr. Eddy's part is the most unique, full of guttural throat clicks, pops, screams, and burps. At one point he babbles like a tape on fast forward, an unexpectedly thrilling effect live. The character comes off more comic than scary, but who cares with such entertaining music.
Opera in the age of Netflix
Op-edWhat if there was a more direct way to accomplish this goal? What would that look like? To all the opera companies, self-producers, recitalists, and alike, let me offer the following suggestions.
Anxiety, Art, and Purpose
Op-edI know a lot of my friends and colleagues struggle with performance anxiety, and I wanted to share my thoughts here in the hopes that it might help someone else who is struggling, and open up a dialogue about anxiety and art, which I think for many of us go hand in hand.
Fleming enchants: luscious morsels of post-opera career
ReviewWhen soprano Renée Fleming offers a concert without any operatic repertoire, you wonder what the "People's Diva" will sing. Not surprisingly, in front of a capacity crowd, Fleming delivered with luscious morsels of her career after opera.
Glitter and flair: Queens of the Night
ReviewIt is best not to overanalyze the production, as it was, for lack of better words, a wickedly entertaining opera-themed drag show. The evening's show followed a plotline involving Martha Graham Cracker's desire to impress her crush, Blythely Oratonio (Stephanie Blythe's drag king alter ego.) Throughout the performance, there were musical numbers, which were very clever arrangements, combining pop music with operatic motives (such as "I Want To Break Free" combined with "Quando m'en vo.")
Talking with singers: Morris Robinson
"At the age of 29, I auditioned for the Choral Arts Society in Washington where I sang some of the pieces I did in high school. Norman Scribner, the director for many years of the Choral Arts Society sat with his mouth open and told me there weren't many people who could make a sound like that."