Freedom of press & journalistic integrity

Editorial

In a story that was apparently about freedom of press, it's frustrating to read Lebrecht's posting of incomplete stories, full of opinions and phrases like "suppressed review," "protest," and "sniffing glue," all of which are clearly biased against the Canadian Opera Company. We're really glad to see how the COC was quick to be transparent, and to clarify the errors and omissions by Lebrecht.

One more reason we don't envy singers

Editorial

The story of Bartoli's Bernstein, plus Netrebko's evaded Norma, combine in an example of one big plight of opera singers today: they're damned if they do, and they're damned if they don't. Bartoli did; she took a role that seemed an odd choice, and plenty of unfavourable reviews of McKinley's West Side Story seemed to have an undercurrent of "I told you so". She should have shown more self-awareness, more respect for the demands of Bernstein's score, right?

SFO: tickets for tweets

News

Any time this is tried out, we get excited about following along during a production we can't catch live. Of course, the pool of sources is usually limited to a small group, so anyone hoping to piece together a full picture of what happened onstage may be out of luck. It's also a risk, since it can make these companies, not to mention the artists onstage, vulnerable to the kind of garbage that people feel brave enough to post; the level of anonymity, or at least avoiding face-to-face criticism, can bring out the worst in an audience.

5 pop(ish) songs & their operatic equivalents

Humour

That's why it's fairly easy, and even ridiculously hilarious, to find some modern-day equivalents to some of opera's best characters, in the form of pop songs. It's endlessly amusing to imagine Cherubino singing the Beastie Boys' "Girls", or to draw a clear line between Carmen and the Pussycat Dolls song, "Dont' Cha".

Why we all love Florence Foster Jenkins

Editorial

Even the legend of Jenkins is almost enough to bring tears to our eyes. She went through a lot of tough stuff, and it's poignant for us, as writers of reviews, that even she, with all her well-placed ignorance and unashamed love for music, was deeply hurt by the negativity hurled at her from critics. Aren't we all searching for Jenkins' mix of unapologetic joy, and transparent vulnerability?

Updating operas: why stop at the libretto?

Editorial

Does this point to a subtle, non-malicious, yet inherent slight towards libretti, and by extension, librettists? If opera is the spectacular melding of music and text, why does the former seem more sacred than the latter? And finally, is an updated libretto to the tune of un-updated music a fundamentally incomplete idea?

Roxanna Walitzki: Exquisite Corpse

News

"I only recently began down this path, but have received mostly positive feedback about my approach. What I do isn't what most people expect when picturing electronic-meets-classical (it's a far cry from things like The Fifth Element aria and other techno-driven reinterpretations), but the layering of textures can be helpful to those less accustomed to listening to art songs. It adds another emotive dimension to tune into, and I try to stay attuned to, and respectful of, what made the compositions great in the first place."

Banff-bound, 2016

News

Like we've done in previous summers, we'll keep up our coverage of the operatic goings on across the globe, and we'll also be able to keep you in the loop with the artists of this year's Open Space programme. We also hope to get to the faculty a bit better, which this year includes baritone Russell Braun and soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, and the Canadian Opera Company's General Director, Alexander Neef.

Don't miss: Verdi's Requiem at the Southbank Centre

Interview

On May 23 at the Royal Festival Hall, the English Philharmonia & Chorus present Verdi's Requiem, with soloists Naomi Harvey, Maria Gulik, John Hudson, and David Soar. Graham Wili, Music Director of both the English Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, will conduct; we had the opportunity to ask him about putting together a piece like Verdi's Requiem, with a chorus of 250+, a full orchestra, a four tireless soloists.

In review: A Little Too Cozy

The show has a longer run than most AtG shows (running from now until May 21) so now even more people get a chance to experience the magic. This group keeps turning out hit, after hit, after hit, and the shows will no doubt sell out. They keep changing up the game with their many-pronged media attack, and I think A Little Too Cozy succeeded moreso than the other DaPontes.