In review: Carmen at the COC

Review

Ivany's setting of the story lends itself well to the given circumstances already laid out in the play and the score. I particularly liked several of the choices Ivany has made. I felt like he directed José to be less of a jilted lover, and more a young man who completely misreads the intentions of a worldly young woman. This man's inability to deal with the idea that Carmen's feelings have changed lead to disastrous consequences.

In review: Maometto II

Review

David Alden's production of Maometto, a work that until the revival in Santa Fe in 2012 hadn't been performed in it's entirety since Naples in 1820, was exactly what I think the COC needed in its season at this point. A simple, easy to digest set and staging, with a thrilling orchestra and incomparable vocals. I can't... I just can't get over the voices I heard last night.

In review: The Rape of Lucretia

Review

It was incredibly close and intimate and I think it added to the stressful undercurrent of the entire score. The male and female chorus guide us through the horrific unfolding of events, there is a clear point of view from a feminine perspective, but one that was nobly sympathetic to the weakness of the men who are the catalyst to all this indignity.

Liederwölfe stuns in #OperaPeepShow

Review

To say that it was unique would be a broad understatement. Upon arrival, you are greeted at the door and presented a key which gets you into the event, and then you are ushered downstairs where you get to choose, à la carte, which combination of the companies presenting you wished to check out.

In review: Classical Opera's Il Vologeso

Review

Perhaps it's true that Jommelli will not be remembered as one of the great composers of his time, but Il Vologeso is a great opera. It's full of love and lust, neglected and abused women, political differences, pride, and just endings. Under Ian Page, the Orchestra of Classical Opera started with a burst of energy that stayed present throughout the night; no two phrases were alike, and the orchestra were main players in the drama alongside the singers.

In review: Los Gavilanes at Toronto Operetta Theatre

Review

In a word, charming. That is what I experienced tonight with Toronto Operetta Theatre and their Canadian premiere of Jacinto Guerrero’s Los Gavilanes at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. From the simple set to the period costumes, the Spanish orchestration and the simple, well-known tale of love lost (and then found), I was charmed.

In review: Bryn Terfel at Koerner Hall

Review

For musicians, it was a masterclass not only in great singing and excellent playing, but in audience engagement. Terfel, the loveable scamp, managed his very enthusiastic listeners with a genial nature that's normally reserved for cool uncles, panda bears, and Jimmy Fallon.

In review: Tannhäuser at ROH

Review

The dancers moved in a constant, fluid canon, the men tirelessly chasing the teasing women, hurling themselves across a long spinning banquet table, trading clothes and bending their bodies like elastic rag dolls. Visually, it was the high point of the production, relaxing into what became a static tale. It's not inappropriate, to place the audience in the shoes of Tannhäuser himself, who goes from the heights of pleasure and excitement, and returns to the mortal world; indeed, no human stimulation would quite meet of Venusberg.

Great nights: The Dream of Gerontius

Review

Coote and Clayton shared perfect moments of acknowledgement from their places on opposite sides of the conductor's podium. She was stunning to watch; she had such specificity on her face, from her almost-shy greeting of Gerontius, to her wise, tour-guide qualities as she takes him through his first moments in the afterlife.

Paris Reflected at Southwark Cathedral

Review

The whole evening was one that urged us to simply close our eyes and listen. It's always refreshing to hear a well-honed orchestra with so much attention paid to the experience, rather than relying simply on the deep roots of traditional classical concert tropes.