Vibrant ‘Prophète’ Goes The Five-Act Distance (Almost)
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN - A new production of Meyerbeer's opera by French director Olivier Py makes a strong case for performing the work more often, even if certain musical and theatrical aspects fall short of the composer's demands.
Rattle, Berlin Aim To Tempt Appetite For Musical ‘Tapas’
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN – Unsuk Chin's 11-minute Chorós Chordón leaves the listener wanting more. Premiered by the Berlin Phil and slated for an Asia tour, it is one of the brief musical "tapas" commissioned by chief conductor Simon Rattle.
Sondheim’s ‘Follies’ Once More Shown In All Its Grandeur
By Matthew Gurewitsch
LONDON – You might say that in Stephen Sondheim's Follies, daytime drama aspires to the condition of Wagner's Götterdämmerung. Aspires to, and, in Dominic Cooke’s National Theatre revival, pretty well achieves it.
‘Wozzeck,’ Chamber Scaled, Still Packs Its Violent Punch
By Rebecca Schmid
VIENNA – In Robert Carsen's new staging of Berg's opera starring Florian Boesch and Lise Lindstrom at the Theater an der Wien, themes of war-induced alienation and decay took on added resonance given today's global instability.
Kaufmann Excels In Problematic Paris ‘Don Carlos’
By Susan Brodie
PARIS - Although director Krzysztof Warlikowski was booed, his staging of Verdi's five-act version included stellar performances by tenor Jonas Kaufmann, soprano Sonya Yoncheva, and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča.
Past As Prologue: ‘Tempest’ Revisited In Caustic Sequel
By Matthew Gurewitsch
PARIS – Katie Mitchell’s staging of Miranda at the Opéra-Comique is billed as a “semi-opera after Shakespeare and Purcell.” It features the return of Prospero’s daughter from exile and glorious Baroque instrumentation.
‘Flower Of Hawaii,’ In Revival, Shows Bloom Is Off Lei
By Matthew Gurewitsch
BASEL – The 1931 opera, composed by Paul Abraham to a cliche-steeped libretto by a committee of three, bollixes Hawaiian matters historical and geographical, but the grass skirts get some laughs in this new staging at Theater Basel.
Swirling Episodes Of Sound Probing New Sonics? ‘Yes’!
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN – Experimental dramaturgy reigned in a Musikfest concert that opened with a Rebecca Saunders world premiere inspired by Molly Bloom’s monologue in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Did Yes justify its 75-minute length? No.
Connections Made, Or Missed, Across Many Cultures
By Rebecca Schmid
LUCERNE – With a densely packed “special event day,” this city’s illustrious festival deserves praise for tackling classical music's role in an increasingly globalized society, even if artistic values were sometimes compromised.
Far-Flung Maestro Flourishes With Ensemble In Japan
By Robert Markow
TOKYO – American-born Robert Rÿker, a tuba player turned conductor, has led orchestras on four continents over more than 40 years, but he has made his most distinctive mark as music director of the Tokyo Sinfonia.
In ‘Meistersinger,’ Bayreuth Fest Has Its Prize Winner
By John Rockwell
BAYREUTH – To assess the non-Ring operas at the 2017 fest is to go from the least successful oldest (Tristan, 2015) through last year's Parsifal to Barrie Kosky's intriguing Meistersinger as a musicale in Wagner's home.
Young Singapore Musicians Conjure A Dream Orchestra
By Robert Markow
TAIPEI – Showcased at an international festival, Singapore’s aspiring, self-governing Orchestra of the Music Makers, in its ninth season, sounded like a million dollars and was certainly at one with the Force.
For Opera-Bound, Competition Final Is All-Around Win
By Rebecca Schmid
MOSCOW – The International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in the courtyard of the Helikon Opera had three top prize winners, but other hopefuls also cashed in with immediate engagements at several opera houses.
‘Trip To The Moon:’ Gift To Amateurs, Laced With Maxim
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN – Andrew Norman's educational opera A Trip to the Moon, with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle and a large cast of pros and amateurs, is skillfully constructed while leaving an aftertaste of cliché.
Lunar ‘Parsifal:’ Toto, We’re Not In Bayreuth Anymore
By Rebecca Schmid
VIENNA - At the Theater an der Wien, installation artist Jonathan Meese and Austrian composer-librettist Bernhard Lang created Mondparsifal, a new version of Wagner's Parsifal that moves the action to the future, and to the moon.
Rattle Nears Exit In Berlin, Remains Champion Of New
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN –Thomas Adès' Powder Her Face Suite is part of a series of commissions that will accompany Simon Rattle on his final stretch as Berlin Philharmonic music director. He leaves in 2018 to focus on the London Symphony.
Granted, Medea Is A Murderer, But Her Kids Are Dolls
By Rebecca Schmid
BERLIN – Stage director Benedict Andrews’ new staging of Aribert Reimann’s Medea for Komische Oper is visually unimpressive. Still, a listener could not help but get swept up in the desperate title character’s emotional world.
Old Music In New Venue: Paris Puts Hall In The Seine
By Rebecca Schmid
PARIS – Part of a project in the western suburbs on the former site of the Renault car manufacturer, the new glass-domed Seine Musicale music center looms over the Seine river, reminiscent of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Wolfgang Rihm Weaves Reflective, Poetic Requiem
By J.J. Van Vlasselaer
LUCERNE – Requiem-Strophen takes us on the journey of the mystery of death and how it turns life into our reality. The Easter Festival concert, led by Mariss Jansons, opened with Rihm’s memorial to Pierre Boulez, who died Jan. 5, 2016.
