opera
On Saturday, the Met Opera ended its run of Berlioz's masterpiece "Les Troyens" triumphantly. The performance included yet another rousing turn by Susan Graham as Didon and also showcased Deborah Voigt's passionate Cassandra. However, the night's biggest draw was the heroic performance of Bryan Hymel as the Trojan hero Enée.
On New Year's Eve, the Metropolitan Opera opens its fourth new production of the year with Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda." The opera will also be performed for the first time ever at the reputable opera house in a new production by British director David McVicar.
Berlioz's "Les Troyens" is one of the most underrated works in all of operatic literature mainly due to the fact that it is rarely heard. However, the performance at the Met this Friday showcased how powerful and breathtaking Berlioz's masterful score could be. The opera may not return to the Met stage for another 10 years, but the experience of the current cast (with the addition of tenor Bryan Hymel) and visionary production is one that could last a lifetime.
Rossini's famous The Barber of Seville makes a return to the Met stage on Tuesday evening in an abridged English version.
On November 28th Michael Grandage's Don Giovanni returns to the Met for seven performances. The production which opened last year elicited mixed reaction from critics around because of it dull sets and lack of innovation. This year the Met has put together a cast filled with rising stars and two established singers.
La Clemenza may never be considered among Mozart's greatest work, but for one night, it certainly seemed like it could be thanks to the Met's revelatory cast, pristine staging, and fruitful conducting.
On Friday November 16th, the Met Opera opens its second Mozart opera of the season La Clemenza di Tito.
The American Lyric Theater showcased its first libretto reading Sunday as part of its Composer Librettist Development Program.
The Met Opera premieres a new production of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera on Thursday night.
Nozze started at 7:30 and ended at 11 PM with just one 30 minute intermission. However, the combination of a committed cast, focused direction, and well-paced conducting made the evening fly by without ever threatening to slowdown. This revival of the Mozart masterpiece was not only refreshing, but utterly engaging and entertaining.
Mozart returns to the Met Opera for the first time Friday October 26 with Le Nozze di Figaro.
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Opera premieres Thomas Ades' The Tempest, a modern opera based on Shakespeare's final play.
Il Trovatore proved a sensational marriage of intelligent and passionate individual performances with a strong production that relished in Verdi’s forceful melodrama. Il Trovatore still has a number of performances left this season at the Met, but this particular group has set a high standard that could be hard to top.
Overall, it was hard to truly love this Otello. Everyone involved had brilliant individual moments, but as a whole the performance lacked cohesion and made the tragedy unmoving and empty. To end on a positive note however, it is great to have Verdi's superb score (my personal favorite) back in New York at the world's most renowned opera house.
Verdi's masterpiece Otello will return to the Met stage after a four year absence in the production by Elijah Moshinsky.
