‘Tis time to bid my beloved Stockholm until the next time with this fabulous production of Tosca at the Kungliga Operan, starring a lirico-spinto soprano who has been known for her extraordinarily wide-ranging repertoire, a dramatic tenor who mostly has a penchant for the Germanic repertoire, and a tall, dark, and handsome dramatic baritone. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
February 2018
La Grande Madame Evelyn Herlitzius brings one of her signature roles, Kundry, to New York’s iconic Metropolitan Opera House. Joining her was not only a veritable troupe of Wagnerian specialists but also some equally fabulous superstars both veteran and newbies. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Madamigiella Sonya Yoncheva rose up to the challenge to take on one of Puccini’s most dramatic and iconic heroines of all time, the great diva herself, Floria Tosca. Accompanying her as her lover was the ardent and impassioned Vittorio Grigolo. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Ah, Maestro Lawrence Brownlee and Signora Albina Shagimuratova, two fabulous Bel Canto specialists. With their flawless interpretive powers combined, they scored A+’s all across the board in musicality, theatricality, for being complete performers, and for leading a most brilliant ensemble cast. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
By the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus and the Elysian Fields, this was definitely a most invigorating, extraordinary, and uplifting afternoon I had with this magnificent Legion of Superwomen. Three mighty and awesome ladies who put Richard Strauss’s high-octane music to great use, Iréne Theorin as a powerful and nuanced Elektra, Cornelia Beskow as a gorgeous and youthful Chrysothemis, and Katarina Dalayman as an elegant yet troubled Klytämnestra, managed to sweep me off my feet. They, of course, were joined by a fine ensemble, but these ladies certainly stood proud and tall. Find out in this review why I especially admire these classy, alluring, and strong superwomen and let me know your opinions as well.
What happens when you combine a strapping Korean spinto tenor, a versatile and mighty American dramatic coloratura soprano with a spinto edge, a mighty and virile American dramatic baritone, a gorgeous and sinuous Georgian dramatic mezzo-soprano, and a voluminous Slovakian dramatic bass? Find out in this review and let me know your opinions as well.
It’s Rossini’s Cenerentola set in Merry Olde England with an exciting cast headed by the indescribably gorgeous and charming young lyric mezzo-soprano, Mademoiselle Johanna Rudström. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Let us see how Herr Jonas Kaufmann’s style, manner, musicality, and class holds up in his latest album, a compilation of French Grand Opéra arias by Charles Gounod, Jacques Fromental Halévy, Hector Berlioz, Jacques Offenbach, Georges Bizet, Edouard Lalo, and Georges Bizet. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
My winter break has just begun in one of my favorite cities of the world, and one I loved ever since I first set foot here in Christmas 2016 and New Year’s 2017.
By their powers combined, this veritable multitude of Bel Canto singers brings this underrated Rossini comedy to life in Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.