This model of a modern Butterfly soars as art and spectacle combine on Sydney Harbour.
March 22, 2014
Let’s hope that the news of Handa Opera’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 21, 2014
Being born in the home of opera buffa has its advantages but, as the titular hero of The Turk in Italy found, a laugh’s a laugh in any language Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 20, 2014
For the last twenty years soprano Emma Matthews has been an invaluable asset to Opera Australia, her miraculously reliable vocal abilities elevating many potentially mundane evenings into memorable occasions. With a captivating, vivacious stage presence whether playing sweet ingénue, saucy minx, ditzy maid or femme fatale (her Lulu was an unexpected tour-de-force) one felt secure knowing the musical values would always get their full due. Her virtues of beautiful silvery tone with tight but attractive vibrato and her impeccable technique allied with rock solid intonation are showcased here with this collection of Mozart arias. Opening with Lieve sono al par del vento one hears the artist’s virtues in a nutshell; beauty and virtuosity in abundance but never for the sake of empty display. Ruhe sanft, mein holdes leben is radiantly sung with the ends of phrases hanging in the air like silk on a breeze and Ach, ich fühls is sung with chaste purity and refreshing simplicity. She certainly has the pipes to deal with the concert arias; four of which are offered here and are the highlights of the recital. These are notoriously tricky works with many stratospheric passages; the coloratura demands are ramped up due to their function as insertion…
March 19, 2014
Verdi's masterpiece makes rather a grand metaphor for Berlusconi's Italy
March 17, 2014
Young tenor wins place at the Royal Opera but first needs to raise some dough: enter Matthews, Carbó and Humble.
March 16, 2014
As she opens in Opera Queensland’s Rigoletto, the soprano talks about her new CD and the times ahead. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 15, 2014
Handa Opera unveils La Fura dels Baus’ spectacular visual plans for Puccini’s classic. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 13, 2014
Sixty years on and Benjamin Britten’s The Turn Of The Screw, based on Henry James’s “eerie and scary” ghost novella, is still as taut and dramatically intriguing as ever. The ambiguities and questions still remain for many: Does the Governess actually witness the spirits of sexual predator Peter Quint and his equally possessive offsider Miss Jessel working their evil on her two young charges Miles and Flora or is it all her own deranged fantasy? Whatever you decide – or even if you want to decide – the plot is as powerful as ever, aided by Britten’s sparse and evocative orchestration and Myfanwy Piper’s concise, erotically charged libretto. The use of 16 variations on a theme, which with its rising and falling tonal patterns resembles a threaded screw is a master-stroke. It drives the action along without pause through the prologue and two acts and you don’t need to watch this ever-tightening drama to be snared, as the London Symphony Orchestra’s new two-disc set on its LSO Live label eloquently attests. Recorded at the Barbican last year, conductor Richard Farnes, his 17 musicians and an exceptional cast never let the tension lag throughout the two hours. English tenor Andrew Kennedy…
March 7, 2014
Manuela Hoelterhoff suggests the Met finds another Music Director to make the experience more “pleasant”. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 4, 2014
How the countertenor, who started out as an actor, found his voice singing baroque opera’s shadier characters. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 3, 2014
Leading soprano withdraws at a month’s notice claiming that Margueritte is “not right” for her. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
March 3, 2014