Classical Music Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 18

BWW Review: Joyce DiDonato Brings WAR & PEACE, Baroque-Style, to Carnegie Hall
by Richard Sasanow - December 21, 2016

At IN WAR & PEACE, HARMONY THROUGH MUSIC, her Carnegie Hall concert the other night with the Baroque ensemble, Il Pomo d'Oro, mezzo Joyce DiDonato was in fine voice, if not in high spirits—and who could blame her? The state of the world is about as bad as it has been for a long time, with death and ...

BWW Review: Stunning Phillips in Saariaho's Mesmerizing L'AMOUR DE LOIN at the Met
by Richard Sasanow - December 19, 2016

On paper, it might seem that Kaija Saariaho's L'AMOUR DE LOIN (LOVE FROM AFAR), libretto by Amin Maalouf, couldn't possibly fill a stage the size of the Met's: three characters and a chorus that bobs in and out of the action. Yet, in action, this breathtaking, shimmering piece not only seems at home...

BWW Review: EMERSON STRING QUARTET Rocks Halton Theater Again
by Perry Tannenbaum - December 16, 2016

Now celebrating their 40th anniversary season, the Emerson String Quartet was already a marquee attraction when I first encountered them in live concert during the summer of 2002 at the Aspen Music Festival. That was about the time when members of the quartet, except for the cellist sitting on a ris...

BWW Review: Racette Strips to Essentials as Opera's Ultimate Mean Girl, SALOME, at the Met
by Richard Sasanow - December 13, 2016

Despite some fine singing from soprano Patricia Racette (who also went the Full Monty in the title role), the Met's revival of Richard Strauss's SALOME was a little tame--something that it should never be....

BWW Review: Kelli O'Hara's Versatility Shines In OKC Philharmonic's THE CHRISTMAS SHOW
by Ronn Burton - December 12, 2016

An annual holiday tradition, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic's CHRISTMAS SHOW is beloved by many in the Oklahoma City metro area. This year's guest artist, Kelli O'Hara, takes the show to new heights-her voice enveloping the audience like a warm blanket by the fireplace on Christmas Eve....

BWW REVIEW: Sydney Symphony Orchestra Presents A Staged Concert Version of The Gershwin's PORGY AND BESS
by Jade Kops - December 04, 2016

The rarely performed 1930's American Opera, PORGY AND BESS is given a Staged Concert treatment by Director Mitchell Butel with the support of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs....

BWW CD Review: David Lanz's Lovely NORWEGIAN RAIN
by Chris Gibson - November 21, 2016

The incredibly accomplished pianist David Lanz continues to deliver imaginative and creative works, and they've come at time in his life when he seems positively re-energized; making vital, emotional, and personal compositions with Kristin Amarie Lanz that are simply a pleasure to listen to. NORWEGI...

BWW Review: GET ON UP JAMES BROWN CELEBRATION at NJPAC
by Adam Cohen - November 21, 2016

A winning powerful tribute to James Brown from those who sang and played with him....

BWW Review: Renee Fleming Glows in the Desert Sun of Kevin Puts' LETTERS FROM GEORGIA
by Richard Sasanow - November 17, 2016

Georgia O'Keeffe dressed in monk-like clothes and probably wouldn't have worn lipstick on a dare--hardly the image you'd associate with glamorous soprano Renee Fleming. But when Fleming opened her mouth and began to sing the first of the five songs in Kevin Puts' song cycle, LETTERS FROM GEORGIA, at...

BWW Review: THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT at Washington National Opera
by Jenny Minich - November 14, 2016

Despite it's bombastic and highly visible ensemble of cheery papas, THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT is a showcase for its two stars, Oropesa and Brownlee....

BWW Review: OC's Segerstrom Center Presents HARRY POTTER - IN CONCERT
by Michael L. Quintos - November 14, 2016

With the popularity of film screenings paired with live symphony orchestras at an all time high, I'm glad one of the many to get the treatment is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first installment of the 8-film movie franchise adapted from JK Rowling's worldwide best-selling books. What an...

BWW Review: CLASSICAL EXCITEMENT Series Excites Israel's North at The Kiryat Motzkin Theatre Hall
by Ronit Suzan - November 07, 2016

This past Friday night the Kiryat Motzkin Theatre Hall opened its 9th season of the successful classical series 'Classical Excitement', led by music director Gil Shohat, which truly lived up to its distinguished reputation....

BWW Review: Karita Mattila Steals the Show in Janacek's JENUFA at the Met
by Richard Sasanow - November 03, 2016

The opera's called JENUFA, after the unfortunate young woman at the center of its story. But the star of the show at the Met's revival of this soaring musical masterpiece by Janacek is the Kostelnicka of the magnificent Finnish soprano Karita Mattila....

BWW Review: An Old-Fashioned Opera Hoedown at Carnegie Hall's Richard Tucker Gala
by Richard Sasanow - November 02, 2016

Returning to Carnegie Hall this year after more than 25 years, the Richard Tucker Gala—celebrating the current winner of the Richard Tucker Award, soprano Tamara Wilson, as well as the life and career of the famed tenor for whom it was named—was a grand night for singing....

BWW Review: Osnes & Fontana Take Part in 'A Lovely Night' at the TILLES CENTER
by Nicholas Pontolillo - October 20, 2016

There is nothing like the resonating echo of instruments tuning on a stage. For me, this sound is a perfect indicator that a fantastic evening is about to occur. This definitely was the case Sunday night at the Tilles Center when I saw A Broadway Romance Starring Tony Award nominees Laura Osnes and ...

BWW Review: SIMON RATTLE RETURNS TO THE PHILADELPHIA at Carnegie Hall
by Peter Danish - October 20, 2016

Simon Rattle is often called 'the one that got away' in Philadelphia - but he's not alone. The Philadelphia Symphony has a rich and storied history of losing great conductors to other institutions. Mr. Rattle is in town conducting a very well received new production of Tristan and Isolde at the Met,...

BWW Review: DEMO: HEROES at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - October 13, 2016

Melding all forms of the arts into a cohesive program is never an easy task. Former New York City Ballet dancer Damian Woetzel is trying to do this with a series called Demo, which brings artists from the worlds of theatre, dance and opera together on one stage....

BWW Review: On the Road to ALGIERI with Rossini's L'ITALIANA at the Met
by Richard Sasanow - October 11, 2016

When the Met's production of Rossini's L'ITALIANA IN ALGIERI made its debut in 1973, it must have seemed a welcome laugh riot. Think of it as a kind of Hope-Crosby “Road” picture from the '40s. Flip forward 43 years to last week, and the world has changed much--for better and worse--but “The Road to...

BWW Review: Alan Menken Debuts Fresh Retrospective Concert at Segerstrom Center
by Michael L. Quintos - October 10, 2016

The prolific eight-time Academy Award-winning composer---perhaps best known for his decades of unforgettable work in several landmark Disney animated musicals---was on hand to unveil a world premiere concert entitled 'A WHOLE NEW WORLD WITH ALAN MENKEN' on September 30, 2016 at Orange County's Seger...

BWW Review: The Agony and Ecstasy of the Met's New TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
by Richard Sasanow - October 06, 2016

For the sheer magnitude of its singing, there hasn't been anything like the Met's ecstatic new production of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE--seen a week after it opened the season on September 26--in a very long time....

BWW Review: It's CLEOPATRE Meets HAVISHAM at On Site Opera's Benefit
by Richard Sasanow - October 04, 2016

On Site Opera is one of New York's most endearing little companies, under Artistic Director Eric Einhorn, frequently giving us a chance to hear unfamiliar works in congenial settings and get up close and personal with the performers. For its first benefit dinner, the company presented a double bill ...

BWW Review: Keenlyside Returns to Met with a Low-Key DON GIOVANNI
by Richard Sasanow - September 30, 2016

When last seen at the Met , baritone Simon Keenlyside showed off his suave vocalism and superior acting skills in operas based on Shakespeare: He was elegant and intelligent in HAMLET by Ambroise Thomas and a charismatic Prospero in Thomas Ades's THE TEMPEST. He could have picked up on any of those...

BWW Review: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Offers a Bouquet of Musical Delights at Washington National Opera
by Jeffrey Walker - September 28, 2016

Legend has it there were five encores at the triumphant Viennese premiere of Mozart and da Ponte's Le Nozze di Figaro on May 1, 1786. By the same token, Washington National Opera's new production of the effervescent comic opera deserved just as many ovations. Now playing through Sunday, October 2 in...

BWW Review: Duffy Makes WAVES in Mazzoli-Vavrek Premiere at Opera Philadelphia
by Richard Sasanow - September 27, 2016

BREAKING THE WAVES, the stark, brutal new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, had its premiere last week at Opera Philadelphia, with a thrilling score and a star-making turn by soprano Kiera Duffy. Directed by James Darrah, the gripping production doesn't let anyone off easy, including the aud...

BWW Review: The MAESTRO Returns at 59E59
by Peter Danish - September 21, 2016

Hershey Felder's 'MAESTRO' returns to NYC triumphantly....