Review: Dizzying Night at the Met with Grigorian's Splendiferous BUTTERFLY in House Debut
Those of us who keep an eye on the comings and goings of singers at major opera houses around the world, have known that Friday’s debutant, Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, was going to be one to watch. And it was. No worries about whether her voice would translate from Europe’s smaller houses to the Met’s enormous hall: Grigorian may have been singing Puccini’s Cio-Cio-San/Madama Butterfly this time around, but she’s a well-schooled Lady Macbeth and Turandot as well, bringing a notably large voice with her. She survived the Met’s notoriously short rehearsal time for revivals (particularly for the second cast of the season). Lastly, she even made it through the final curveball, when tenor Jonathan Tetelman became ill and standby Chad Shelton had to take over as Pinkerton; he did well considering the circumstances, but he was no match for her.
Review: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, Royal Opera House
Albery’s revival of his Flying Dutchman simply works: with a great cast and a smooth atmosphere created by a dreamlike ship-inspired set, it all builds towards a Gesamtkunstwerk that Wagner might have enjoyed himself. A great success, all around.
Review: When Akhmetshina's CARMEN Is On Stage at The Met, Don't Fence Her In
Sometimes you hear a singer who embodies a role so completely that it’s hard to imagine her in anything else. That’s how I felt about the wonderful mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina, who’s singing the title role in the Met’s new production of Bizet’s CARMEN, which I saw at its second performance. Her portrayal was as full-bodied as her voice and she sizzled, filling up the stage as much as one can imagine. It’s little surprise that she’s considered the Carmen of the moment, having appeared in seven other productions (with two to come).