Concert and opera reviews from Southern California.
Like the happy-go-lucky Duke of Mantua in Act II of the opera, the curse was lifted by the opening night and, judging from the winning performance last evening, “Rigoletto” is probably the finest, most compelling show of the current opera season.
Read MoreBychkov’s version of Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 was decidedly not your grandfather’s mellow, good-natured walk in the Bohemian forest. Rather, it was fiery, edgy, dramatic…
Read MoreWhen the 71-year-old pianist André Watts sat down to play, he immediately commanded attention by the sheer scale of the sound he produced – big, bold, effusive.
Read MoreBernstein’s work is a bold liturgical work for the common men, while Beethoven’s Ninth is a quasi-religious paean of universal brotherhood. Together, they formed a musical bond…
Read Morethe main feature of this performance, a video projection of animated objects – some lifelike, some obstract – that interacted with the two soloists as they explored the narratives and dreamlike state of their songs.
Read MoreMTT favored a more astringent sound and clarity of details, but still achieved the same noble and grand results...
Read MoreThis “Orpheus” is a balletomane’s dream. Not only does it feature the Joffrey Ballet, but the singers are asked to play dancers -- Orpheus as choreographer, Eurydice as his prima ballerina wife, Amor as his assistant.
Read MoreWhat’s even more astonishing, they made music together like a well-honed, silk-road smooth ensemble, with nary a hint of egos at play.
Read MoreThe 'street people' chorus, in Christine Crook's psychedelically colorful hippie costumes, were as brutally relentless as McKinny's celebrant was serenely spiritual in his "A Simple Song".
Read MoreTV star Kelsey Grammer sings and speaks the duo role of Dr. Pangloss and Voltaire (narrator) reasonably well for his first foray into opera. Broadway veteran Christine Ebersole is luxury casting as the campy one-buttocked Old Lady.
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