Category Archives: Opera

Guth Ideas to save Figaro

The Canadian Opera Company have revived Claus Guth‘s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro that they presented to us in 2016, this time with a slightly different cast and conductor. The three and a half hours fly by on … Continue reading

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Best of 2022

I enjoy recalling the best moments of the past 12 months. There’s a fork in the road, however. One pathway leads towards that which is truly “new”, while the other relies on what we’ve seen before. Need I mention, the … Continue reading

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TOT: Revenge of the Tenors

This afternoon the Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (or The Bat) opened to a sold-out audience at the St Lawrence Centre. It’s sometimes called “The revenge of the bat” although today I was inclined to think … Continue reading

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Mother Sorrow: workshop December 9th

I was privileged to observe an open rehearsal of a new creation titled “Mother Sorrow.” The creative team is large, but I should mention director & choreographer Jennifer Nichols, Composer and music director Adam Scime and librettist (combining new words … Continue reading

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Simon Banks’ Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World

For me Christmas came early, when I got my hands on Simon Banks’ new book Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World. I mention that because this is the ideal gift for anyone you know who loves opera or who … Continue reading

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Pre-Democracy with Lucio Silla

I had an epiphany watching today’s presentation of Lucio Silla from Opera in Concert in the St Lawrence Centre. In my review of the opening night of Hannah Moscovitch’s Post-Democracy (that opened at the Tarragon Theatre last Thursday) I included … Continue reading

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Holst’s Neptune and Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude

I’ve just noticed something concerning Gustav Holst’s Planets suite. You’ve probably heard that Holst did not mean planets in the sense of astronomy but rather to be more of a meditation on the astrological significance of each planet. His seven … Continue reading

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Orpheus in the Underworld

Toronto Operetta Theatre opened their production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld tonight, directed & designed by Guillermo Silva-Marin, and the familiar music conducted by Larry Beckwith. In a month when the opera stages are showing two divas murdered by … Continue reading

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COC Carmen Opens

I saw and heard opening night of the Canadian Opera Company’s Carmen tonight at the Four Seasons Centre, a revival of Joel Ivany’s 2016 production. It’s a wonderful take on a well-known work with a very original approach to the … Continue reading

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Ernesto and Luciano: similar yet different

It was forty years ago. I was in New York on my honeymoon, seeking a ticket to see the Metropolitan Opera (even a scalper if necessary). But I found tickets at the box office, 7th row (if my memory doesn’t … Continue reading

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