New Look!

The blog was looking a little dated and haphazard. I decided to update it to one of the more modern dynamic templates and to give it a richer feel. I hope the new look improves the experience of viewing the blog. I am certainly open to any comments!

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La donna è mobile

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No, this post is not about Rigoletto . In fact, this is a review of the Met's rebroadcast of last year's Carmen . I was, all in all, blown away by the production. I will supply this caveat to that statement however: the last time I attended Carmen the production was overall abhorrent. The woman playing Carmen , Jossie Pérez, in addition to being gorgeous, did an excellent job (as she did playing Maddalena in Rigoletto , on which occasion I had the honor of meeting her). Overall however, the rest of the cast was uninspired and vocally troubled, the production didn't have a lot of pizazz, and the choice to reset the show in Cuba didn't really succeed. Thus, I'm predisposed to find this performance better. However, Elīna Garanča far surpassed even Jossie Pérez in her interpretation of the title role. Overall, this performance can best be described as having incredible presence. The character's came to life, the emotions were in your face, the sultriness of the w...
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Wiener Staatsoper Review: Eugene Onegin

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This marked my first foray into live Russian opera. I performed in Smetana's Czech The Bartered Bride , though the text was sung in English. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin ( Евгений Онегин/Yevgény Onégin ). Unfortunately, I found the performance to be, overall, relatively emotionally flat, saved in part by an outstanding performance by Pavol Breslik as Lensky in the second act. First, general information and synopsis followed by cast list:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Onegin_(opera) EUGEN ONEGIN | Peter I. Tschaikowski Louis Langrée |  Dirigent Falk Richter |  Regie Katrin Hoffmann |  Bühne Martin Kraemer |  Kostüme Joanna Dudley |  Choreographie Carsten Sander |  Licht Shugo Ikoh |  Regieassistenz Agnes Hasun |  Bühnenbildasistenz   Olga Guryakova |  Tatjana, Tochter von Larina Markus Eiche |  Eugen Onegin Pavol Breslik |  Lensky, Dichter Ain An...
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