The Passion of Opera

Over the past two weeks I had the wonderful opportunity to return to Vienna, where I studied in 2011 and posted many of the reviews on this blog. While I was there, I attended three more operas at the Wiener Staatsoper, bringing my standing room total there to 29 operas (and one Volksoper opera - for 30 standing room operas in Vienna): Puccini's La boheme , Massenet's Werther , and Strauss' Elektra . All three were excellent, particularly the latter two. Upon my return to the United States last week, I immediately was at a performance of the revised version of Philip Glass' Appomattox . This performance was also quite interesting for me, as it is the second Glass opera I have seen and very different from his Satyagraha  in London. As a bonus: a quick review of a concert by The Tenors (formerly The Canadian Tenors) performing one man down. Reviews will be shorter than a standard review, but the performances raised a few interesting points I want to record. Vienna ...

Last month we took a look at Washington National Opera’s first-ever production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle . While such a momentous undertaking does take up a large amount of the company’s time and money, it is not the only thing on the docket for the season. Here’s a look at the other shows upcoming over the next several months. First up is Bizet’s Carmen , September 19-October 3. It is a safe bet for the company, though, with famous showstoppers such as the Habanera, “ L’amour est un oiseau rebelle , ” and the Toreador song, “ Votre toast! ,” both of which have made their way into popular culture with their instantly recognizable tunes. The next show up is Appomattox , November 14-22. As an opera by Philip Glass, this show fits into the style of minimalism popularized in the 20 th century. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Glass is known for writing music that is highly cyclical, repeating themes hundreds of times with slight modification time after time...