The Passion of Opera

After a lot of international travel and a hiatus from attending many performances, I finally got back into the Kennedy Center for Washington National Opera's production of  Der Ring des Nibelungen , the company's (and city's) first full cycle. I was happy to be able to attend this momentous event, and found the performances, direction, and overall concept gripping. I attended Cycle II. As I've said it similar situations before, this review will necessarily be briefer on each topic than some of my reviews, but hopefully will cover ground across the cycle and provide an overall perspective. Der Ring des Nibelungen Director:  Francesca Zambello Conductor:  Philippe Auguin Set Designer:  Michael Yeargan Costume Designer:  Catherine Zuber Lighting Designer:  Mark McCullough Projection Designers:  S. Katy Tucker and Jan Hartley Movement Director:  Denni Sayers Key *WNO debut ‡ Current Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist ± Former Domingo-Cafritz Youn...

I composed this article, in its original format below, to introduce a different audience to the basics of classical music in D.C. this holiday season. In reality, the recommendations below are probably applicable anywhere, just with different specific groups and performances involved. For the experienced reader, this article may not add much, but it's a good revue of what's out there and will bring joy to anyone, classical music lover or not. The D.C. area offers many options across genres for classical music around the holiday season. Perhaps it bears an important note that the classical music tradition, coming as it did out of Europe, is tied largely to Christian traditions. Nevertheless, the music borne from this background offers both moving and delighting evenings built around stories of universal human value. Perhaps the most iconic classical piece of the season is Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker , replete with charming music that has extended far beyon...

It's been a long time since I've posted here. That's certainly not the intention. I do enjoy blogging about opera, be it in D.C., elsewhere in the U.S., or abroad. That said, work has been quite consuming lately. For other purposes, I did just recently write a sort of "introductory guide" to the Ring Cycle , and thought it would make sense to post it here. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen or, as it’s usually put in English, Ring Cycle , constitutes the most substantial undertaking in the operatic world. It is a “cycle” of four operas, Der Rheingold , Die Walküre , Siegfried , and Götterdämmerung , with every opera except the first clocking in at over five hours in length. Usually, the same cast of stalwart singers performs across all four performances, singing over an orchestra of approximately 100 instruments. It’s been called one of the greatest triumphs of mu...

This was my first time attending Beethoven's Missa Solemnis  in a live performance, a work so often overshadowed by the Beethoven's Sympthony No. 9 , not only throughout history, but on the very night the two premiered simultaneously. Once again, Anne Midgette of the Washington Post offers an insightful review that focuses a great deal on the nature of the work itself; I will focus more on the performance. General information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_solemnis_(Beethoven) Missa solemnis | Ludwig van Beethoven Soprano | Julia Sophie Wagner Mezzo-Soprano | Daniela Mack Tenor | Vale Rideout Bass | Kevin Thompson Violin | Nurit Bar-Josef Conductor | Julian Wachner Washington Chorus & Orchestra Presented in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The ensemble for the evening was led by Julian Wachner, who conducted with an eco...

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!

Versatility At War with Categorization: An Analysis of Singers Known for Singing in Multiple Fächer Introduction [1] Throughout human history categorization has been an incessant endeavor in such diverse disciplines as taxonomy, literature, and art. It has led to great advances, such as the mapping of the human genome, and to atrocities, such as the horrors committed in the name of race or religion. Inevitably tension underlays the process of categorization, as marginal data threatens to undermine the entire schematic. Categorization of singers’ voices, whether in the German system of Fächer or by less formal systems borne out of other nations, is essential to the vocal world. Repertory opera houses use the system to contract singers, singers themselves rely on guidelines for their own Fach in the selection of repertoire, and opera enthusiasts employ the categorizations to assess the attractiveness of performances and to review them. Nevertheless,...