16 Aug 2007
The Week that Was for Opera: Santa Fe — Dallas — Denver/St Louis — Toronto
The week just ended was certainly of historic moment in the world of North American opera companies.
Recently in Commentary
On The Death of Klinghoffer
This is a revised version of my review of the Sept 5th 1991American premiere of The Death of Klinghoffer, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The opera was first performed at Brussels’ La Monnaie the previous spring.
Dolora Zajick about her Institute for Young Dramatic Voices
"Although there are now more people on this planet than there have ever been before, there are fewer dramatic voices. Something is wrong with that equation. I thought there needs to be some sort of helping hand so that dramatic voices don’t fall through the cracks in the system as they advance through their various stages of development."
The Metropolitan Opera to cancel its Live in HD transmission of John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer scheduled for this fall
Anna Prohaska, one of Europe’s most promising sopranos
Anna Prohaska sings Sister Constance in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Opera House. In the same month, she’s also in London to sing a recital with Eric Schneider at the Wigmore Hall, and to sing Henze with Sir Simon Rattle at the Barbican Hall.
Garsington Opera’s 25th anniversary unites its past with its future
Garsington Opera celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Annapolis Opera’s 26th Annual Vocal Competitions
Baritone Brandon Coleman’s mother, Linda, knew that 3-year old Brandon would be a great singer when a stranger who had heard him, predicted it.
Barbiere Comes to Sin City
Professional opera returns to the Las Vegas Valley June 6th and 8th with performances of one of the best-known comic operas of all time, Gioachino Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Jean-Paul Scarpitta in Montpellier
I met with the embattled artistic director of the Opéra et Orchestre National de Montepellier not to talk about his battles. I simply wanted to know the man who had cast and staged a truly extraordinary Mozart/DaPonte trilogy.
Interview: Tenor Saimir Pirgu — From Albania to Italy to LA
Maria Nockin interviews tenor Saimir Pirgu.
Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor, dies aged 80
Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, former principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, has died aged 80
Matthew Polenzani — Des Grieux, Manon, Royal Opera House
Matthew Polenzani reprises the role of the Chevalier des Grieux in Jules Massenet’s Manon at the Royal Opera House. “I love coming back to London”, he says, “It’s a very good house and they take care of you as a singer. And the level of music making is unbelievably high”.
Season 2014 at San Diego Opera
On Saturday evening January 25, San Diego Opera opens its 2014 season with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s verismo blockbuster Pagliacci (Clowns).
Maestro Joseph Rescigno Discusses The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman is a transitional piece because Wagner was only beginning to establish his style. He took some aspects from Carl Maria von Weber and others from Italian composers like Vincenzo Bellini.
Royal Opera House Announces Digital Theatre
The Royal Opera House has its own DVD arm, Opus Arte, and is developing quite a global following with its cinema broadcasts.
Patricia Racette on Dolores Claiborne
On a personal level, I feel that Dolores is almost like Emmeline grown up. Their circumstances are not exactly parallel, but they are both women at very different points in their lives whose stories involve dilemmas with life-changing outcomes.
Tobias Picker Talks About His New Opera Dolores Claiborne
With the help of Andrew Welch, a London theatrical producer who had adapted several of King’s works for the stage, including this one, I got the rights to both Dolores Claiborne and Misery.
Dolora Zajick on New Opera Written for Her
On September 18, 2013, San Francisco Opera will present the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s opera, Dolores Claiborne, which has a libretto by J. D. McClatchy based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.
Ermonela Jaho — Singing and Character
Ermonela Jaho caused a sensation at Covent Garden in London five years ago, when she took over Violetta at short notice from Anna Netrebko.
Ignite at Wigmore Hall
What do you get if you cross Benjamin Britten, ‘one-page scores’, an innovative performing ensemble and ‘Wigmore Learning’ — the Wigmore Hall’s imaginative outreach programme which aims to provide access to chamber music and song through innovative creative programmes, online resources and events?
Marseille, Capital of European Culture
Marseille woke up this past January 11 stunned to find itself number two on the New York Times list of 46 places you should visit in 2013 (Rio was number one, Paris just made the list at number 46).
OPERA TODAY ARCHIVES »
Commentary
The sudden and sad death of Richard Bradshaw, 63, the English-born head of Canadian Opera, Toronto, who served that company for thirty years and died at Pearson Airport last evening (August 15) while returning from holiday in the Maritimes, is the capstone to an unusual series of events over recent days.
On August 8 announcements came from Santa Fe that Richard Gaddes, long associated with that opera company, and its head since 2001 would leave at the end of the 2008 season, a surprise to many. At the same time Dallas Opera was announcing the departure next month of Karen Stone, their general director for the past four years.
Today, August 16, Opera Colorado at Denver announced the departure of its two top executives, Peter Russell, General Director, who is leaving in two weeks, and James Robinson, Artistic Director, who departs in 2008. It is expected that Robinson will assume the position of artistic head at Opera Theatre of St Louis, vacant since the death of Colin Graham last May. Four top executives and one top artistic administrator in the relatively small world of opera, all named for change within one week. The mind reels! Bradshaw’s position at Toronto was especially imposing, as for 30-years he had labored to build Canadian Opera and had succeeded, not only in developing the Company’s scope and quality, but he last year completed the building of a new opera center, and conducted therein Toronto’s first Wagnerian Ring Cycle. Bradshaw’s historic accomplishments will long be remembered in Toronto.
Santa Fe Opera developed under the direction of its founding manager, John O. Crosby, who was succeeded by Gaddes in 2001. Gaddes previously held other positions at Santa Fe and for ten years was General Director of the opera company in St Louis of which he was a founder. Russell and Stone had briefer tenures with their companies and made lesser records. The new Ellie Caulkins opera house in downtown Denver opened during Russell’s years and was favorably received. In an unusual move, Mrs. Susan Morris, President of the Board of Santa Fe Opera announced in a press release that she would be pleased to receive confidential letters addressed to her at SFO’s New York office, with any comments or suggestions concerning new management at her opera company.
J. A. Van Sant © 2007