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
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).
Rossini Maometto Secondo at Garsington Opera - David Parry speaks
Garsington Opera at Wormsley is producing the British premiere of Giacomo Rossini´s Maometto Secondo. Garsington Opera is well-known for its role in reviving Rossini rarities in Britain. Since 1994, there have been 14 productions of 12 Rossini operas, and David Parry has conducted eleven since 2002. He´s very enthusiastic about Maometto Secondo.
Michele Mariotti conducts La donna del lago
Rossini’s La donna del Lago at the Royal Opera House boasts a superstar cast. Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez are perhaps the best in these roles in the business at this time. Yet the conductor Michele Mariotti is also hot news.
Kate Lindsey at Glyndebourne
It would seem a logical step for the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey to take on the role of the Composer in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.
Douglas Boyd on Garsington Opera at Wormsley
“Aim for excellence”, says Douglas Boyd, new Artistic Director of Garsington Opera at Wormsley, “and the audience will follow you”.
A Chat with Aida Designer Zandra Rhodes
When I spoke with Zandra Rhodes, she was in her large San Diego workspace, which she described as having walls decorated with her own huge black and white drawings.
An Interview with Virginia Zeani
Palm Beach audiences are famous for their glamour, but in recent years a special star has sparkled amid the jewels, sequins, feathers and furs (whatever the weather).
Bel Canto Queen Jessica Pratt
When the soprano Jessica Pratt first arrived in Italy, she had yet to learn the language or sing in a staged opera.
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