AVA's "Pelléas et Mélisande' (2nd review)

Love sacred and profane

The Academy of Vocal Arts' production of Debussy's seldom-performed Pelléas et Mélisande made the most of its slender means in projecting the work's richness. This Wagnerian riposte to Wagner's assertion of the primacy of human passion is only partly realized dramatically, but superbly garbed musically.

Robert Zaller

Mar 06, 2012 · Articles · 8 minute read

Bass-baritone Eric Owens in recital

Not so menacing after all

Eric Owens, so persuasive as an opera villain, demonstrated in an intimate recital that he can be Romantic and even downright comic.

Steve Cohen

Mar 03, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Rock 'n roll: Doomed to disappoint

Locked in to the backbeat: The lure (and limitations) of rock

There's no rock if there's no backbeat. It's the element that teases you into believing any direction is open, any option is possible. Which is a delusion, of course.

Kile Smith

Mar 03, 2012 · Articles · 6 minute read

The Met's "Ernani' in HD-Live

Move over, Joan Sutherland

Anyone who thinks opera today suffers from a dearth of great Verdi singers needs to hear Angela Meade and her fellow soloists in the Met's telecast Ernani.

Steve Cohen

Mar 03, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

AVA's "Pelléas et Mélisande' (1st review)

Giving Pelléas its due

At last— a production of Pelléas et Mélisande that brings out all of the opera's subtlety and intimacy.

Steve Cohen

Feb 28, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

Mendelssohn Club's "Philadelphia Voices'

Made in Philadelphia

In the process of showcasing works by five Philadelphia composers, the Mendelssohn Club and the Network for New Music also introduced a memorable way for choral groups to conclude their concerts.

Tom Purdom

Feb 28, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato (2nd review)

Bring on the Berlioz

Joyce DiDonato, with her pitch-perfect, carefully modulated voice, sounded like one of the instruments— a haunting effect that would not have been possible without the wonderful chemistry between soloist and orchestra.

Feb 28, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Philadelphia Orchestra's Vienna week

Battling over Beethoven's legacy

Spanish maestro Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returned to conduct two eminent Austrians with the Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart in a familiar serenade and the less-often played 25th Piano Concerto, and Brahms in his First Symphony, a work that both looks back to Beethoven and forward to modernism.

Robert Zaller

Feb 26, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato (1st review)

The New York difference

What's the difference between the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra? One has more women, the other has more black and brown faces, as well as a lusher string sound.

Steve Cohen

Feb 25, 2012 · Articles · 2 minute read

Opera Company's "Abduction From the Seraglio'

If you've seen one seraglio….

Mozart's Abduction From the Seraglio resonated at time when Europeans were obsessed with Middle East harems and slave traders. Robert Driver's attempt to set the opera in post-World War I Turkey is only partly successful. The Abduction From the Seraglio. Opera by Mozart; Robert B. Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 26, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.

Steve Cohen

Feb 21, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read