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Season 2
Gounod's last opera closely follows Shakespeare's story. Netrebko and Alagna both shine here, Alagna in the role of Romeo which was one of his earliest successes nearly 15 years
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Gounod's last opera closely follows Shakespeare's story. Netrebko and Alagna both shine here, Alagna in the role of Romeo which was one of his earliest successes nearly 15 years earlier. Music highights include the 2nd Act 'Balcony scene,' the 4th Act wedding night, Juliet's "Poison Aria" and of couse the scene in the Capulets' tomb. Have extra kleenex on hand for the final moments.
An updated staging of the classic children's fairy tale, re-imagined to a modern, industrialized era. The witch's kitchen is a spic-and-span nightmare, complete with electric
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An updated staging of the classic children's fairy tale, re-imagined to a modern, industrialized era. The witch's kitchen is a spic-and-span nightmare, complete with electric appliances, and a gas-range oven with see-through glass doors. One can only hope it is of the self-cleaning variety.
Alan Held as Father and Philip Langridge as the witch both stand out here but in the end it lacks charm and the second act just doesn't make much sense.
A coven of witches tells fortunes: Macbeth will be king one day, but his guard, Banquo, will father kings. Lady Macbeth likes this idea, so they move the agenda along by murdering King
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A coven of witches tells fortunes: Macbeth will be king one day, but his guard, Banquo, will father kings. Lady Macbeth likes this idea, so they move the agenda along by murdering King Duncan, and then, oh-what-the-heck, Banquo too. Macbeth is crowned King, and Lady Macbeth hosts a celebration dinner for him. But when the dead Banquo unexpectedly crashes the party, the trouble starts... Verdi's treatment follows Shakespeare closely, although this production updates it to modern times.
It's "Co-Dependency, the Musical !" and it was Puccini's first big hit. Manon can't decide between love or money, so she tries to keep both, and ends up with neither. When her wealthy
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It's "Co-Dependency, the Musical !" and it was Puccini's first big hit. Manon can't decide between love or money, so she tries to keep both, and ends up with neither. When her wealthy and aristocratic benefactor finds her in bed - with younger Chevalier des Grieux - she is arrested and deported to America. Hot-headed and desperate, the Chevalier pursues her. Notable aria in Act 3 sums it all up: "Pazzo son!" (translation: "Look at me, I'm crazy...") No arguments here.
The eccentric fisherman Peter Grimes is a bit of a loner, and he's got problems: for starters, he has trouble keeping his apprentices alive. If they don't slip off the edge of the
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The eccentric fisherman Peter Grimes is a bit of a loner, and he's got problems: for starters, he has trouble keeping his apprentices alive. If they don't slip off the edge of the cliffs nearby, then they disappear under mysterious circumstances, or wash up on shore somehow; something bad always happens to them. In the absence of any OSHA laws, or the Children's Protective Services, the local townspeople convene to conduct an inquest on their own. Mob mentality wins again.
A minimalist staging which puts the focus on the singers and the music. Tenor Robert Dean Smith was brought in at the last minute to fill in for the ailing tenor, and he steals the
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A minimalist staging which puts the focus on the singers and the music. Tenor Robert Dean Smith was brought in at the last minute to fill in for the ailing tenor, and he steals the show. Wagner's opera is one of the most challenging to stage, as there isn't much action; it's an abstract presentation of love, betrayal, jealousy, and death. One of the most famous passages in all of Western music sums it up: the Liebestod (the Love-Death) sung by Isolde in the concluding moments of the opera.
Puccini's perennial favorite, usually so tender and touching, intimate and heartbreaking, is finally brought to you LIVE on the BIG SCREEN in screaming Hi-DEF SuperSonic technicolor with
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Puccini's perennial favorite, usually so tender and touching, intimate and heartbreaking, is finally brought to you LIVE on the BIG SCREEN in screaming Hi-DEF SuperSonic technicolor with a CAST of THOUSANDS and a Real, Live, Military MARCHING BAND. Say farewell to taste and sensitivity; hello to needless excess and hyperbole: the principal cast is all but lost in the crowd in Act II.
This is a jewel. Just about perfect in every way, and an example of how an old but goodie can be updated without being baffling or fighting against the music. Kudos to director Laurent
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This is a jewel. Just about perfect in every way, and an example of how an old but goodie can be updated without being baffling or fighting against the music. Kudos to director Laurent Pelly and the entire cast. Juan Diego Florez and Natalie Dessay shine with vocal highlights every time. An updated production which sticks to the story, respects the music, and allows the performers to take the stage.
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