Music

Opera Review – Canadian Opera Company/La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini

This COC production of La Bohème first saw the light of day in 2013.  While original stage director John Caird’s vision has its problems, musically, both the singing and conducting in this revival are glorious. Puccini operas need the big voices that produce goosebumps, and there are several of note in this production. Italian maestro […]

Opera Review – The Glenn Gould School Opera/The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart

There are student performances, and then there are student performances. At the Glenn Gould School, the students are mostly in their twenties and are on a career track. One expects both the singers and the orchestra to be at near professional level, and musically, the performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute did not disappoint. It […]

Opera Review: Canadian Opera Company, Eugene Onegin

Review – Canadian Opera Company, Eugene Onegin by P.I. Tchaikovsky, conducted by Johannes Debus, directed by Robert Carsen, designed by Michael Levine, Four Seasons Centre, Sept. 30 to Nov. 3, 2018. I actually saw this production when it debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1997, and I thought it was brilliant – a magical blend […]