On the other hand some of Copland’s ‘clever’ academic piano works leave me cold. They belong in that trendy- era grouping, where sheer complexity in music construction was deemed, as having produced ‘simply a masterpiece’. To try and out do Elliot Carter in technical demands, was the norm.

Every listener is entitled to their taste, of course. I am certain, a majority of Americans today if given to hear a Fischer-Dieskau recording of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle would recoil in horror and turn it off before the first five minutes. That does not mean this opera is not a masterpiece.

The central weak point of this review is the critic’s measure of contemporary operatic success, namely, that an opera should “entertain” audiences. Heaven help us if operas get produced according to audience focus groups, Hollywood blockbuster style. There isn’t anything wrong with entertainment, but all great opera composers, of whatever era, have aimed for something deeper than mere “entertainment” in writing their greatest scores.

And I will bet you any amount that Flanigan does not feel “cursed” at all for being in demand as an interpreter of contemporary operas.

I enjoyed reading your review.

I like that you devoted some space to the history of the piece, background on the composer, comments on the actual performance, and placing all of this in City Opera’s current position.

It was very interesting to read and really answered all the questions I would have wanted to ask a person who had attended the performance. What more can you ask for?

It gets a five acorn rating.

Thank you for this piece and thank you for telling it like it is regarding the New York composers north of Soho.
My husband wants to hear Esther and I will refer him to your excellent review>

I loved the ‘CASTRATA DIVA’! Infatti!

I remember loving her in this aria…it’s still damn impressive.

She’s also a Doctor!

It was when you used the term “historical pageant” that I jumped–I had the same exact thought over the somewhat simplistic, old-fashioned libretto. Characters introduced themselves to the audience–”Ian Haman, King Xerses’ Chief Minister. I have a wife and many sons for continuity of leadership” or whatever.

But I thought the libretto much more interesting for its premise than for its language–The Persian Holocaust that never happened was an obvious stand-in for the Nazi Holocaust that did, the difference being Esther’s growth and development to the point where she was willing to put her life on the line to protect those marked for extermination, whereas very few in Germany were willing to stand up and try to stop things.

I did not think Esther a failure, although I think think it was Atonalism-Lite. And it might have been better off sung in Akkadian or Chaldean rather than what what we did get.

I haven’t yet been able to hear this outing, but the three other reviews I’ve read raved about the orchestra’s mastery of the piece. Hmm.

or Ell May Clampett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AypH6ZKgq64

While i’m not seeing this until next weekend, and even with your numerous (very neatly stated) misgivings..I’m still looking forward to it..BUT, yours was certainly a well written and informative critique-one of the better -written reviews I’ve read in a while