parterre box

You can tell a lot about someone from their garage sale. You can tell what’s important to them. You can tell where they’ve been and who they are., what their priorities are and the kind of people they associate with: all sorts of things.

I learned a lot about the New York City Opera from their online auction a few weeks ago.   Read more »

There’s something charming and almost irresistible about early Verdi opera. I always equate it to seeing a grade school test from Albert Einstein. All of the genius is there, but it’s just starting to take root and thrive.

Oberto, being Verdi’s first opera, is just about as early as early Verdi gets. Written in 1839, the opera is abundant with  ensembles, choruses, duets and arias to keep audiences simulated. You can even hear the snippets of music that would a few years later become La traviata or Il trovatore or Aida. It’s unmistakably Verdi and 100% original.   Read more »

As an opera, La Traviata is defined by its characters. There isn’t necessarily a cookie-cutter mold when or how the action needs to take place, but you need strong central characters in this piece if you want a successful production. This doesn’t mean that every Violetta all over the world has to be done the same way, but it does mean that Violetta has to be an important and compelling presence, as does Alfredo and his father.

In the 2012 production of La Traviata by Opera Australia directed by Francesca Zambello, characters are clearly defined and multifaceted. Too bad these characters aren’t the main ones. Read more »