David Fox
Has anything positive happened to the performing arts since the plague engulfed us nearly ten months ago?
By David Fox
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A particularly heartbreaking aspect of the pandemic shutdown has, of course, been helplessly watching rising artists have their careers plunged into indefinite silence. But for a few bold souls who are willing to try new things, the moment has also opened doors.
By David Fox
AVA met the challenge with a delightful, if necessarily truncated, video recital that allowed each singer to participate in the now-familiar Zoom platform.
By David Fox
Somewhere in all of this, I decided it was time to try Callas.
By David Fox
Who could doubt that Leontyne Price contains multitudes?
By David Fox
My introduction to the work was the Angel LP from 1964 with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and George Szell… and yes, I’m aware that it’s a performance that tends to divide rooms.
By David Fox
Today is Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday, and it’s not going as planned.
By David Fox
It was love at first hearing. The music was glorious, the conducting bouncy and pointed, and the singers sure sounded terrific to me.
By David Fox
If you want to be sophisticated, drink a cocktail while listening to this particular record.
By David Fox
Bess is clearly Angel Blue’s part—set in the richest and most shimmering upper middle portion of her voice, and optimally suited to her persona.
By David Fox
Time heals almost everything, as Jerry Herman’s best score is stylishly resurrected.
By David Fox
Dolly definitely did not have me at Hello!
By David Fox
Donizetti’s La Favorite remains a relative rarity in the repertoire, especially in the original French version.
By David Fox
Pretty is its own reward.
By David Fox
I’ve heard starrier performances, but none that made a more powerful case for this masterwork.
By David Fox
Joyce DiDonato’s take on Winterreise is a conceptual misstep that, song after song, frustratingly dilutes and distracts from an often rewarding musical performance.
By David Fox
Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, always with a gift for gab, is ever more loquacious in concerts, often talking directly to the audience.
By David Fox
The Berta (mezzo-soprano Emily Damasco) runs away with the show.
By David Fox
Love in Hate Nation is a little musical that could and can… and I sure as hell hope it does!
By David Fox
Since 1934, Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts has been preparing emerging artists for operatic careers.
By David Fox
As we also saw last year, Festival O19 ended on a sweetly quiet note, movingly connecting Opera Philadelphia with the larger city and our musical future.
By David Fox
For the academics who may be reading this: Let Me Die exists in a confounding but intriguing interpretive liminal space.
By David Fox
Employing the most slimly elegant resources, Festival O’s Denis & Katya is a monumental, dramatically shattering event.
By David Fox
