Which side story? Which side story?

Vivacious performances outweigh a host of odd directorial choices in the Washington National Opera‘s
West Side Story

Girl of summer Girl of summer

parterre box looks forward to the official start of summer tomorrow with a wistfully pointed performance of Samuel Barber‘s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” by soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha

Miracle on 64th Street Miracle on 64th Street

Only connect! So sayeth E.M. Forster (via Margaret Wilcox) in Howard’s End.

Out of the Blue Out of the Blue

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.

Summer of the mezzo Summer of the mezzo

August on “Trove Thursday” begins with Midsummer Mezzo Madness featuring a sterling quartet of lower-voiced ladies

You were revived, you know You were revived, you know

The merits of Candide—Leonard Bernstein‘s musically glimmering yet dramatically awkward comic operetta based on Voltaire’s novella – are on ravishing display at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Peace offering

I have to be honest, when I first got this CD from Cieca cara I thought, “What the fuck did I get myself into?”  My assignment was to review the new Naxos recording of Leonard Bernstein‘s Mass. I did this show 10 years ago in school and it was not a happy experience. So, at…

I am not a hit

The world needs a lot of things: health care, happiness, homo marriages, peace, prosperity and butterflies. What it doesn’t need is a mediocre “budget” recording of a contemporary opera already satisfactorily recorded with the original cast.