From a musical standpoint, this "Otello" delivered. Considering the opera and its endless musical rewards, that should be enough to warrant the experience. Unfortunately the new production offers nothing new and the new things that it does offer are often distracting and amount to little insightful or emotionally resonant.
The Metropolitan Opera 2015-16 season will open on September 21 with a new production of Verdi's masterpiece "Otello." The work represents the culmination of the famed composer's opus and is one of the most prized works in all of the repertoire.
This "Rake's Progress" is opera at its finest - a modern retelling of a legend brought to life with glorious artists and a strong production. The production gets two more performances and audiences who really want to experience the wonder of the art form in its full beauty will likely not get any other such opportunities at the Met at the present moment.
As the 2014-15 Metropolitan Opera season comes to close, the house will be preparing for its ballet season and later preparing for yet another opening night in September.
Musically, this double bill of "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci" was excellent through and through. And from a visual perspective, the latter work was certainly worth the price of admission. However, there is still a lot to be desired from the Mascagni opera, which makes this night somewhat of a letdown.
All in all, "The Merry Widow" is not only for opera lovers, but also for those who might be interested in something lighter. With its dance numbers and spoken dialogue, the work could be a hit with Broadway lovers as well as those often daunted by the all-consuming power of the medium. The cast was stellar and the orchestra, led by the peerless Fabio Luisi, really connected with audiences on a visceral level.
This "Don Carlo" had tremendous star power to bring Verdi's wondrous drama to visceral life. Despite an often frustrating production, the singers and musicians were on a level that more than made up for its shortcomings.
"Cubanacan" will a major event as it is the first opera in almost 50 years to come out of Cuba. The work is written by Charles Koppelman and composed by Roberto Valera. The production team recently announced that director Charles Chemin was brought into create the vision for the work's premiere.
Chemin has an extensive background in theater and film, but "Cubanacan" will be his first crack at opera. The Frenchman called in from his native country to talk to Latin Post about how he got involved with the project and his vision for bringing Cubanacan to life.
From a vocal perspective, this "Lucia di Lammermoor" is as good as it gets this season at the Met. Every singer brought finesse and true bel canto to every musical number. The production, despite some moments of continued annoyance, is among the most subtly brilliant at the Met in recent years and certainly worth a watch.
The 2014-15 season at the Met is fast approaching its end. And yet, it still has a tremendous amount left in store, starting with this "Manon," which is undoubtedly one of the finest productions of the season. Unfortunately the dramatic genius of Grigolo, Damrau, Villaume and the supporting cast will not be immortalized on the Met's Live in HD series (a true shame), so audiences looking to witness this irresistible chemistry onstage will have to flock to the theater before it ends its run March 28. And there is no doubt that they should. This is as unforgettable as it gets.
"Carmen" is one of the best known operas in the entire cannon and when combined with a terrific cast and great production, it could easily be the best. There is no doubt that the cast assembled for the March 7 performance hit that benchmark in every possible way.
