Someone once told me that you can tell how fantastic a music festival is if the number of bands you wished you could have seen is equally as long as the groups you did get to see. This rule certainly applies to the BAM Next Wave Festival. The list of what I wish I could…
Category: opera
the loser
This is how “preaching to the choir” might look, I thought, as I sat in the mezzanine, completely enthralled by the story that baritone, Rod Gilfry — who was terrific in Anna Nicole — sang to us last night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This was the world premiere of David Lang’s opera, the loser, based on…
The Hubble Cantata
The stars were certainly out in Brooklyn last night. I mean gazillions of stars — more stars than I have ever seen here in our light-polluted city. In fact, I felt like I was floating through the cosmos. I could see infinite space in every direction. There were shooting stars, and I even watched the birth of a star in…
La Double Coquette
I was lucky enough to catch the New York Premiere of La Double Coquette at Montclair State University this past weekend. Wow. Il était merveilleux! It was part of the university’s Peak Performances series, which consistently presents an exciting season of productions each year. The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in Montclair joined Peak Performances…
Elektra
Last fall, well into the already busy cultural season, I saw a production of Antigone at BAM. Today, as the season is winding down, I spent an afternoon immersed in another of Sophokles’ tragedies: Elektra. This version was the 1909 opera by Richard Strauss, as staged by the late Patrice Chéreau at the Metropolitan Opera….
Les Fêtes Vénitiennes
I admit it, this was the performance I was most looking forward to this spring at BAM: I saw Les Fêtes Vénitiennes on Thursday evening. Wow! It was thrilling. It was funny. It was lush. It was over the top. It was everything I love about French Baroque opéra-ballet. William Christie and Les Arts Florissants are always exciting to experience. I was lucky to have…
Roberto Devereux
I woke up to a beautiful spring day here in Brooklyn. My plans, however, took me to BAM’s Rose Cinema to join the regulars who attend the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD performances. There I staked out my seat well ahead of time (I kid you not, mini turf wars break out regularly) and ate a…
De Materie
I smelled the sheep before I saw them: there was the distinct aroma of barn. (I’m from the Midwest, mind you!) It was last Wednesday evening, and I was entranced by the zeppelin making lazy circles in the cavernous space that is the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory. Soon, I heard…
Manon Lescaut
Well, this is opera, so it won’t surprise you that I found the whole story of Manon Lescaut slightly amusing. I felt especially guilty giggling to myself during Act IV, as poor Manon is dying of thirst and exhaustion in the desert outside of New Orleans. Yes, you read that correctly: A desert in Louisiana….
Lulu
I chose four operas to see during the Metropolitan Opera’s 2015/16 season. This year I decided to see them all live in HD at BAM Rose Cinema because I am particularly interested in the pre-performance lectures. Yesterday I saw my first: Lulu, composed by Alban Berg with Frank Wedekind as librettist. This opera, arguably the…
You Us We All
Take a Baroque court masque (rich with fabulous wigs and costumes — and of course allegorical figures.) Add a heavy dose of pop culture (think Whitney Houston, Andy Warhol video of Edie Sedgwick, silver confetti, balloons.) Sprinkle with absolutely amazing vocals, text, and modern Baroque orchestration. Now shake it hard. Shake it even harder. If…
Hagoromo
What a week of BAM-tastic choral music, live music and dance! It is a privilege to attend such amazing Next Wave Festival performances. For as many shows as I attend, I miss so much (but until we have clones — heaven forbid — I will never be able to experience as many cultural events as…
victoriab:culture 