Lust, revenge and an interesting mingling of styles

By Robert Levine, 07 March 2015

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“shrugged shoulders give way to sheer entertainment”

Reviewed at BAM: Howard Gilman Opera House, New York City on 4 March 2015

Handel, Semele (US première)

Canadian Opera Company

Christopher Moulds, Conductor

Zhang Huan, Director, Set Designer

Han Feng, Costume Designer

Jane Archibald, Semele

Hilary Summers, Ino, Juno

Kyle Ketelsen, Somnus, Cadmus

Lawrence Zazzo, Athamas

Katherine Whyte, Iris

Colin Ainsworth, Jupiter

Canadian Opera Company Orchestra

Amchok Gompo Dhonup, Throat Singer

Werther oozes quiet despair in new Canadian Opera Company staging

John Gilks, 7th May

Excellent performances cannot turn a conventional production of Massenet’s Werther into a dramatic experience for the 21st century.

***11

Lepage’s Bluebeard and Erwartung pairing remains compelling theatre

John Gilks, 25th April

Some 30 years after its first appearance, Robert Lepage’s double bill of Duke Bluebeards Castle and Erwartung is still strikingly effective and very modern-looking music theatre.

*****

Canadian Opera Company’s Barber proves as fresh as ever

John Gilks, 5th February

The Barber is back in Toronto with an excellent cast, young and old, and it’s as lively, colourful and energetic as ever.

****1

Christopher Alden’s Rigoletto returns to Canadian Opera Company

Michelle Assay, 28th January

Christopher Alden’s Victorian-era Rigoletto still divides opinions, despite top-notch performances all around in this Toronto revival.

***11

Canadian Opera's Orfeo returns elegant, restrained and very satisfying

John Gilks, 9th October

The restrained beauty of Robert Carsen’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is matched by musical elegance in its revival current revival at the Four Seasons Centre.

*****

Canadian Opera Company opens season with Roméo et Juliette

John Gilks, 27th September

Amy Lane’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at the COC is eye-catching and enjoyable but doesn’t offer the same level of insight as her Faust last season.

***11

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Robert Levine

Robert T. Levine is a New York born-and-bred music writer with a particular interest in music for the voice. His work has appeared in many periodicals and newspapers. He is the author of many books, including The Story of the Orchestra, four volumes in the Black Dog & Leventhal Opera Library, and, most recently, Maria Callas: A Musical Biography.

Semele at BAM: Lust, revenge and an interesting mingling of styles