Béatrice et Bénédict is a charmingly complicated relationship in Boston

By Susan Blood, 27 October 2011

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Reviewed at Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston on 21 October 2011

Berlioz, Béatrice et Bénédict

Opera Boston

Gil Rose, Conductor

David Kneuss, Director

Sean Panikkar, Bénédict

Julie Boulianne, Béatrice

Heather Buck, Héro

Kelley O'Connor, Ursule

Robert Honeysucker, Don Pedro

Maria Padilla Claims Her Crown At Opera Boston

Susan Blood, 6th May

Donizetti's Maria Padilla is a canvas for sumptuous costumes, regal staging and bel canto voices. The royal court, the wedding finery and the homes of Spanish nobility add up to a visual feast. Even without all this, the opera stands up musically. While some operas benefit (or are saved) by a grand production, Maria Padilla passes the “in the car” test.

The Other Side of Tosca

Raisa Massuda, 20th September

Even though, unlike most American opera lovers, I am not a big fan of Puccini’s music, Tosca has a very special place in my heart. Set to the most heartbreaking and overwhelmingly beautiful music, this story of a classical love triangle ending in the three deaths never gets too old or too boring.

*****

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Weinberg’s The Passenger at Dutch National Opera

Clare Varney, 17th April

Tobias Kratzer's 2024 Munich production makes its way to Amsterdam, proving that Weinberg's opera has the power to transfix.

****1

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Susan Blood

Susan's experience includes art school administration, gallery management, music publicity and journalism which you can find in print and online with her blog here. As a reviewer she has attended theater, opera, ballet and symphony all her life and loves having the opportunity to share it with others.