Pack a picnic for Gotham Chamber Opera's La hija de Rappaccini

By Stephen Raskauskas, 19 June 2013

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Reviewed at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York City on 17 June 2013

Catán, La hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini's Daughter)

Gotham Chamber Opera

Neal Goren, Conductor

Rebecca Taichman, Director

Elaine Álvarez, Soprano

Jessica Grigg, Mezzo-soprano

Daniel Montenegro, Tenor

Brian Downen, Tenor

Eric Dubin, Baritone

Ariana Wyatt, Soprano

Cassandra Zoé Velasco, Mezzo-soprano

Nora Graham-Smith, Mezzo-soprano

A fresh, funny Martinů double bill

Richard Peters, 14th October

Gotham Chamber Opera's current double bill of Bohuslav Martinů's Alexandre bis and Comedy on the Bridge prove that an opera company doesn’t need to be the biggest in town to be the most innovative.

****1

The Raven is a riveting start to the NY Phil Biennial

Rebecca Lentjes, 28th May

Conducted by Neal Goren, the musicians breathed across and blew notelessly into their instruments, creating layers of sounds that grew ever more intriguing as the repetition of the word “nevermore” grew ever more sinister.

****1

Cavalli goes disco in Gotham Chamber Opera's Eliogabalo

Zerbinetta, 23rd March

Describing its new production of Francesco Cavalli’s 1668 opera Eliogabalo, the Gotham Chamber Opera compares the exploits of titular depraved Roman emperor Heliogabalus to Salome. There’s an obvious mistake here: Salome is an opera; Heliogabalus was a historical figure.

***11

Nico Muhly's Dark Sisters make strange company at Gotham Chamber Opera

Amanda Keil, 12th November

The barely legal lives of women in polygamous marriages may seem like fertile ground for an opera. Dark Sisters, composed by Nico Muhly with a libretto by Stephen Karam, has many attractive moments in music and story, yet demonstrates the difficulties of drawing art from life.

Opera Phila's Dark Sisters powerfully illuminates female suffering

Gale Martin, 10th June

The plight of women trapped in plural marriage—one husband with multiple wives—glowed like a firebrand on the Perelman Theater stage on Sunday. Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Dark Sisters, in co-production with Gotham Chamber Opera and the Music-Theatre Group, is OCP’s final offering of the 2011-12 season.

*****

Irish National Opera’s new Rusalka intrigues more than it convinces

Andrew Larkin, 22nd March

Netia Jones’ modern reimagining intrigues more than it convinces, but still makes a strong case for Dvořák’s dark fairy tale.

***11

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Stephen Raskauskas

Stephen Raskauskas is passionate about the performing arts. As a performer, he has collaborated on productions acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and Huffington Post. He has received numerous fellowships and awards, and holds degrees in music from the University of Chicago and Princeton University.