Così fantastic: Mozart at Tanglewood

Amitai Pati (Ferrando), Meigui Zhang (Despina), Elliot Madore (Guglielmo), Patrick Carfizzi

Kate Lindsey (Dorabella), Meigui Zhang (Despina) and Nicole Cabell (Fiordiligi)

Nicole Cabell (Fiordiligi) and Amitai Pati (Ferrando)

By Kevin Wells, 18 July 2023

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“this Don Alfonso is much more than the traditional avuncular “philosopher” of past productions”

Reviewed at Tanglewood, Koussevitzky Music Shed, Lenox on 15 July 2023

Mozart, Così fan tutte (Semi-staged)

Andris Nelsons, Conductor

James Darrah Black, Director

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Nicole Cabell, Fiordiligi

Kate Lindsey, Dorabella

Amitai Pati, Ferrando

Elliot Madore, Guglielmo

Patrick Carfizzi, Don Alfonso

Mei Gui Zhang, Despina

Pintscher’s Das kalte Herz premieres at Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Elena Luporini, 14th January

On a snowy January evening, the premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s new opera Das kalte Herz fails to warm up the Berlin public.

**111

Opera Philadelphia's La Voix humaine is a portrait of a lady on fire

Cameron Kelsall, 23rd September

Stripped of melodramatic excess, soprano Patricia Racette and director James Darrah craft a portrait of a desperate, lonely woman that is uncomfortably, thrillingly human.

****1

Boston Lyric Opera falls into strange intersections with Glass and Poe

Kurt Gottschalk, 29th January

Director James Farrah and writer Raúl Santos' realization of Glass’ Fall of the House of Usher is a work of unbridled creativity, an engrossing film which might have benefited from a bridle.

****1

Forsythe a truly overwhelming Semele at Festival O

Susan Gould, 19th September

James Darrah stages Handel's sensual oratorio for Festival O, a feast of wonderful singing.

****1

Handel's Alcina in Karlsruhe: a great production with great singing

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd February

Handel's Alcina at the Karlsruhe 2019 Handel Festival scores on all fronts, with two Australians taking the main roles.

****1

Ne quittez pas: A reimagined La Voix humaine in Philadelphia

Susan Gould, 23rd September

Chaotic staging detracts from imaginative pairing of Poulenc's songs with his one-act, one-performer opera.

***11

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Kevin Wells

Kevin Wells was bitten by the opera bug at 10, having heard a 1936 recording of Jussi Björling singing “Che gelida manina”. He has never been the same since. A student of voice, performance practice, the history of singing and opera, he holds advanced degrees in Italian and has lived and worked in Italy off and on since the 70s. La Scala became a second home as the Met had been during college daze. Now in his native Boston, he works as translator, tutor, and language coach, haunts Symphony Hall, and would haunt the Opera House had it not been demolished in 1958!