Relentless, Musically Exceptional: LA Opera's Billy Budd

By Matthew Richard Martinez, 24 February 2014

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“Croft’s steely tenor was lyrical enough to spin Britten’s soaring leaps with a sweet ease.”

Reviewed at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles on 22 February 2014

Britten, Billy Budd

LA Opera

James Conlon, Conductor

Laurissa Chitty, Set Designer

Richard Croft, Captain Vere

Julia Pevzner, Director

Liam Bonner, Billy Budd

Greer Grimsley, John Claggart

Keith Jameson, Novice

Greg Fedderly, Red Whiskers

Matthew O'Neill, Squeak

Patrick Blakewell, Lieutenant Ratcliffe

James Creswell, Dansker

Daniel Sumegi, Mr Flint

Anthony Michaels-Moore, Mr Redburn

La bohème as escapist epic at LA Opera

Néstor Castiglione, 22nd November

Puccini's tale of bohemian love lives on at the Dorothy Chandler as LA Opera launches its 2025-26 season.

****1

LA Opera’s Rigoletto: a feast for the ears – and the mind

Matthew Richard Martinez, 31st May

Quinn Kelsey shines as Verdi’s court jester as Tomer Zvulun's production opens in Los Angeles.

****1

Mozart meets Gatsby in LA Opera’s new Così fan tutte

Laurence Vittes, 8th March

Michael Cavanagh's sleek new production, designed by Erhard Rom and conducted by James Conlon, transforms the 18th-century opera into a Broadway musical, score by Mozart.

****1

Compelling Turandot as LA Opera imports Hockney designs

Matthew Richard Martinez, 18th May

Angela Meade and Russell Thomas provide the vocal fireworks in LA Opera's staging of David Hockney's beloved production designs.

***11

Book of Mountains and Seas reaches the American Pacific

Katherine Syer, 10th April

Time is suspended in Huang Ruo and Basil Twist's meditative, 80-minute stagework, now receiving its West Coast premiere.

****1

LA Opera’s new Traviata lacks fizz

Matthew Richard Martinez, 6th April

Shawna Lucey's production from San Francisco Opera misses the mark as it premieres to a packed Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

*1111

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Matthew Richard Martinez

A professional conductor living in Costa Mesa, California, Matthew received Bachelor of Music and MFA degrees from University of California, Irvine. An avid sports fan, when he’s not conducting or listening to music, he can be found cheering for his hometown San Diego Padres.