The pleasure of parody: delightful Opera seria

By Hilary Stroh, 17 July 2016

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“I haven’t heard an audience laugh more at an opera ever. Period.”

Reviewed at Wolf Trap, Vienna on 15 July 2016

Gassmann, L'opera seria

Wolf Trap Opera

Eric Melear, Conductor

Matthew Ozawa, Director

Charlie Corcoran, Set Designer

Sally Dolembo, Costume Designer

Richard Ollarsaba, Fallito

Jonas Hacker, Delirio

Clarissa Lyons, Stonatrilla

Mané Galoyan, Smorfiosa

Alasdair Kent, Ritornello

Amy Owens, Porporina

Christian Zaremba, Passagallo

Talin Nalbandian, Caverna

Thomas Glass, Bragherona

Jeanne Ireland, Befana

Rossini's The Touchstone triumphs at Wolf Trap

Hilary Stroh, 23rd June

Wolf Trap Opera delivers high camp Rossini true to the composer.

****1

Summer migration for Emerging Artists at Wolf Trap

Hilary Stroh, 7th August

Emerging talent to watch in Wolf Trap's summer production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

Canadian Opera Company opens season with a Fidelio for our time

Michelle Assay, 29th September

A massive rotating cube, CCTV, an immigrants’ detention centre: Fidelio returns to the Toronto stage with a visually arresting production full of contemporary resonances.

***11

A strongly cast Nabucco opens at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Dan Wang, 23rd January

The Lyric Opera put together the best-sounding première of the year so far, in which singers, chorus and the orchestra all began with astonishing confidence and only improved from there.

****1

Petrenko and Serebrennikov forge a new Ring in Salzburg

Phillip Richter, 1st April

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s much-anticipated return to Salzburg gets off to an impressive musical start. Kirill Serebrennikov’s staging raises numerous questions, but answers few of them.

****1

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera brings Spanish to the Lyric Opera

Graham Meyer, 29th March

The Lyric Opera of Chicago's presentation of El último sueño de Frida y Diego brings the Mexican artists to life... or at least a life reminiscent of their real ones.

****1

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Hilary Stroh

Hilary is an independent scholar and academic historian, based in DC. She has a background in violin, piano and ballet. Educated at Dublin and Cambridge, she has recently published her first two books.

The pleasure of parody: delightful Opera seria at Wolf Trap