Opera Lafayette's minimalistic Actéon conquers the Kennedy Center

By Raisa Massuda, 07 May 2013

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Reviewed at Kennedy Center: Terrace Theater, Washington on 2 May 2013

Charpentier, Actéon

Opera Lafayette

Ryan Brown, Conductor

Seán Curran, Director

Aaron Sheehan, Actéon

Yulia Van Doren, Diane

Orchestra of the Opera Lafayette

Opera Lafayette revives an 18th-century comic gem

Zerbinetta, 26th January

Opera Lafayette has uncovered a fascinating work in their revival of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny’s 1762 comic opera Le roi et le fermier (The King and the Farmer). The Washington, D.C.

****1

Seán Curran Company at the Joyce: Beautiful dancing but few choreographic surprises

Rachel Rizzuto, 31st January

Mr Curran presented two New York premières at the Joyce, both of which had moments of interest and innovation but summarily failed to present a show worthy of my unequivocal recommendation. The first piece, Fireweather, was a partial retelling of Dante’s Inferno and consisted of seven parts.

***11

The Drover's Wife brings Aboriginal Dreaming to opera audiences

Jeremy Eccles, 16th May

Emerging from different incarnations of Leah Purcell’s play, George Palmer’s opera develops traditional Dreaming elements from Aboriginal mythology, premiering in Brisbane.

****1

Orlando revisited: Olga Neuwirth’s Woolf adaptation comes to Berlin

Elena Luporini, 16th May

The German premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Orlando at the Komische Oper cements it as a postmodern grand opéra – for better or for worse.

***11

Anna Netrebko gatecrashes Riccardo Chailly’s La Scala farewell

Laura Servidei, 16th May

Riccardo Chailly’s final new production as artistic director is a celebration of Verdi and of a conductor whose relationship with the Milanese audience has clearly deepened over the years.

*****

Iolanta paired with Luonnotar in dramatic Helsinki double bill

No’a L. bat Miri, 15th May

In Helsinki, Antony McDonald pairs Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with a staged version of Sibelius’ tone poem Luonnotar, brilliantly voiced by soprano Silja Aalto.

*****

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Raisa Massuda

A firm believer in the importance of music at any age, Raisa teaches Opera Appreciation Seminars in a Senior Center in Baltimore, MD. She has launched a Live Opera for Seniors series, allowing her low-income students to study and attend free. Raisa is the author of a music and opera blog called Mandolin Vision.