LA Opera's season opening Carmen lacks sizzle

By Matthew Richard Martinez, 24 September 2013

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Reviewed at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles on 21 September 2013

Bizet, Carmen

Emilio Sagi, Director

Trevore Ross, Revival Director

Plácido Domingo, Conductor

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Escamillo

Patricia Bardon, Carmen

Brandon Jovanovich, Don José

Pretty Yende, Micaëla

Hae Ji Chang, Frasquita

Cassandra Zoé Velasco, Mercédès

Valentin Anikin, Zuniga

Daniel Armstrong, Moralès

Keith Jameson, Tenor

Museop Kim, Tenor

A poignant Rigoletto revival in Tokyo

Nahoko Gotoh, 21st February

The New National Theatre in Tokyo revives its traditionalist Rigoletto, featuring Vladimir Stoyanov as the cursed court jester, Eri Nakamura as Gilda and Lawrence Brownlee debuting as the Duke of Mantua.

***11

Vocal fireworks overcome dramatic torpor in Philadelphia Otello

Cameron Kelsall, 30th September

Lawrence Brownlee further cements his status as the world's leading bel canto tenor with a blazing performance as Rodrigo, the unlikely central figure in Rossini's rendering of the Shakespearean tragedy.

***11

Bellini's last monument to bel canto: I puritani in Naples

Lorenzo Fiorito, 7th September

Appearing in Naples after an absence of 34 years, Bellini's opera was given in a concert performance headed by Lisette Oropesa and Xabier Anduaga.

****1

A Rossinian talent show in Pesaro: Il viaggio a Reims

David Karlin, 27th November

Rossini's operatic sketch show provides a great showcase for the talents of the festival's academy for young singers.

****1

Sonya Yoncheva triumphs in Il pirata at La Scala

James Imam, 29th June

Yoncheva passed the test in style, providing a scintillating delivery that drew feverish approval from the public.

****1

A simply staged Rossinian rarity in Barcelona

John Marten Barnard, 13th September

Emilio Sagi’s brightly lit but simplistic staging of Il viaggio a Reims moves the action from northern France to a sunny spa hotel in warmer climes.

***11

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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.