Passion, savagery and humor: Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall

Andris Nelsons, Brenden Gunnell and the Boston Symphony

Kristine Opolais

By Susan Stempleski, 01 February 2024

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“embracing the music’s idiosyncracies and dynamic extremes, he shaped a thrilling performance”

Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium, New York City on 30 January 2024

Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (concert performance)

Andris Nelsons, Conductor

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Günther Groissböck, Boris Timofeyevich Izmailov

Brenden Gunnell, Sergey

Peter Hoare, Zinoviy Borisovich Izmailov

Kristine Opolais, Katerina Lvovna Izmailova

Maria Barakova, Sonyetka

Michelle Trainor, Aksinya

Matthew Dibattista, Schoolmaster

Alexander Kravets, Tattered peasant

Dmitry Belosselskiy, Old Convict

Anatoli Sivko, Police inspector

Goran Jurić, Priest

Patrick Guetti, Policeman

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Mengguang Huang, 26th April

Christoph Marthaler’s staging of Monteverdi’s Poppea for the Royal Danish Opera is a study in boredom.

**111

Lepage’s Bluebeard and Erwartung pairing remains compelling theatre

John Gilks, 25th April

Some 30 years after its first appearance, Robert Lepage’s double bill of Duke Bluebeards Castle and Erwartung is still strikingly effective and very modern-looking music theatre.

*****

Trojan’s Carousel: a magical night of dreams come true in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 23rd April

A vintage opera at the National Theatre offers charming adventures for children and musical sophistication for adults.

*****

A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April

A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.

**111

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

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Susan Stempleski

Based in New York City, Susan is a retired specialist in second and foreign language teaching and the author/editor of several professional books for language teachers and many widely used textbooks for English language learners around the world. An avid concertgoer, she spends her time attending operas and other classical music events in New York and Paris. Since 2002, she has regularly published reviews on Classical Source. A keen Francophile, she has a particularly strong interest in French music, literature and film.

Passion, savagery and humor: Shostakovich from the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall