A ghost of an opera at BAM

By Jacob Slattery, 09 September 2016

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Reviewed at BAM: Howard Gilman Opera House, New York City on 7 September 2016

Lang, The Loser

Karina Canellakis, Conductor

David Lang, Director

Jim Findlay, Set Designer

Suzanne Bocanegra, Costume Designer

Jennifer Tipton, Lighting Designer

Jody Elff, Sound Design

Conrad Tao, Piano

Rod Gilfry, Narrator

Bang on a Can All-Stars

collected stories draws to a close with John Cage and a David Lang world première

Rebecca Lentjes, 29th April

David Lang’s curated series collected stories drew to a close with three works by John Cage, including his autobiographical lecture Indeterminacy of 1958, performed simultaneously, and the world première of Lang’s own mystery sonatas, the only work of his own to be programmed for the series.

*****

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

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Weinberg’s The Passenger at Dutch National Opera

Clare Varney, 17th April

Tobias Kratzer's 2024 Munich production makes its way to Amsterdam, proving that Weinberg's opera has the power to transfix.

****1

Frauenliebe und -sterben: Kratzer’s triple bill at Staatsoper Hamburg

Mengguang Huang, 15th April

Director Tobias Kratzer engineers a haunting pasticcio of Schumann, Bartók and Zemlinsky, tracing the domestic sphere’s shift from romantic surrender to the blood-soaked secrets of a century-spanning house.

****1

Diamonds and steel: Anna Pirozzi rules in La Scala’s Turandot revival

Laura Servidei, 12th April

Visually enchanting and meticulously staged, this centenary revival confirms Livermore's production as a modern classic.

****1

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Jacob Slattery

Jacob is a musician and raconteur based out of New York City. As a writer, he operates an online arts and culture blog with the goal of providing momentum for community-based arts projects in NYC. As an oboist, Jacob has performed internationally with orchestras from Vienna to Seoul. Born and raised in the lake-ridden, gopher empire of Minnesota, Jacob received a dual-degree in Music Performance and Marketing from Augsburg College in Minneapolis. His blog can be found here.

A ghost of an opera: David Lang’s disappointing the loser premieres at BAM