Getting Out of the Cocoon: Ana Maria Martinez Conquers the WNO

By Raisa Massuda, 12 March 2011

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Reviewed at Kennedy Center: Opera House, Washington on 8 March 2011

Puccini, Madama Butterfly

Washington National Opera

Philippe Auguin, Conductor

Plácido Domingo, Conductor

Ron Daniels, Director

Ana María Martínez, Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly)

Catherine Naglestad, Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly)

Alexey Dolgov, Pinkerton

Thiago Arancam, Pinkerton

Hyung Yun, Sharpless

Michael Chioldi, Sharpless

Washington National Opera marches onward with a joyous Treemonisha

Sam Jacobson, 15th March

A vibrant new production of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha at Washington National Opera underscores the opera’s enduring message of education, community and social justice.

****1

WNO's Samson et Dalila shows how sweet love's poison can sound

Sydney Boyd, 1st March

Strong singing but a stellar orchestra and staging make for a riveting production at the Kennedy Center.

****1

A #metoo Don Giovanni at Washington National Opera

Sydney Boyd, 29th February

Lots of people talk about keeping opera relevant. WNO shows why this opera always has been.

****1

Washington National Opera's merry take on Mozart's Magic Flute

Sydney Boyd, 2nd November

Could The Magic Flute be the next Nutcracker? A child-friendly take on the classic in a mash-up of pyramids and petticoats.

***11

Russell Thomas shines in gloomy David Alden's Otello

Vishnu Bachani, 26th October

The combination of a strong, spirited cast and a first-rate orchestral performance led by Daniele Callegari rendered the opera a moving experience in spite of drab staging and latent, unexplored tensions.

***11

Venera Gimadieva leads a moving Traviata in DC

Ako Imamura, 21st October

A strong new Traviata from Washington National Opera with the welcome house debut of Venera Gimadieva as a fabulous Violetta.

****1

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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.