Opera Philadelphia's Oscar disappoints

By David Browning, 08 February 2015

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Reviewed at Academy of Music, Philadelphia on 6 February 2015

Morrison, Oscar

Opera Philadelphia

Evan Rogister, Conductor

Kevin Newbury, Director

David C. Woolard, Costume Designer

David Korins, Set Designer

Heidi Stober, Ada Leverson

William Burden, Frank Harris

Dwayne Croft, Walt Whitman

David Daniels, Oscar Wilde

Reed Luplau, Bosie

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

Opera by committee: Opera Philadelphia premieres Complications in Sue

Cameron Kelsall, 4th February

Opera Philadelphia commissions ten composers to tell the story of an ordinary woman's idiosyncratic march from cradle to tomb.

****1

A didactic Decameron: The Seasons at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 20th December

Conceived by Anthony Roth Costanzo and Sarah Ruhl, this high-handed pasticcio sets the climate crisis to a soundtrack of Vivaldi.

***11

A long, strange trip: Opera Philadelphia’s Il viaggio a Reims

Cameron Kelsall, 19th September

The intrepid company brings Damiano Michieletto’s well-traveled production of a Rossini rarity to the US for the first time.

***11

The Listeners: daring psychological thriller at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 25th September

The new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek draws on cult mindsets and conspiracy theories but smartly avoids sensationalism.

****1

Opera Philadelphia's Unholy Wars creates a dialogue with Monteverdi

Cameron Kelsall, 23rd September

Arab-American tenor Karim Sulayman devises a thoughtful pastiche that centers the perspective omitted from Early Modern depictions of the Middle East in music.

****1

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David Browning

David Browning is a blogger and opera lover, board member and occasional advisor to some of New York City's small opera companies, and some time singer himself. Although he trained for a career in opera, a life as a technology consultant found him.

Opera Philadelphia's Oscar disappoints despite strong performances