Quinn Kelsey triumphs in Opera Philadelphia's Simon Boccanegra

Quinn Kelsey (Simon Boccanegra)

Quinn Kelsey (Simon Boccanegra) and Christian Van Horn (Jacopo Fiesco)

Quinn Kelsey (Simon Boccanegra) and Ana María Martínez (Amelia)

Quinn Kelsey (Simon Boccanegra) and Benjamin Taylor (Paolo Albiani)

Richard Trey Smagur (Gabriele Adorno)

By Cameron Kelsall, 23 September 2023

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“it underscores the reality that one person’s savior is another’s tyrant”

Reviewed at Academy of Music, Philadelphia on 22 September 2023

Verdi, Simon Boccanegra

Opera Philadelphia

Corrado Rovaris, Conductor

Laurence Dale, Director

Gary McCann, Set Designer

Fernand Ruiz, Costume Designer

John Bishop, Lighting Designer

Opera Philadelphia Orchestra

Opera Philadelphia Chorus

Quinn Kelsey, Simon Boccanegra

Christian Van Horn, Jacopo Fiesco

Ana María Martínez, Amelia Grimaldi

Richard Trey Smagur, Gabriele Adorno

Benjamin Taylor, Paolo Albiani

Cory McGee, Pietro

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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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.