John Malkovich crafts a convincing Casanova in The Giacomo Variations in Toronto

By Stanley Fefferman, 11 June 2013

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Reviewed at Elgin Theatre, Toronto on 7 June 2013

Haselböck, The Giacomo Variations

John Malkovich, Vocals

Ingeborda Dapkūnaitė, Vocals

Orchester Wiener Akademie

Michael Sturminger, Director

Kirsten Blaise, Soprano

Daniel Schmutzhard, Baritone

Everything and the kitchen sink in Vienna's Woods

Chanda VanderHart, 18th March

Every operatic ingredient was thrown into the pot for H.K. Gruber's Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald (Tales from the Vienna Woods), but do too many cooks spoil this operatic broth?

***11

My Fair Lady auf St. Pauli: Silvester in der Elbphilharmonie

Sarah Schnoor, 31st December

So schön das Orchester im Walzertakt schwingt, so lustlos und unschön sind Beschallung und Inszenierung.

***11

Bang! Mozart's volcano erupts in Opera Holland Park’s Così fan tutte

Peter Quantrill, 28th May

Mount Vesuvius looms over Cecilia Stinton’s compelling new production of Così fan tutte.

****1

Viennese splendour in Garsington’s Rosenkavalier revival

Roy Westbrook, 28th May

Bruno Ravella's splendid 2021 production of Strauss' opera of Viennese manners returns with a fine cast.

****1

Garsington’s new La traviata ticks every musical and dramatic box

David Karlin, 27th May

Music Director Douglas Boyd conducts a performance of exceptional musical quality, and Louisa Muller's uncontroversial but passionate direction makes this Traviata one for the ages.

*****

A witty hotel Don Giovanni opens Blackwater Valley Festival

Andrew Larkin, 27th May

Tom Creed’s witty production at Lismore Castle delivers strong singing, sharp comedy and lively orchestral playing, even if the opera’s darker supernatural edges are somewhat diminished.

****1

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Stanley Fefferman

Stanley Fefferman is Professor Emeritus at York University, Toronto. He is active in classical, new music, and jazz circles as a writer and accredited performance photographer. His work is archived on Canadian sites The Live Music Report.com, Showtimemagazine.ca, and OpusOneReview.com. His website is here.