Tag Archives: janacek

Singing and Opera

I enjoyed the San Francisco Opera‘s new production of Janacek’s Jenufa—just not quite as much as all my friends said I would. They were right about the singing, which was beyond terrific. Karita Mattila as Kostelnicka, William Burden as Laca, … Continue reading

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Smaller Spaces

You know what I mean: those places where you go to hear music and feel you are getting a privileged treat, because the hall is more intimate than a grand opera house or a concert auditorium. Not that big is always … Continue reading

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Operas and Productions

An opera and its production are so closely linked that it is sometimes impossible to judge them separately. You can try to assess the music alone by repeatedly listening to a recording in the comfort of your own home, but … Continue reading

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But Is It Opera?

This question was raised, in my own mind and that of several other audience members I spoke to, by the Metropolitan Opera’s admittedly terrific new production of Leos Janacek’s last operatic work, From the House of the Dead. Based on the Dostoyevsky … Continue reading

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