By Robert J. Croan The piquant and perceptive, witty and profound comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan rely for their effect as much on William S. Gilbert’s brilliant words as on the sparkling scores of Arthur Sullivan. Broward Center’s 2,658-seat Au-Rene Theater worked against clarity in the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ production of The Pirates of Penzance on … [Read more...]
Power and poetry from Lucinda Williams at Parker Playhouse
From the moment she stepped onto the stage at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 6, Lucinda Williams exemplified what sets her apart from most other singer/songwriters. Having recently turned 67, Williams neither seems to be as self-obsessed, nor take herself as seriously, as fellow guitar-playing lead vocalists. Her combination of blues, Americana, country … [Read more...]
Violinist Rhee was clear winner of second EOIVC
By Dennis D. Rooney The four finalists in the second triennial Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition the next EOIVC will be held in 2023) were heard on the last weekend in January in two concerts. They had been chosen from 19 quarter-finalists from 10 locations — Canada, China, Israel, Italy, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the United … [Read more...]
Soprano Lopez scores triumph in FGO’s ‘Butterfly’
By Robert Croan The title role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is one of the pinnacles for every opera soprano. Sandra Lopez has performed this arduous role more than 50 times in nine productions, and in her Broward Center performance Jan. 30 (the fifth of six in Florida Grand Opera’s current run; the last one is tonight) she came through the hurdles unscathed and victorious. … [Read more...]
Soloist, conductor inconsistent in Polish orchestra’s Kravis visit
By Dennis D. Rooney Wrocław in Poland was the German city of Breslau until 1945, when it and the entire German Province of Lower Silesia were transferred to Poland at the Potsdam Conference. Located in Poland’s Southwest, Wrocław is today a city of 600,000. Its orchestra, the Wrocław Philharmonic, was established in 1945 and their 13-city U. S. tour this season included … [Read more...]
ACO, soloist solid in 30th season debut
By Dennis D. Rooney With a nod toward the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra opened the first concert of its 30th season on Jan. 8 at the Eissey Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens with the composer’s Symphony No. 1 (in C, Op. 21). Conductor David Amado, in his fourth season as music director, preceded the performance … [Read more...]
Soprano returns to familiar turmoil for FGO’s ‘Butterfly’
By Robert Croan Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is one of the most popular operas in today’s repertory. It wasn’t always. The world premiere at Milan’s La Scala Opera, on Feb. 7, 1904, was met with hissing and boos, and had to be withdrawn after a single performance. In May of that year, for a production in Brescia, Puccini made some alterations, dividing the 90-minute Act 2 … [Read more...]
Ying Quartet brings powerful Schubert to Flagler
The music of Franz Schubert is not an unknown quantity (except for the operas), but a good group of musicians can always bring something special to it that we might not have encountered before. Tuesday night at the Flagler Museum, the Ying Quartet, a veteran string foursome founded in Chicago more than 30 years ago, programmed two of Schubert’s late quartets on the first … [Read more...]
Grace Potter tears up Revolution Live, for old fans and new
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Grace Potter gracefully prowled the stage during her sold-out show at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, displaying the soaring vocal range and instrumental prowess necessary to bear comparisons to female-fueled pop/rock forebearers like Heart, the Pretenders, and Fleetwood Mac. Potter’s band included two female … [Read more...]
Second Elmar Oliveira Violin Competition gets underway
By Dale King Elmar Oliveira says he feels “incredibly fortunate to have had a really terrific career” as a master of the violin, performing with talented individuals and orchestras and capturing awards around the globe. To this day, he remains the only American to win the Gold Medal at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky International Competition, which he did in 1978. “As part of … [Read more...]