By Robert Croan “A 16-year-old girl with the voice of Isolde.” That’s how composer Richard Strauss described the requirements for the title part of Salome, his magnificent one-act opera that shocked audiences at its premiere in Dresden in 1905. He was referring to the biblical daughter of Herodias, who danced for the lecherous Herod and in return demanded the head of … [Read more...]
FGO’s ‘Salome’ benefits from strong lead, secondary performances
Today’s menu of visual entertainment encompasses literally everything thanks to digital technology, but even a complicated work of grand opera from more than a century ago still has the power to shock. Richard Strauss’s 1905 opera Salome, based on an Oscar Wilde play that was the last word in decadence at the time, also remains a formidable challenge for any house that wants … [Read more...]
At FGO, Mack has makings of first-rate Carmen
By Robert Croan Miami-based Florida Grand Opera presents four operas each season, with five performances of each work in that city’s Arsht Center, alternating two casts in the leading roles. The company repeats some of its productions – this season, three of the four – in Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center with casts chosen from the Miami performances. In the case of … [Read more...]