Fleur Barron. The Palm Beach Opera Young Artists gave a Liederabend on March 29 at the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach; close on 200 people attended this rare form of songmaking. European opera singers trot out their best lieder songs at festivals in between engagements ad nauseam. And retired greats offer milder versions, extending their careers by a few years. American … [Read more...]
Fine singers carry important weight of world premiere ‘Enemies’ at PB Opera
The two big questions for the new American work now in its world premiere at Palm Beach Opera are these: Does it succeed as a compelling piece of theater? And does it have a future? The answer to both of these questions is Yes, but for the second question, it may take some more work for the opera to have the kind of legs its producers and well-wishing audiences would dearly … [Read more...]
Fine singers tell of female progress in ‘Respect’
By Dale King Aretha Franklin sang the definitive song about respect, but it was Vanderbilt University professor Dorothy Marcic who wrote the definitive book on the subject. Her tome, Respect: Women and Popular Music, traces the upward progress of women through the 20th and early 21st centuries as reflected in the music popular during different eras. The book morphed into the … [Read more...]
Inventive production, fresh singers make most of PB Opera’s ‘Orfeo’
You have to give Palm Beach Opera credit for knowing how to fall back on basic theatrical precepts when faced with having to present fewer mainstage productions than it wants to. Actually, it’s hard to tell that this is a company that has cut one full production, so varied and diverse have been the shows offered in its stead. This month, instead of a mainstage presentation, … [Read more...]