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What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Picks For November

Dana Wen — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:00:10 +0000

After the many musical treats (no tricks!) of October, the classical music season is in full swing here in Seattle. November's calendar abounds with visits from touring ensembles and soloists, as well as exciting performances by local groups. Head to a concert hall and take advantage of this month's diverse musical offerings, especially before the holiday music deluge blankets the concert calendar for December.

Two Women on the Verge in “Suor Angelica” & “Voix Humaine”

RVO — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:40:21 +0000

Portrayed by the amazing Nuccia Focile, Elle is part courage, part anger, and partly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Focile navigates the story with uncommon acting chops and a luscious, supple voice that conveys both the depth of Elle’s despair and the character’s strong will.

A “La Bohème” at the Seattle Opera That’s to Die For

Margaret Higginson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:30:57 +0000

Seattle Opera’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème feels like coming home. Even if you’ve never seen Bohème before, you’ll feel warm, welcome, and aware of life’s fragile beauty afterward -- not just because of Puccini’s glorious score, but because of Seattle Opera’s treatment of it.

The Spectacular Riddle of Turandot in a “passionate, precise, and powerful performance”

Margaret Higginson — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:02:48 +0000

As if he knew this opera would be his last, Puccini crams as much drama and story as he can into every moment. Instead of an overture, BOOM! we’re in Turandot’s palace, with the chorus demanding blood. Characters are introduced quickly, and connections between them are established with lightning speed.

Turandot, the Music of The Nightingale, and Magic of Chinoiserie

Michael van Baker — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:00:28 +0000

You could translate "chinoiserie" as "Chinese...ish," if you want. It's a cultural form of infatuation with the transfer student--in retrospect it may come to seem childish and superficial. But initially, there's a flush of novelty, a flash of curiosity, and a fleshing out of another inner life through trial and error, mostly error. (In a similar way, knock-offs of products are usually not very good, most fail, and a few develop into something so good they rival the original--witness Japan's whisky.)

At Seattle Opera, a Madama Butterfly to Convert the Haters

Margaret Higginson — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:30:57 +0000

In Seattle Opera’s Madama Butterfly, the singing, the singers, and the music stay squarely center stage. And the singing in this production was glorious. Patricia Racette played Butterfly (or Cio-Cio-San) with grace, joy, and humanity, using all parts of her voice for dramatic effect. She is a consummate artist, and was in lovely voice on Saturday. She’s one of the bigger-voiced Cio-Cio-Sans I’ve heard, and had a nice warmth and depth from the top to the bottom.