Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Turandot (Washington National Opera)
On Saturday, May 16, my partner, a friend, and I attended the Washington National Opera's production of Turandot. After disappointments with Peter Grimes and Siegfried, I was excited to see something I thought all of us might like, especially with the likes of Maria Guleghina playing the title role. WNO and its cast generally delivered, with Turandot and Liu being exceptionally strongly cast; Calaf was the sole standout in a negative way, in that the tenor had a small voice that was often inaudible over the orchestra, and adjacent next to the ferocious soprano of Guleghina. The set design had dark Asian features, save for the red streamers falling from decapitated heads to mimic blood; this set was far more minimalist than the Franco Zefferelli production I saw at the Met more than a decade ago. All in all, it was a satisfying performance, and a good ending to WNO's 2008-09 season, especially given my disappointments with the two preceding operas on the company's calendar.
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