And it opens with two contrasting (I use the term lightly) operas. I felt pretty indifferent to Donizetti’s Elixir of Love–in and of itself as an opera, it’s kind of inconsequential–but Gounod’s Faust! That opera is built for greatness. It was beautiful.… Continue Reading
A really rare performance of Handel’s Jephtha is happening this weekend. Read my preview of it at Houstonia Magazine. It’s hardly ever performed because it’s straight up technically hard, not because it’s difficult to listen to (like many, many other so-called hidden… Continue Reading
In the program notes for Glenn Branca’s concert last night at Roulette, Branca talks about Bowie’s death: “I don’t know what else to say. It hurts.” It sets up emotions as a crucial component–capturing and working through a feeling. Branca… Continue Reading
If you know Samuel Beckett’s work, you know he will make you feel anxious–about time, about dying, about biscuits–without any calming balm. His short piece Neither (it runs about sixteen lines of text) is stunning on the page, but alive–so alive–on the stage.… Continue Reading
..at Houston Symphony this weekend. Read my review at Bachtrack. And last night, the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra delivered an astounding concert. It’s getting more and more rare that I’ll hear a piece of music and fall in love with… Continue Reading