The public phase of the 2013 Merola Opera Program has opened in a good new venue, with a brilliant musical production of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.
The CD set Rappahannock County ponders the question of whether musical and poetic language can effectively communicate both the emotional aftermath of the Civil War and the death of one’s partner from AIDS.
The incredible sound of the San Francisco Symphony, and the spirit from the musicians, singers, and MTT, combine for the finest sounding West Side Story you are likely to hear.
A release by Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra of Der Freischütz tells a decidedly old-fashioned tale whose romantic charms can wear thin, mostly because it cannot compete with many of its recorded predecessors.
In a Merola master class, the gold standard coach and accompanist Martin Katz demonstrates before a live audience what it takes to transform glorious sound into great artistry.
The arias on this CD, most never recorded before and music that is mostly unknown, are all tailored to particular singers, and they wind up showcasing what amounts to "first version" Handel compositions.
