Mozart: Pacific Opera Victoria, Garrick Ohlsson and Yoko Nozaki, Seattle Symphony & Opera
By Bernard Jacobson
Reprinted with permission from Seen and Heard – Music Web’s Live Opera, Concert and Recital Reviews.
Die Zauberflöte Pacific Opera Victoria, soloists, cond. Timothy Vernon, dir. Glynis Leyshon, sets and costumes by John Ferguson, lighting designer Gerald King, chorus dir. Michael Drislane, Royal Theatre, Victoria, British Columbia, 25.4.2009
Mozart Dances Garrick Ohlsson and Yoko Nozaki, pianos, Stefan Asbury, cond., Mark Morris, choreographer, Howard Hodgkin, set designer, Martin Pakledinaz, costume designer, James F. Ingalls, lighting designer, Seattle Symphony, Mark Morris Dance Group, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, 1.5.2009
Le nozze di Figaro Seattle Opera, soloists, cond. Dean Williamson, dir. Peter Kazaras, set designer Susan Benson, costume designer Deborah Trout, lighting designer Connie Yun, choreographer Wade Madsen, hair and makeup designer Joyce Degenfelder, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle, 2 & 3.5.2009
Think of it: two of Mozart’s greatest operas, as well as a dance program founded on three of his works for piano, all in the space of just over a week. It’s a tough life, this music-criticism lark, but someone has to do it.
The pleasures began in Victoria. I confess to having had my apprehensions in advance, for Die Zauberflöte was to be directed by the same Glynis Leyshon whose travesty of Rigoletto in Vancouver back in March I had found so offensive.But this time Ms. Leyshon did herself–and Mozart’s great spiritual fairy-tale–proud. Her staging scored high on the entertainment scale, with many enjoyable touches of humor and much charm, while doing justice also to the more profound aspects of the work.
(more…)
