Madison Opera Goes Old School

Some great singing and a traditional approach revive “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci”   It has been more than 30 years since Madison Opera staged that once-ubiquitous double bill of one-act operas, “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci.” That’s nothing—I’ve been attending and listening to opera for a little over half a century, and I never managed to…

Madison Opera’s Must-See—MUST HEAR—“Florencia”

The final dress rehearsal of Catan’s mystical/lyrical work enchants and moves us   I have looked forward to seeing and hearing Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas for a year now…and when I discovered that work and a prior commitment would prevent that this weekend, it was a real disappointment. It hadn’t occurred to me…

Making a Spectacle of Themselves

Madison Opera presents The Tales of Hoffman illuminated by flashes of brilliance   In making a list of shortcomings (and it is a short list) of Madison Opera’s production of The Tales of Hoffman Friday night at the Overture Center, an inevitable conclusion is reached: the fault lies not in their stars, but inevitably, in…