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MUST SEEOperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTom Williams
Tom Williams

Die Fledermaus (The Bat)

Act two features the fabulous party at Orlofsky’s villa. This wonderful visual, tuneful and rhythmic act features much comedy. In one of them most memorable acts in the operetta cannon, the toe-tapping Strauss score comes alive featuring the impressive folk-infused dances that range from Austrian/German to Hungarian to manic Russian folk dances to augment the lush Viennese waltzes. The choreography is breathtaking! (choreography by Daniel Pelzig). The highlight of this fabulous act is the celebratory champagne toast. The costumes in this production standout as much as the music and the rich vocals.

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Music ReviewsMUST SEEOperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTom Williams
Tom Williams

La Traviata

It has been a long time since I’ve seen La Traviata and I now realize why this Verdi opera is such an audience favorite. It is a hauntingly beautiful piece that contains three juicy roles; one we empathize with (Violetta) and two we loath (Alfredo and Giorgio). I’m happy to report that the new production, now playing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, features three world-class singers each at the top of their art.

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MUST SEEOperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTom Williams
Tom Williams

Parsifal

Don’t let the five hours fool you or deter you from enjoying the power and spectacle of grand opera. Just accept and cherish that it is a full transformation into the magnificent world of Wagner. Bring food since there as three intermissions. Look at it as an adventure and simply let the joys of opera sweep into your psyche. The payoff is a dazzling experience that is unforgettable.

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Music ReviewsMUST SEEOperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BY
Tom Williams

Otello

Verdi’s masterful scoring was for the most part beautifully served in the Lyric Opera’s current production. The Lyric orchestra often makes up with warmth and style what it may lack in absolute virtuosity, and it is generally at its most impressive in the later Romantic repertoire, where color is so important. While more incisive articulation may perhaps have been welcome at points, there was little to complain about, and much to commend, in its performance of Otello under French conductor Bertrand de Billy, who is making his Lyric debut with these performances

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OperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTom Williams
Tom Williams

The Magic Flute – American Chamber Opera

The creative folks at the American Chamber Opera Company find a way to makes grand opera intimate, understandable without losing any of the charm and fluidity. They find young classically trained singers and musicians that respect the source material thereby enticing their audience to enter the world of opera. Presenting classical operas like Mozart’s The Magic Flute in English adds to that intimacy. They capture the essence of the whimsey, charm and beauty of Mozart’s genius most effectively.

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Classical MusicMusic ReviewsREVIEWSREVIEWS BY
Tom Williams

Mozart Magic: Ravinia Festival

If anything, the orchestral playing grew even more pointed and lively in the Concerto for Three Pianos, an earlier work which, like so much of Mozart’s earlier output, is disarming in its inspired combination of craftsmanship and charm; if anything, the slow movement is even lovelier than that in the later Paris Symphony, although the finale, written in the tempo of a minuet, is somewhat underwhelming and low-energy for a Mozart finale.

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MUST SEEOperaREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTom Williams
Tom Williams

The Land of Smiles

Chicago Folks Operetts’s new English translation (from German) of The Land of Smiles marks the first production of Smiles in Chicago in 25 years. This is a landmark production; an exquisite artistic achievement; and a beautifully sounded and sung operetta. Each artistic element contributes to a wonderful, lavish and lovable theatrical experience. From the 20 piece orchestra conducted by Kim Diehnelt to the wonderful set designed by Ian Zywica to the fabulous video projections by Liviu Pasare with terrific rear-screen images and personal silhouettes to the vivid and unique costume designs by Kate Kamphausen- all thses elements contributed to make The Land of Smiles an artistic splendor seldom seen on a Chicago stage!

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