L'Elisir d"Amore Review Link

For those wondering what happened to the reviews, my continues to write them but now he writes for Latinos Post. As a Result I will start publishing snippets of the review with the link to the full one. I hope this is not a problem as I am trying to give the best Opera coverage possible. Here is a piece from the L'Elisir d'Amore recently presented at the Met

On Feb. 1, the Metropolitan Opera presented Donizetti's "L'Elisir D'Amore" for the final time in the 2013-14 season. The performance was also the last time that soprano Anna Netrebko will play the heroine Adina for an audience; Netrebko herself made the announcement via social media on Sunday.

The revival of the work featured Bartlett Sher's production that opened the 2012-13 season. This writer attended a performance during the 2012-13 season and wrote an extensive analysis of the production (to read it, click HERE). There is really nothing new to add, except for the fact that it still does not work. Most of the new cast members added their own individual touches (more on that later), but the overall concept and idea of the production is still rather bland. The sets are traditional and mostly handsome, but the action is poorly delivered conceptually. A scene change in the middle of act two is not only awkwardly handled (extras walking onstage and pushing scenery on and off) but also excessively distracting to the action taking place between the main characters. In the final analysis, one is left wondering why the Met removed one traditional production (admittedly with little to say) for another that is equally vapid. Continue Reading