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Friday, May 08, 2015

Heart of Darkness at Opera Parallele

My review of Tarik O'Regan's Heart of Darkness is up at SFCV. I am generally positive, certainly about the performances and much of the music, but I have more reservations than Joshua Kosman. Georgia Rowe calls out dramatic issues and finds it shapeless.

Philip Skinner was spooky and terrifying; I cannot wait for his Dr. Schoen in West Edge Opera's upcoming Lulu.

Media roundup:
UPDATED: Added John and Jamie.
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2 comments:

  1. CruzSFMay 5, 2015 at 12:46:00 PM PDT

    I wasn't as enthusiastic as Kosman, but maybe liked it more than you did. I thought it could have been longer, even 10 more minutes of development would have helped. I liked the music very much, but felt libretto choices hindered first section (before scenes in Africa). Quick scene changes handled well, given difficulty of of their nature. Opening section had such short scenes filled with expository text, like a movie. I've seen other opera creators do this and I just don't think it works.

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  2. Lisa HirschMay 11, 2015 at 9:17:00 PM PDT

    Yes, it could reasonably have been long, and you're right about the use of quick scenes to get through a lot of exposition. It worked well enough for me, but does miss the leisurely flavor of the Conrad.

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