Doctor Atomic

I had to leave this one at the half. The lyrics were incredibly dull, plot not that exciting (considering it's about the atomic bomb!) and singing mediocre at best. Plus, I had that whole prenancy uncomfortableness to deal with. Bearable, but I'm just not fond of modern opera.

Julius Caesar - Handel

So last Tues I went with Kyrie to see Julius Caesar at the Lyric. The one time I don't read the synopsis beforehand b/c, of course, I KNOW JC, I'm totally wrong. Brutus didn't even make a showing. That being said, it was a pretty good story (and fit rather nicely with my recent reading of Anthony and Cleopatra). Caesar was a counter-tenor - not my favorite although I remember liking him in Orpheus last year. Cleopatra could wail, and Ptolemy was awesome (I actually thought he was a woman for a while). Of course, the total show time was just under 5 h - which is a bit long for me in my knocked up state - but I made it through without napping. The entire second act was unnecessary for plot development, but I enjoyed the music. The most interesting thing about this performance, however, was the production. Think Monty Python meets Laugh In. The curtains in Cleopatra's chambers just screamed for a 'sock it to me' and the hand of God came down during the kid's vengence aria. I guess you have to lighten it up when the show's so long (and it's not Wagner). Anyway, definitely worth the tix.

La Boheme - Puccini

So went to Lyric's second opera offering last night. Didn't like it as well as the first. For one, there was no overture - one of my favourite parts (must be the classical music fan in me). Second, the soprano wasn't my style - a bit shrill - and she overwhelmed the tenors. But the story was good and I enjoyed the show. As always, Lyric's sets are amazing, although again La Boheme fell short of La Traviata. Still waiting to be Wowed though.

La Traviata - Verdi

Went to the Lyric last night for the first opera of the season. Pretty decent performance. We had to sit in the first balcony, so some of the sound was muted but each of the singers had a strong voice. Of course the music was pleasant, and the sets were very well done. Something about it prevented me from really being drawn into the performance - didn't even want to cry. Maybe the plot was just too predictable - although I give it some credit. At least Violetta had an illness (presumably TB) before the breakup rather than just getting ill from heartbreak. Also, her "sacrifice" was noble. The lack of a true villain, or even an unsympathetic protagonist, both made the story more believable and more flat. At the end, it all just seemed unnecessary rather than tragic. Recommendation - worth it, but not something for the memory books.