Luciano Berio
Mattila’s Manon Misses the Mark; Berio’s Vital, Fractured Sinfonia
Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
Karita Mattila in Manon Lescaut at the Metropolitan Opera.
Nobody who heard Karita Mattila sing the title role of Strauss’s Salome on the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2004 production will ever forget it. That she stripped (briefly) nude at the climax of the Dance of the Seven Veils surely helped fuel the fire, but mainly it was stuff of the performance itself, a heady mixture of fearless vocal fireworks and a daringly sexualized dramatic presence. When Ms. Mattila took her bow, a frenzy erupted: Students, scenesters, stockbrokers and socialites were all on their feet, screaming in amazement and delight.
Ms. read more »
At Glamorous Salzburg Festival, Talent and Production Clash
Perhaps it's the effects of an end to the most destructive century since the Black Plague, but the p read more »
