When producing opera we all strive for the perfect combination of a great production, an ideal cast and a great conductor. Yesterday's performance of Peter Grimes at Houston Grand Opera (HGO) was one of the rare occasions when all of these elements came together with Neil Armfield's strong production (after Billy Budd and Midsummer Night's Dream he has become a regular at the COC and we look forward to his Ariadne auf Naxos in the spring), Patrick Summer's expert conducting with the HGO Orchestra and Chorus and the cast from Anthony Dean Griffey (Peter Grimes), Katie van Kooten (Ellen Orford) and Christopher Purves (Balstrode) down to the smallest parts, all of them perfectly cast and creating intense character studies for this powerful and endlessly moving piece. I am glad the production will be seen at the COC in a few years.
I am at the airport waiting for my flight to board. In the late afternoon I will be back in Toronto.
Posted by Alexander Neef / in Travel / comments (1) / permalink
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