A truly great Gatsby: John Harbison's opera gets a thrilling performance in Boston

By Roger Smith, 10 June 2013

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at New England Conservatory: Jordan Hall, Boston on 12 May 2013

Harbison, The Great Gatsby

Gordon Gietz, Jay Gatsby

Devon Guthrie, Daisy Guthrie

Alex Richardson, Tom Buchanan

David Kravitz, Nick Carraway

Krista River, Jordan Baker

David Cushing, George Wilson

Katherine Growdon, Myrtle Wilson

Charles Blandy, Tenor

Lynn Torgove, Mezzo-soprano

James Maddalena, Baritone

Donald Wilkinson, Bass

Dana Whiteside, Baritone

Ryan Turner, Conductor

Orchestra of Emmanuel Music

Chorus of Emmanuel Music

Jetske Mijnssen's Boccanegra a coup for DNO season finale

Eleanor Knight, 4th June

Everything about this production is fresh and wonderful.

*****

Tavener's Krishna fails to convince in world premiere

Nick Boston, 4th June

John Tavener's “mystical pantomime” proves a disappointment, despite strong performances from singers and orchestra in David Pountney's production.

***11

Antonia Bembo’s Ercole amante wins hearts at the Opéra de Paris

David Karlin, 2nd June

Leonardo García-Alarcón's exhumation of Bembo's work proves a winner, in a hyper-quirky staging by Netia Jones with Julie Fuchs as the pick of the fine singers.

****1

Chasing the American Dream: UK premiere for Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up

Mark Pullinger, 1st June

Amy Lane directs an intimate staging of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s 2018 chamber opera in the compact Milton Court Theatre.

****1

Longborough Festival Opera season starts slow with Orlando

Eleanor Knight, 30th May

Beth Taylor gives the lows and highs of Handel's heroics an almighty, whole-body shakedown in Sinéad O'Neill’s new staging of Handel's Orlando.

***11

Bang! Mozart’s volcano erupts in Opera Holland Park’s Così fan tutte

Peter Quantrill, 28th May

Mount Vesuvius looms over Cecilia Stinton’s compelling new production of Così fan tutte.

****1

More reviews...

Roger Smith

Roger Smith was born in London and studied for BA in Music at Kingston University, followed by an MMus in Music Theory and Analysis at Goldsmiths College. He studied opera at Birkbeck College, the City Lit and Morley College.