Author Archives
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Pittsburgh Opera Launches 2024-25 Season With a Production of ‘Tosca’
Outstanding Performance of Tried and True Standard by Giacomo Puccini Shows the Composer and Company at Their Best By GEORGE B. PAROUS Pittsburgh Opera opened their new season last night at the Benedum, with a performance of Puccini’s Tosca that… Read More ›
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Pittsburgh Opera’s Erik Nordstrom on ‘Tosca’
New Resident Artist Speaks of Upcoming Season Opener – and Himself Saturday, October 5, 2024, marks the season opener of Pittsburgh Opera, with Puccini’s ever-popular, always exciting Tosca. Baritone Erik Nordstrom, who will sing the pivotal role of Angelotti in… Read More ›
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Resonance Works Launches 12th Season with New Ensemble
Presents Debut of Its Reson8 Vocal Octet in Eclectic Program By GEORGE B. PAROUS Sunday afternoon at the Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside, marked the debut of a Resonance Works first – Reson8, their new vocal octet featuring some of the… Read More ›
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Resonance Works – ‘Rossini’s La donna del lago’
Ensemble’s Performance of Operatic Rarity May Be Their Best to Date By GEORGE B. PAROUS This weekend Resonance Works gave two performances of Gioachino Rossini’s romantic rarity, La donna del lago at the Charity Randall Theatre in Oakland. If it… Read More ›
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‘Fifteen & Firebird’ – The PSO Season Finale
Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra End Season on a Remarkably High Note By GEORGE B. PAROUS The most important detail of the concert first: last night’s program will have two repetitions. You can hear it this evening, June… Read More ›
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Pittsburgh Opera’s “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson”
Dramady with Operatic Interludes Opens at the Byham By George B. Parous The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, as is widely known by now, is a play rather than an opera. There certainly is piano-accompanied singing, but about two thirds… Read More ›
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Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Give Electrifying Performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
The Mendelssohn Choir, Soloists and Two Commissioned World Premières Add to What May Be the Most Remarkable Concert of the Season By GEORGE B. PAROUS Routinely, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra present the writer with the challenge of… Read More ›
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Pittsburgh Opera’s “The Passion of Mary Cadwell Dawson” Will Wrap Season 2023/24
“In 1943, the National Negro Opera Company is set to perform on a floating barge to evade racially-segregated venues,” the opera’s program notes tell us. “But when bad weather threatens—pushing the performance to a segregated performance hall—visionary impresaria Mary Cardwell… Read More ›
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Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes Returns to Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Powerful Program Thrills Audience and Scores Another Success for PSO By GEORGE B. PAROUS Everything was thrillingly perfect at Heinz Hall last evening. That about sums it up. But a few more words for those who weren’t there, or are… Read More ›
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Juanjo Mena Returns to Conduct Brilliant PSO Concert
Hilary Hahn Bright Particular Star in a Night Full of Them Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra continued its BNY Mellon Grand Classics series last evening with the first performance of a truly grand classical program at Heinz Hall. Possibly the weather or… Read More ›
