Bru Zane

Opera Review: Ready for a Very Different “Faust”? You Should Be!

December 3, 2019
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Even taking into consideration my several objections, this Faust is one of the most accomplished and intriguing opera releases of recent years.

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Opera Album Review: Muslims vs. Christians in 10th-Century Spain, Portrayed in an 1881 Gounod Opera (World-Premiere Recording)

November 13, 2019
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Gounod was no mere purveyor of gentle sentiments. This 1881 opera, superbly performed, shows plenty of drama and grit.

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Classical CD Reviews: Offenbach’s “La Périchole,” Aaron Jay Kernis’ Orchestral Works, and Baiba Skride plays Bartók

October 23, 2019
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Marc Minkowski’s recording of Jacques Offenbach’s La Périchole pays the composer a handsome tribute in his birthday year; violinist Baiba Skride’s new all-Bartók disc is one of the year’s best.

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Opera Album Review: Offenbach’s “La Périchole,” by an All-French Cast, Combines Zest and Elegance

September 26, 2019
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This is one of the zippiest, most life-affirming opera recordings I have heard in a long time. Well, this puts it a bit too blandly, because the work’s social satire also targets the smug self-satisfaction and careless cruelty of the powerful.

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