Ralph Locke

July Short Fuses – Materia Critica

July 9, 2021
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Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.

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Classical CD Review: A Ballet of Human Sacrifice — Set in Ancient Mexico or Post–World War I Germany?

May 1, 2021
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Egon Wellesz’s Weimar era critique of the cruelty of nations that are victorious in war still rings hauntingly true.

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Opera Album Review: A Version of One of Rossini’s Finest — Recorded on CD for the First Time

September 23, 2020
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Rossini’s Zelmira is a powerhouse opera that features two coloratura tenors and equally demanding roles for soprano and mezzo.

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Opera CD Review: Spontini’s Wacky Comic Opera, in Which Nothing Is as It Seems

June 9, 2020
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Metamorfosi is a marvelously effective and amusing one-act opera that would suit college opera workshops splendidly.

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Opera CD Review: An Album of Beethoven Arias? Soprano Chen Reiss’s Imaginative New Solo Disc Pulls it Off

June 8, 2020
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Immortal Beloved is a CD that will appeal to lovers of fine singing and to people curious about some hidden corners of Beethoven’s output.

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Opera CD Review: A Tenor as a Villain? Donizetti’s Unusual Two-Tenor Opera Gets a First — and Fine — Recording

April 1, 2020
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An 1829 opera about Elizabeth I and her supposed lover — enlivened by underhanded threats, virtuous resistance, remorse, and an attempted poisoning — proves well worth reviving.

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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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