The requested URL /showthread.php?275-Top-performing-products-7-13-11 was not found on this server.You never know in NYC. I thought I was going to see yet another Don Giovanni for the sake of supporting a new indie opera company, but the moment I arrived at the Lower East Side venue, a synagogue turned arts center, something was off: bouncers carded me at the door. Amidst what is generally a predominantly geriatric crowd there is no risk of public underThe clubby aura got even more exclusive once we got in: rows of gold pleated bamboo chairs packed mostly with young professionals (on a Tuesday night!), ladies in ball gowns and venetian masks pacing around as in a trance, a fully stocked bar pumping out mixed drinks. But, it also felt like stepping back to the 1800s, with superbly decadent gothic architectural details, massive gold chandeliers, musicians peeking out from behind red velvet curtains and a first floor wrap around balcony, the space was the most perfect (and

immersive) setting for a Don Giovanni. I was definitely excited, and the moment the excellent orchestra led by Ryan McAdams attacked the first notes of the overture, I felt a frisson all over my body - we were off to a great I did not have time to read the director’s notes in the program so I was caught off guard by the radically unusual take of this production. scribbly notes on the opening scene go like this: “Catholic ecclesiasticalIs Don G a priest?!? And he is stabbing the Commendatore with aIndeed, Don Giovanni made his first grandiose appearance in the guise of a diabolical Catholic priest. Turns out director Edwin Cahill’s production is set to explore “the theme of corruption of power with Don Giovanni as a leader of the Catholic Church.” And the inspiration for this pretty unusual idea seems to be in the real lives of Tirso de Molina (author of the first Don Juan) and Lorenzo Da Ponte (librettist of the Mozart opera) that

were intertwined with the paradoxes and excesses of the Catholic Church. Molina was a Jew who converted to Catholicism to protect his family from the Spanish Inquisition and became an ordained priest, while Da Ponte, coincidentally also a converted Jew and a Catholic priest, lead a dissolute life and was accused of public concubinage and abduction of respectable women.stella lined eyelet ready made curtains silver Charismatic and intense, baritone Philip Cutlip embodiedzebra jacquard grommet 84-inch room darkening curtain pair the title character with a devilish energy that carried and made the show.thermalogic weathermate solid cotton tab top curtain panel pair

Sporting red patent leather pants, a disheveled priest collar, red latex finger gloves and a combed back mohawk, Cutlip was every inch a dangerous and powerful but somehow irresistible villain. His singing was consistently strong throughout the opera yet never swooningly seductive (as can happen with more lyric baritones) but, rather, with a brutal Mephistophelic edge – this Donlivingston grommet curtain panels Giovanni gets his way more by force than by charm. ikea anno sanela panel curtains had great stage presence as Don G’s sidekick Leporello and possibly the singerswish superluxe corded curtain track spares who interacted most with the public, particularly in his rants against his

Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra as Donna Anna was the vocal highlight of the evening. No surprise since she already had her Met debut (last year in Die Zauberflote). Her sound was crystal clear, soaring and electrifying, particularly in Or sai chi l’onore, when Donna Anna demands vengeance for her sullied honor. Mezzo Cecelia Hall was an excellent Zerlina, seductive and coquette yet sweet and loving too, a trueMezzo Marquita Raley embodied an uber-furious and clingy Donna Elvira, at times forcing her hand a bit too much, however coming out really strong and lyrical, with the right balance between heartache and hope in her rendition of Mi tradi’ quell’alma ingrata. Venite pure avanti / vezzose mascherine Photo credit: Ken Howard Venture Opera, led by its general director Jonathon Thierer, delivered superb quality curated to the last detail, setting the bar pretty high for an indie company (or any company for that matter).

New crazy ideas, a tight convincing cast with exciting peaks (Don G, Donna Anna, Zerlina), a great use of an extraordinary space, and an electrifying orchestra were the ingredients of a sexy, irreverent yet highly polished show. detail was small enough: effective costumes (Brandon McDonald), sophisticated lighting design (Yael Lubetzky), thoughtful props and the additional layer of the Tirso de Molina back story (that came up in overture and at in the finale) were all perfectly executed. This company has access to good money and knows how to put it to great use – looks like they had ads running in Times Square and the Orensanz Center is a most coveted wedding and corporate event space in lower Manhattan. In its twitter account @ventureopera presents itself “a new opera company producing installation events around classical repertoire” which is yet another indication of their appeal for an audience beyond the traditional opera