Public domain knight illustration by Paul Mercuri: http://www.oldbookart.com/2012/01/15/middle-ages-medieval-dress/.
OperaGene reports annually on opera critics in the mid-Atlantic, a group who in good natured humor, I refer to as “Knights of the Opera Table”. Their charge is to champion good performances and slay the bad ones, and…in all seriousness…to provide knowledgeable opinions and information about opera performances that the rest of us can learn from, compare our own responses against, and be provoked to think further about and discuss what we witnessed, deepening, and widening our enjoyment and appreciation of the art form.
The mid-Atlantic region is blessed with a wealth of good opera companies and an excellent group of professional opera critics, some who report for daily newspapers and some from online sources. Critics who frequently review opera tend to be centered around the major opera centers in the region: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC. The Virginian Pilot in Norfolk usually employs guest critics for Virginia Opera performances and classical music; newspapers in Baltimore and Richmond once had but no longer have regular opera reviewers on their staffs. Here is a list in alphabetical order of the opera critics in the mid-Atlantic that I read most frequently:
Michael Andor Brodeur – Washington Post
Peter Dobrin – Philadelphia Inquirer
Charles Downey – Washington Classical Review
Susan Galbraith – DC Theater Arts
Cameron Kelsall – BackTrack.com
George Parous – onStage Pittsburgh
Jeremy Reynolds – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
David Patrick Stearns – Philadelphia Inquirer
By the beginning of 2022, most opera companies had returned to normal schedules, and by year’s end, vaccination requirements had been dropped and even COVID-masking was optional for most companies. Opera critics returned to performance venues, but while audiences are building again, they proved slow to return to pre-pandemic levels, as evidenced by the BachTrack Annual Statistics report. Even America’s premiere opera institution, the Metropolitan Opera is having difficulty with attendance. The good news, from my perspective, is that their attendance crisis is causing the Met to embrace new works which are delivering their best audiences.
Pittsburgh Opera continues to be a focus for Knights Jeremy Reynolds of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and George Parous who covers opera and classical music for onStage Pittsburgh. Mr. Reynolds’ newspaper duties now appear to be exclusively on his role as classical music and opera critic, the better for Pittsburgh Opera, but he also occasionally writes thoughtful articles for other publications; check out his discussion of the paucity of new operatic comedies in Classical Voice. Mr. Parous was back in full swing, covering the full slate of PO productions as well as classical music concerts in the Pittsburgh area. Opera is especially well served by Mr. Parous who often writes previews as well as reviews of upcoming operas. His review of a new opera, I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams, made me aware for the first time of Resonance Works, a non-profit performance company in Pittsburgh whose mission is to “challenge assumptions about classical music and invite audiences to connect with the work in fresh and unexpected ways”. Reminded me of the DC company, IN Series.
In the city of Brotherly Love, National Football League champs, and Patrick Mahomes’ victims, Peter Dobrin reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer on “classical music and the arts with an emphasis on the business of the arts and the life of the city”. His lone opera review in 2022 for Opera Philadelphia was The Raven which was performed as part of OP’s Festival O22. That performance included audience participation, an aspect which Mr. Dobrin felt added little, though he liked the opera. Too bad, I saw the same production and found that aspect amusing and entertaining, providing insight into the characters in the poem. Mr. Dobrin does occasionally review other companies such as the Academy of Vocal Arts as well.
The Inquirer’s classical music critic, David Patrick Stearns, regularly reviews OP performances, although his coverage of the O22 festival was rather light this year; the two-week festival included 42 events, and he only reviewed Otello. I enjoyed a comment he made in reviewing OP’s return to in house productions with Oedipus Rex and Lilacs, two works with heavy themes. Reflecting the heaviness that we all experienced during the pandemic, his last line stated, “Let’s have some feel good arias. Soon.” I’ll drink to that, anytime. On the downside, opera productions by the Academy of Vocal Arts and the Curtis Opera Theatre got relatively little notice in the Inquirer.
Knight Cameron Kelsall is another Philly area opera critic; formerly of the Broad Street Review, he now appears to be reporting most often for Bachtrack.com. All of these critics can turn a phrase, some over the top; his Bachtrack review of Opera Philadelphia’s Otello began “Verdi’s Otello may be the Mount Everest of tenor roles, but Rossini’s rendering of the Shakespearean tragedy is the Mount Rushmore”; he was referring to the need in Rossini’s version for three star tenors.
The most prominent knights currently covering the DC area are Michael Andor Brodeur, Charles Downey, and Susan Galbraith. Mr. Brodeur is the classical music critic for the Washington Post; he includes frequent side trips to cover the Met Opera in NYC. I had to be amused by one of his reviews this past year, that of Washington National Opera’s Carmen in May. Mr. Brodeur, who I consider a brilliant features writer, but whom I have thought of as critic light, took the plunge into hard core criticism with his review of Carmen and received the flak from readers that was often directed at Anne Midgette when she was the Post’s critic - “Mr. Brodeur, the next time you awake in a miserable mood, please have a colleague fill in for you.” I thought his reviews returned to normal after that, but then he also was quite critical of the Met’s new production, The Hours, in November – the comments for that review were kinder; perhaps, the farther away the production, the less offense taken? Don’t miss his reviews and the continuing saga.
Unfortunately, my impression is that the Washington Post seems to be unintentionally restricting its coverage of local performances; I see fewer reviews by guest critics these days, and more good performances seem to go unnoted. My sense is that smaller opera companies in general are getting less coverage today. Newspapers are in a stressful period competing with free internet news sources and social media, and because audiences are smaller for small companies than for the large opera houses, newspaper coverage is less. Also, classical music critics for news sources cover operas, classical music concerts, and choral music concerts, all bountiful in the mid-Atlantic; there is only so much they can report on.
Having mentioned the Post’s former critic, Ms. Midgette, I noted that this past year she published her first opera review since leaving the Post in 2019. She could not resist posting a thoughtful, heartfelt review on her website for a work that had been so meaningful to her over the years, Bernstein’s Mass. It was a pleasure to read. I think then she was back to working on her book.
Knight Susan Galbraith continued to post insightful reviews at DC Theater Arts for area opera and theater productions. I read one of hers just recently that I had missed and that I especially recommend, her interview with dramaturg Kelley Rourke, as she takes on the role of artistic adviser for WNO’s American Opera Initiative, a program that gets far too little coverage by area media, in my humble opinion. Ms. Galbraith’s article covers some of the history and features insights from artistic advisor Rourke into how it functions in producing new operas every year. New operas seem to be an area that is thriving and could use even more coverage and encouragement.
My current favorite Knight continues to be Washington Classical Review’s Charles Downey for several reasons. First, his reviews are always enriched by the depth of his knowledge and expertise in classical music and opera. He has a fine ear and his critiques of the performances are both illuminating and a pleasure to read; he writes beautifully in a concise style. Finally, I appreciate the volume of reviews he produces and the breadth of his coverage of the DC area extending to Baltimore (which has no critic of its own). I will even add one more kudo – his reviews are typically posted the next day, usually the first to appear. To appreciate his breath and commendable area coverage of the DC area, read his report on his ten favorite performances of 2022. Thankfully, Washington Classical Review extends their reach even further by having critic Alex Baker, who also writes for Parterre, as a backup to do some opera and classical music reviews. Perhaps he will be a candidate for the Knights of the Opera Table in the future.
I try to read as many of the opera reviews that I can in the mid-Atlantic region, and I highly recommend the reviews by the Knights I mention here to add to your knowledge and enjoyment of the art form, as they do for me. I also encourage reading the comments sections on reviews, which can sometimes offer new insights; I wish there were more comments from opera fans. Tip of the hat to the mid-Atlantic opera critics for their work in 2022 and glad to see everyone back in business.
The Fan Experience: You can read reviews in many online sites at no cost, such as Washington Classical Review, onStage Pittsburgh, and DC Theater Arts. However, to read journalists who work for newspapers, such as the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, you will need a subscription. Sometimes visitors are allowed a few articles at no cost, and you can often take advantage of special online rates that occur from time to time. I am a fan of newspapers and their journalists and subscribe to several.