It doesn’t get better than the season opener. The excitement in the air, the energy on stage. Madison Opera’s cast of The Marriage of Figaro turned in performances that thrilled, and the critics are singing their praises…
The Capital Times – “Fine ‘Figaro’ Launches Madison Opera’s 50th Season”
The Isthmus – “Madison Opera stages splendid The Marriage of Figaro“
Local Sounds Magazine – “Madison Opera ‘Figaro’ Proves Marriage works with Commitment”
Channel3000 – “Standing ovation well-deserved for Madison Opera”
BLOGGER NIGHT REACTIONS
Your Ill-Fitting Overcoat – “Opera can be actually, legitimately, hilariously funny.”
Irony or Mayo – “Act Two really cranks up the Benny Hill music. There’s ducking, lying, hiding, jumping out of windows–you could almost see Scooby and the gang running from the villain of the week.”
Clyde’s Rebirth – “I got goosebumps when the orchestra began…The comedy was a delightful counterpart to the typical ‘stuffy and boring’ rap that opera usually gets.”
Dane101.com – “My last words on this performance will be to call out my instantaneous love for the voice of Anya Matanovic, who plays Susanna. Her voice is like champagne. She’s my new favorite opera singer and I heartily recommend seeking out her performances.”
Bakers, bloggers, and government officials came out to celebrate Madison Opera Day, the opening of Madison Opera’s 50th Anniversary Season with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Overture Hall. Check out those cakes!
The good word keeps spreading! Here’s more press on Madison Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, opening tonight in Overture Hall:
Dane101 – “Madison Opera at 50: Growth Spurt in Progress”
77 Square – “Meddling in Marriage”
The Badger Herald – “Humor ‘marries’ with talent”
The Well-Tempered Ear – “Interview with A. Scott Parry: Part 2“
It’s time for our second annual Blogger Night at the Opera! If you attended Carmen last year, you saw these guys blogging away about their operatic experiences. This year brings in another fantastic crop of local bloggerati, all with a variety of interests and backgrounds, from food and theater writers to a fashionista who’ll be on the prowl for trend-setters at the opera . Follow them for live posts from The Marriage of Figaro tonight, as it’s bound to be a lively discussion!
The Marriage of Figaro, despite its title, might as well be called “The Marriage of Susanna,” or, “The Countess’s Dilemma,” so compelling and significant to the plot are the female characters in Mozart’s opera. These two stars bring the central women of The Marriage of Figaro to life with style, grace, and spunk to spare.
Anya Matanovic, singing her first Susanna in Madison Opera’s production of Figaro, was born in Madison and raised in Washington state. Currently based in New York, she is a star on the rise, with recent credits at Cleveland Opera, Seattle Opera, and the New Israeli Opera. She made her Madison Opera debut this past summer at Opera in the Park, and this coming summer she makes her debut at the prestigious Glimmerglass Opera festival as Micaela in Carmen.
Melody Moore, the Countess Almaviva, arrived in Madison direct from London, where she was starring as Marguerite in a new production of Faust at the English National Opera. The Daily Telegraph praised her “thrillingly red-blooded singing,” and previously in London, after a performance as Mimi in La Boheme, the Independent proclaimed: “this young lady is special.” Based in San Francisco, Ms. Moore has recent credits at San Francisco Opera and LA Opera.
