“Julia Radosz sang Tormentilla with a lovely lyric soprano that gave special resonance to the girl’s reflective utterances, like the amusing song in which she fears that her poisonous qualities will preclude true love.”
Violetta (our favorite opera heroine) was given an astonishing performance by soprano [Julia Radosz] whose brilliant soprano and thrilling embellishments were augmented by the most subtle and heart-rending acting. This was a Violetta any woman could understand and relate to. In Act I, her ambivalence about giving up her shallow life of pleasure for the richer but scarier life of love was made plain vocally and amplified by gesture, facial expression and body language. Her death scene moved us to the very core.
Compact in size but by no means slight.
Opportunity Makes the Thief proved a nice example of the kind of lively and enlightening contribution an “off-off-Broadway” company can make to New York's operatic life.
If there were any concerns about the effect of what General Director Reed Smith has described as the “significant changes” made this year by our local opera company, they clearly were dispelled last evening (Oct. 13) as I witnessed the final dress rehearsal for Mozart’s delightful “Cosi Fan Tutte” at The Forum. Tri-Cities Opera’s production officially opens Friday (Oct. 15).
These stars suffered not one whit at close range. Julie-Anne Hamula (Helena) and Adrienne Blanks (Hermia) owned their roles as the embattled sweethearts who both lose and win their loves in the course of one night.
