Page 34 - PGA Community News- March '22

Page 34, PGA C.A.N.! March 2022 March 2022
Rex Recommends

By Rex Hearn scenery, costumes, and oh yes, brilliant Spanish dancing; rien ne m’epouvante” asking Don Jose to give up Carmen
The arts hereabouts four dancers from Ballet Palm Beach who pointed toes and return to the country with her to see his dying mother.
continue to provide a and danced divinely. Great stuff. Four Benenson Young Artists stood out as excellent in
cornucopia of goodies The chorus was excellent too, but the young boys’ this production. Bass-baritone Christopher Humbert, Jr.
in March and into April chorus was outstanding; I’d never heard boy soprano as Zuniga made his presence felt with his tall stature and
for the supporters of voices come over as strongly and their acting was not lovely voice which sounded strong in an opera house of
enigmatic culture. Palm overdone, quite natural in fact. Kudos to Young Singers this size. Garnett Bruce, the stage director, ran short on
Beach Symphony has two of the Palm Beaches for participating. Opera Chorus ideas for Chris to do – he’s on stage a lot – and so young
concerts; Miami City Ballet Master Greg Ritchey must be very proud of his and their Chris improvised like a pro.
presents that Balanchine achievement. Italian conductor Antonello Allemandi Heeseung Chae from South Korea was very good. A
sparkler Jewels in March led the fine opera orchestra in the pit, his reading of pleasing baritone he managed two roles with class and
and The Prodigal Son in the entr’acte’s – small tuneful music pieces before aplomb, El Dancairo and Morales. Megan Callahan,
late April. There’s a musical about the only surviving each curtain – were full of charm and delicacy; refined mezzo, was lovely as Mercedes.
Romanoff: Anastasia. And Palm Beach Opera delivers orchestral playing, beautiful to hear. J’Nai Bridges was She interfaced with the stars seamlessly and sang
with The Merry Widow. Dress up, dine out and go have a tour de force as Carmen, so believable with a golden beautifully. Her friend Frasquita sung by the soprano,
some fun. mezzo voice whose range from top to bottom is even and Avery Boettcher, was fiery and intense, as the part
Palm Beach Opera clear. Her Habanera and Seguedille arias were delivered requires. Her singing in the card scene towered over
The Merry Widow is at Kravis Center March 25 to 27. slowly and carefully, quite lovely in parts. I heard Denice everyone with its purity, thrilling audience and critic
There is a huge cast and great music by Franz Lehar sung in Graves sing this role in 1998; she was the best then. Few alike. The handsome 60th anniversary program book was
English words by the great Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the have tried in between to rival her but Bridges is her true created by Adina Antonucci and the opera staff from old
Roof; Mozart’s Goose of Cairo). The production is directed successor, to my mind. Jonathan Burton’s Don Jose was records discovered in a long lost archive. The audience
by Helena Binder and conducted by Ward Stare. For tickets adequate, his lovely tenor tended to pinch its sound toward wore masks and produced proof of vaccination upon
call (561) 833-7888 or book online at pbopera.org. the end of the opera; tired from Friday’s performance entering Dreyfoos Hall. Drinks and refreshments were
Palm Beach Symphony perhaps. Zachary Nelson’s rolling baritone thrilled in the back to being served in the 20-minute intermissions. We’ll
Monday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. also at Kravis, famous Torreador song and he justly swaggered in the soon have COVID on the run!
conductor Gerard Schwarz directs Beethoven’s Piano part. Amanda Woodbury as Micaela was delightful, her The next opera will be, The Elixer of Love, Feb. 25 to
Concerto No. 3 in C Minor with Maria Joao Pires tackling soaring soprano was lovely in her last aria, “Je dis, que 27. Call regarding tickets at (561) 833-7888.
the keyboard. The concert is concluded with Mahler’s
Symphony No. 4. Sunday, April 10, at 3 p.m. the wonderful
violinist Midori plays Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto
in D Major. William Schuman’s New England Triptych
opens the program. Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 closes it.
The conductor is Maestro Gerard Schwarz. Call the box
office for tickets: (561) 281-0145. Leaving Your Employer?
Miami City Ballet Understand Your 401(k) Options.
March 18 to 20 at the Kravis Center is Goerges
Ballanchine’s three-act ballet dedicated to “jewels” At Edward Jones, we can explain options for your
(emeralds; rubies; diamonds) which is one of his greatest 401(k), including leaving the money in your former
achievements. It is an abstract, plotless work inspired by employer’s plan, moving it to your new employer’s
a visit to the famous Paris jewelry store, Van Cleef & plan, rolling it over to an individual Retirement
Arpels. Music is by Faure, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Account (IRA) or cashing out the account subject to
The costume colors will dazzle. April 29 to May 1 is tax consequences.
another Ballanchine work, The Prodigal Son. Inspired
by The Bible story and made famous by dancer Edward To learn more, call today.
Villella, America’s most celebrated male dancer and
artistic founding director of the Miami City Ballet in 1986.
Music is by Prokofiev. Call the box office for tickets at
(305) 929-7010. The toll-free number is (877) 929-7010. Sally S Stahl, AAMS®
Kravis Center Financial Advisor www.edwardjones.com

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Ballet Palm Beach presents Giselle March 4 to 6 in 1851 W Indiantown Rd Ste 106
the Rinker Playhouse. Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. Itzhak Jupiter, FL 33458
Pearlman on violin and Rohan De Silva on piano, give 561-748-7600
a recital. March 9 to 13 the new musical of Anastasia
goes up. It’s fascinating to think that a young Romanoff
survived the firing squad.
I believe she did, but had to create doubt to distract
would-be assassins. Trotsky eventually was found in
Mexico and shot by the communists: lesson learned.
March 12 and 13 is PIAF: No Regrets starring Christine
Andreas. March 20, the Paris Ballet presents excerpts
from Cinderella; Don Quixote and The Black Swan. March
29 is “ABBA The Concert” at 8 p.m. March 30 at 8 p.m.
is The Warsaw Philharmonic with Music Director Andrey
Boreyko and Bruce Liu at the piano. April 1 features
Dick Fox’s Golden Boys with Frankie Avalon, Fabian
and Bobby Rydell. April 2 is Complexions Contemporary
Ballet. April 3 is Sir James Galway, flute, one time the
brilliant first chair in the Berlin Philharmonic, born in
Ireland, knighted by The Queen for services to music.
April 5 to 10 is Shear Madness, a whodunit comedy set
in Boston and D.C. … audiences get to find the clues
and solve a hilarious murder crime! For tickets call (561)
832-7469 or go online to kravis.org.
Rex’s Review

Review Of Palm Beach Opera’s Carmen
By Rex Hearn
Grande Opera, as most composers saw it, always had
to have ballet or dancing included to augment the singing;
without dance it was simply an opera. Audiences loved
the combination of the two art forms. Georges Bizet, the
composer of Carmen knew this and over the years since
it opened in 1875 it can lay claim to being most popular
favorite to rival Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (1786),
for first place. Though Figaro has no dancing you may
remember in the film Amadeus a scene when the ballet
dancers perform without music. The King asks Mozart,
“Why?” He replies, “The Intendant wanted it cut.” And
it was!
Palm Beach Opera’s Carmen (heard on Jan. 29) was
indeed a Grande Opera. Grand in so many ways, singers,