Profile reviews
2Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva in her portrayal of Desdemona, the faithful wife who finds facts are no match for manufactured suspicion, "sings with flawless, rich Italianate sound, and graceful phrasing" (San Francisco Classical Voice).
Ernani
Past Production Reviews
1Commendations must also be extended to the wonderful work of the choruses, which play an important role in this opera. This is especially true for the chorus of the priests, which sings in piously reverential tones in the Temple, and then with lusty cries for blood and revenge, following the defeat of the Ethiopian army. (Indeed, a significant aspect of the tragedy of Aida is the insistence of the priests that defense of the nation required revenge, and that the defeated enemy, in the character of its king, Amonasro, likewise lived for revenge. Thus, the love between Radames and Aida was doomed.) The HGO chorus, under the direction of Richard Bado, performed superbly.
