WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

Review Archive

Full reviews by newspaper critics are available in Portable Document Format (PDF), and require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have the Reader, you can download a free copy from the Adobe Systems, Inc. web site. Select excerpts are below.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (2008)

• The Tampa Tribune (278 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (353 KB)

La Bohème (2007)

• The Tampa Tribune (477 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (387 KB)

Il Trovatore (2007)

• The Tampa Tribune (339 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (378 KB)

Deborah Voigt (2007)

• The Tampa Tribune (412 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (349 KB)

Romeo and Juliet (2006)

• The Tampa Tribune (441 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (378 KB)

The Girl of the Golden West (2006)

• The Tampa Tribune (253 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (210 KB)

Carmen (2005)

• The Tampa Tribune (226 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (105 KB)

Aida (2005)

• The Tampa Tribune (229 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (269 KB)

Madama Butterfly (2004)

• The Tampa Tribune (219 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (306 KB)

Turandot (2004)

• The Tampa Tribune (150 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (278 KB)

Otello (2003)

• The Tampa Tribune (300 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (264 KB)

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (2002)

• The Tampa Tribune (249 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (282 KB)

Rigoletto (2002)

• The Tampa Tribune (215 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (165 KB)

Basically Bernstein/Trouble in Tahiti (2002)

• The Tampa Tribune (227 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (236 KB)

Die Fledermaus (2001)

• The Tampa Tribune (216 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (225 KB)

An Evening of Verdi & Puccini (2001)

• No review available

Sacco & Vanzetti — world premiere (2001)

• The Tampa Tribune (291 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (512 KB)

The Marriage of Figaro (2000)

• The Tampa Tribune (264 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (237 KB)
  

La Traviata (2000)

• The Tampa Tribune (194 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (249 KB)

Hansel and Gretel (1999)

• The Tampa Tribune (213 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (211 KB)

Tosca (1999)

• No review available
  

La Bohème (1998)

• No review available
  

Carmen (1997)

• The Tampa Tribune (192 KB)
• The St. Petersburg Times (485 KB)

Madama Butterfly (1996)

• No review available

The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West)

"Dear Colleagues,
I am Kamal Khan, Resident Conductor and Chorus Master of Palm Beach Opera, and I must congratulate the entire company on the success of FANCIULLA. I had the pleasure of talking with Maestro Coppola and Dorothy Danner after the show to congratulate them personally, but this also extends to your wonderfully committed orchestra and chorus, as well as the fine cast.
It is a very difficult opera , but both the Ac tOne and Act Three curtains were enormously moving. Puccini worked his magic through you all. The very best of luck in the coming season.
Sincerely,
Kamal Khan
Palm Beach Opera"

"Madama Butterfly brushes realm of perfection … a coherence of music, vocals, smart sets and lighting design made for a potent evening." — The Tampa Tribune

"Butterfly again soars with grace" — The St. Petersburg Times

"Fabulous production! I'm sure the kudos should go to many people, but whoever made the decision to get Shu-Ying Li for the title role deserves a lot of congratulations. She was one of the best performers we've ever heard, and that covers some territory … including having seen Madama Butterfly performed in Milan at La Scala. Her voice seemed to flow effortlessly, regardless of the volume or pitch, and she was an excellent actress as well. Please consider her for any future roles she may be available for … Maestro Coppola's handling of the orchestra was superb, as always, and the final aria as Butterfly prepares for her suicide was one of those all-too-infrequent moments in opera where the music, voice and emotion pour out from the stage and raise the hair on the back of your neck." — Martin Martel and Bonny Heet, opera Tampa Season Ticket Holders

Otello

“‘Otello’ commanded attention, from the opening storm to the final death scene. Under the baton of Anton Coppola, musicians and cast etched a powerful drama that will be remembered as one of the company’s most ambitious efforts … Coppola has ‘Otello’ in his veins, and captured the psychological pulse through a well-rehearsed Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus, principals and smart set design … The pit musicians were in good form throughout all four acts, creating a ‘voice’ of compelling beauty and shade. The chorus was first rate, and hats must go off for creative staging and lighting.” – The Tampa Tribune

Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci

“‘Cav-Pag,’ which [Opera Tampa] unveiled with its usual high standards … benefited from cohesive singing by the Opera Tampa Chorus and atmospheric sets provided by the New Orleans Opera.” – The Tampa Tribune

“… first-rate production … Cav and Pag demonstrated that [Opera Tampa] is improving with more productions per season … The Opera Tampa chorus has gone from being a liability to a genuine asset with increased activity the past few seasons.” – The St. Petersburg Times

Die Fledermaus

“With so many of us still pondering the events of and subsequent to Sept. 11 … [Die Fledermaus] offers a balm of sorts, especially when Opera Tampa’s first shot of the season comes off so crisp and cloying.” – The St. Petersburg Times

Rigoletto

“Friday’s performance in Morsani Hall had all the impact of an operatic hammer blow, a combination of characters of flesh and spirit, a strong chorus, opulent sets and lighting, and resilient playing by members of The Florida Orchestra under the baton of Anton Coppola.”
– The Tampa Tribune

The Marriage of Figaro

“Friday night’s opener in Morsani Hall was crisp and effective theater.” – The Tampa Tribune

Sacco & Vanzetti

“The chorus sings with tight diction, the 160 costumes are full of detail, and skillful choreography sets each of the 14 scenes in colorful motion … Sacco & Vanzetti is Opera Tampa’s most convincing production.” – The Tampa Tribune

“It was … a triumph for opera Tampa, the outgrowth of a company formed by TBPAC only five years and seven operas ago. Coppola’s opera … was superbly sung. The staging by director Matthew Lata was inventive and briskly done.” – The St. Petersburg Times

“The opera is visually spectacular from first moment to last … the spectacle of S&V is such a complete success that it’s possible to pass the first half-hour or so happily dazzled by the pageant.” – The Weekly Planet

“For a fledgling company, only five years in existence, to mount such a lavish production of a new opera was a bold and ambitious move. All credit to Opera Tampa for taking a big gamble and making it pay off so well. Sacco & Vanzetti may turn out to be the operatic sleeper of recent years.” – Opera News