IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO AND BEYOND. You still have time to catch the Gotham Chamber Opera's stylish production of Rossini's one-act opera Il Signor Bruschino this Saturday night. My companion and I found it delightful, with attractive sets by Donald Eastman, exuberant direction by [Robin Guarino and Artistic Director/Conductor] Neal Goren, and excellent singing (with standout performances by Eric Jordan and Alek Shrader).

Don't just take my word for it. Here's a review from The New York Times.

Coming up: A Fall 2007 production of Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires (featuring choreographer David Parsons and Parsons Dance) and a Spring 2008 production called Ariadne Unhinged.

You can listen to Maria de Buenos Aires via this page. Passages in the opening reminds me of...Ennio Morricone! Other passages remind me of a motif in one of Gene Kelly's numbers from Michel Legrand's soundtrack to Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. (Kids, don't drive like Kelly does in the movie!) I love it all!

And also thanks to YouTube, here's footage of Amelita Baltar performing an excerpt from Maria de Buenos Aires.



Source (3:48)