Opera Review: Burn This

Merry Mount at Spring For Music.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Conductor Michael Christie made his Carnegie Hall debut with Merry Mount.
Photo by Chris Lee.

Howard Hanson's Merry Mount belongs to that large category of operas that were beloved upon their premiere but were quickly forgotten following its opening run.  It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1934, receiving a still-standing record of 50 curtain calls on opening night. On Wednesday night, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra brought this bold and ultimately fascinating work to Carnegie Hall as their offering for Night Three of this year's Spring For Music Festival. The results were...incendiary.