Eva-Maria Westbroek shines in Puccini's Golden West.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
It is a hard existence to be a lesser known work from the pen of a great opera composer, and no opera has suffered more cruel jokes than Puccini's La Fanciulla del West ("The Girl of the Golden West.") Since its premiere on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in 1910, Fanciulla has fought for survival, much like the hardscrabble gold miners that make up the bulk of its colorful cast. The opera returned to the Met this month with a good cast. On Monday night, a performance featuring tenor Yusif Eyvazov and soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek provided a much needed shot of red blood to an anemic fall season.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
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| California Love: Eva-Maria Westbroek and Yusif Eyvazov in La Fanciulla del West. Photo by Ken Howard © 2018 The Metropolitan Opera. |
