Deanna Ray Eberhart fangirled during her session at a master class conducted by Joyce DiDonato at Helzberg Hall on Thursday, January 11. Rather than responding appropriately to a vocal example provided by DiDonato, Eberhart exclaimed something like “hearing that up close is so cool!”

I completely sympathize with Eberhart. DiDonato, the iconic international star from Prairie Village, Kansas, was my 2022 Artist of the Year. DiDonato’s innovation approach has been a key component of my gradual embrace of operatic music. Her magnificent voice is among my favorite instruments.

I spent $39 for a lousy seat high above the stage during the first of DiDonato’s three concerts with the Kansas City Symphony on Friday, January 12. Yet for a moment I felt something akin to Eberhart’s experience. Due to an odd acoustical effect, the first offstage missive made by DiDonato in her dramatic entrance to Charles Ives’ ethereal “The Unanswered Question” seemed as if it had been whispered directly into my ear.

Nothing else in the lengthy program equaled the Ives, although a rendition of Gustav Mahler’s "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" appeared to be excellent from my dicey location. I also relished DiDonato’s separate encores of Strauss’ “Morgen!” and sappy but heartrending readings of “Danny Boy” and “Shenandoah”.

I won’t include my opinions about the remainder of the program here, other than to note intriguing new pieces by Joel Thompson and Chen Yi and Zhou Long were performed. Rather than splurging on a good seat for the two repeat performances this weekend, I might binge on a few of the hours of previous DiDonato master classes online.

William Brownlee

March 29, 2023

Opera Review: The Metropolitan Opera’s “The Hours”

William Brownlee

March 29, 2023

I correctly assumed the Metropolitan Opera’s world premiere production of "The Hours" would eventually make its way to PBS. What I didn’t anticipate is how difficult the opera would be to watch. The unflinching depiction of hopeless despair is unbearably grim. I repeatedly paused the three-hour broadcast lest I fall into a sympathetic depression. The three stars- Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming and Kelli O’Hara- portray the suicidal gloom devised by Kevin Puts and librettist Greg Pierce, based on a novel by Michael Cunningham and inspired by the work and life of Virginia Woolf, with upsetting fidelity. Everything about “The Hours” is outstanding- and that’s why it’s almost unendurable.

William Brownlee

December 27, 2022

Joyce DiDonato: There Stands the Glass’ Artist of the Year

William Brownlee

December 27, 2022

Original image of promotional bookmark picturing Kelli O’Hara, Joyc DiDonato and Renée Fleming by There Stands the Glass.

Friends and family remain mystified by my embrace of opera. The widespread assumption that the form is the exclusive domain of wealthy elitists is pervasive- and deservedly so. Yet until approximately 100 years ago, opera was a ubiquitous form of popular music. The music didn’t change. Instead, the ways in which the music was presented became cost-prohibitive and classist. Joyce DiDonato is aware of opera’s image problem. The celebrity soprano dedicated a significant portion of her energy in 2022 to audience outreach. Without compromising her artistry, DiDonato’s concerts in support of the glorious album Eden and her other projects rendered opera relevant and accessible. Harmonious with my own attitude, DiDonato’s initiatives make her There Stands the Glass’ Artist of the Year.

Honorable mention: Mary Halvorson, Moor Mother and Sault. The previous winners of the Artist of the Year designation are Pat Metheny (2021) and Bad Bunny (2020).

William Brownlee

December 14, 2022

Feelin’ U: The Top Albums and Songs of 2022

William Brownlee

December 14, 2022

The Top 50 Albums of 2022

1. Moor Mother- Jazz Codes