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    Joke's on us

    Brilliantly cartoonish Barber of Seville kicks off Houston Grand Opera's 57thseason with a Cubist twist

    Theodore Bale
    Oct 23, 2011 | 1:18 am
    • Principal artsits from The Barber of Seville
      Photo by Felix Sanchez
    • From the Houston Grand Opera's production of The Barber of Sevile, Ana MariaMartinez as Rosina, Nathan Gunn as Figaro and Patrick Carfizzi as Bartolo
      Photo by Felix Sanchez
    • Ana Maria Martinez as Rosina and Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva in theHouston Grand Opera's production of The Barber of Seville
      Photo by Felix Sanchez

    Cash fluttered down over the audience at the conclusion of Houston Grand Opera’s The Barber of Seville Friday night. As I headed to the car, for a moment I imagined playing a cruel joke on the parking lot attendant. Of course, that $100 bill tucked in my coat pocket was counterfeit, but no matter. I was still in the imaginative realm, where anything goes.

    Besides, the opera has the secondary title, The Futile Precaution. Why not sustain the prank a little while longer?

    The snow shower of pretend-notes was an elegant, lighthearted way to conclude this early 19th century Italian opera buffa on themes of money, love, deception, and of course, singing. The joke was on us, literally and figuratively, throughout the evening.

    “As long as you pay me, you can do as you please,” the music master Don Basilio sings in the first act. It’s a sentiment that neatly summarizes the action of The Barber of Seville.

    “As long as you pay me, you can do as you please,” the music master Don Basilio sings in the first act. It’s a sentiment that neatly summarizes the action of The Barber of Seville, and there are many ways to play that vast concept: cynical, metaphorical, bittersweet, and more. Houston Grand Opera settled on “hilarious” with a Cubist twist, making for a smash success to open its 57th season.

    There is a lot of money, effort, and great creativity behind this co-production with Canadian Opera Company, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Opera Australia. Gioacchino Rossini and librettist Cesare Sterbini’s undisputed masterpiece is possibly the world’s most popular opera, but that’s no reason to take the safe road, a strategy that continues to serve Houston Grand Opera well.

    A golden key

    Fans who remember HGO’s 2007 production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella) will recall that talented Spanish director Joan Font and Spanish choreographer Xevi Dorca have been here before, as well as Barcelona set and costume designer Joan Guillén, described in the program as “a satirical cartoonist whose work has appeared in numerous prestigious Spanish publications and on Spanish television.” His effort, in particular, is a golden key to the triumph of the production.

    What Guillén has come up with here is stridently Spanish and theatrically overwhelming. Brilliantly cartoonish, it is also reminiscent of certain landmark collaborations of the Ballets Russes. In particular, I was reminded of Picasso’s décor for Parade (with composer Erik Satie and choreographer Léonide Massine) and also Le Tricorne (with composer Manuel Da Falla and choreography by Massine).

    What Guillén has come up with here is stridently Spanish and theatrically overwhelming. Brilliantly cartoonish, it is also reminiscent of certain landmark collaborations of the Ballets Russes.

    Perhaps it was the large assortment of multicolored guitars for the men’s chorus in the opening scene, each entirely singular, with a gargantuan pink-and-green one that doubles as a platform for Count Almaviva to serenade Rosina. Later on, the singers climb aboard a massive pink piano that doubles as a writing desk, banquet table, and boudoir for the young lovers.

    Guillén’s designs are unstable, that is, you never know what they are going to turn into next. He is constantly playing with scale and proportions. His costumes, as well, are often exaggerated in a way that heightens the comedy: a black veil soars a yard above the head of a stumbling skinny old woman. The police chorus members wear pants with a garish diamond silhouette, making them look like Oompa-Loompas.

    Even the lighting designer, Albert Faura, is from Spain. His illuminations are both subtle and surprising, taking us from the dawn of Figaro’s first deal to the chandelier-light of the marriage contract, in unexpected ways. The Barber of Seville is often a self-reflexive work, citing at many instances another “unseen” opera (referenced time and again by several of the singers) called The Scheme That Came to Nothing.

    Faura, like the other creative hands in this production, understands the irony of that reference and in this way, often shows lighting designs that are traditional but with a twist. There is great splendor in his illumination of an archetypal tree that stands outside the Bartolo's house, which is most often framed in vivid warm colors.

    Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni gives a classy, understated interpretation of the score, capturing the transparency of Rossini’s orchestration with the utmost sophistication. He follows the singers, who play with the arias, which conveys a sense of freedom throughout the evening.

    It’s strange to think that in 1816 (as explained in Roger Pines’ excellent program notes) the premiere at the Teatro Argentina in Rome was a heavily-booed disaster. I think this comes partly from a particular tension in the work, which arises from the Italian/Spanish rivalry sensibility, something I imagine Vordoni pondered. I wonder if the first viewers were at a loss as to who was actually making fun of whom.

    Kudos to the cast

    My kudos to the cast would have to begin with Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva, the American tenor who would appear to be Italian at birth. What freedom in his delivery, what endless breath he gives to Rossini’s mile-long scales and ornaments, what naturally comic interpretation. Even more, what stunning endurance comes from this talented young singer! His final aria in the second act is a marvel, to say the least. Brownlee was Don Ramiro in HGO’s 2007 La Cenerentola, so he’s familiar with the aesthetic of this particular production team, and it shows.

    My kudos to the cast would have to begin with Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva, the American tenor who would appear to be Italian at birth.

    Ana María Martínez, who gave such an introspective interpretation of the lead role in Madama Butterfly last season, is a dream as Rosina, delivering unmistakable clarity and refreshing vocal buoyancy. Like Katy Perry, she makes me feel like I’m living a teenage dream. A certain climax occurred during her lengthy, almost suspenseful cadenza in the second act, and she makes a war-horse aria like una voce poco fa into a sort of premiere.

    A few months ago, I heard baritone Nathan Gunn sing the premiere of a Jake Heggie song cycle at Dallas Opera, and I was deeply impressed by his soaring baritone voice and considerable all-around glamour. I don’t think he was necessarily warmed up for his Act I famous “Figaro, Figaro” aria, and at times it seemed like he was singing at a lower volume level than the rest of the cast. Those problems were soon resolved by the second act, however, and as an actor he’s perfectly cast in the role of the unrelenting schemer.

    Grand, perfect singing came from bass-baritones Patrick Carfizzi and Kyele Ketelsen, respectively as Dr. Bartolo and Don Basilio, not to mention baritone Boris Dyakov as Fiorello, who gave such wonderful performances as Harlequin in last season’s Ariadne auf Naxos and as the Prison Guard in Dead Man Walking.

    American mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook as Berta trudges around with great humor throughout most of the opera, a thankless part in many ways, but she is nonetheless compelling and nearly stole the second-act with her short, powerful aria.

    (Additional performances on Sunday, Oct. 29, Nov. 4 and Nov. 6. The cast will change entirely for special performances on Nov. 3 (High School Night), Nov. 8-9 (Student matinée), and Nov. 12 (NEXUS matinée), which are conducted by Craig Kier.)

    See and hear Nathan Gunn and Ana María Martínez in a scene from The Barber of Seville:

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    Best May Art

    Floating worlds and immersive experiences top Houston's 9 best new art openings

    Tarra Gaines
    May 8, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    ​“Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience!”
    Photo courtesy of Artechouse
    “Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience!” opens at Artechouse in May.

    After an blooming array of outdoor art installations the last few months, new art takes flight indoors for some rocking immersive shows and stunning exhibitions embracing the natural world. Art and science meet at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Houston Museum of Natural Science, while art and history merge at Rice Moody Center, the CAMH, and the Menil Collection. Houston-based artists also take the spotlight in several big shows across the city.

    “EAT!!” at the Silos in Sawyer Yards (now through May 24)
    This exhibition from local mixed-media artist Diane Gelman showcases the art of dining in a thoughtful-yet-whimsical new way. A feast for the eyes, this new solo exhibition features paintings, sculptures, and installations all about one of our favorite subjects, food. For Gelman, a registered and licensed dietitian, food is a celebration, served with joy, fostering social activity and positivity the world over. It is a universal language that promotes cross-cultural connection, and nourishes both our bodies and souls. “EAT!!” will encourage personal reflection and will be an entire smorgasbord for the senses. Gelman was awarded a 2025 Individual Artists Grant for EAT!! from the City of Houston.

    “Audubon's Birds of America” at Houston Museum of Natural Science (now through September 1)
    Perhaps one of the most famous naturalist books of all time, John James Audubon’s Birds of America series captivated its original 19th century audience with its spectacular, life-sized ornithological illustrations and helped to make birding the hobby that it is today. This fascinating exhibition at the HMNS gives us the chance to see these illustrations up close in all their colorful plumage. Originally organized by the National Museums Scotland, the exhibition includes 46 prints from their rare unbound collection of Birds of America. Along with these magnificent illustrations, the show will explore both the beauty of Audubon’s work and the complexities of his legacy, including Audubon as an adventurer and naturalist legend, as well as the more complex, problematic realities of his actual life.

    “Floating World: A.A.Murakam” at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (now through September 5)
    In the past few years, Houston has become home to so many immersive and interactive art spaces, but the MFAH will always be the pioneer when it comes to giving viewers the chance to play amid the art. Once again, the MFAH has captured art lightning in a bottle, this time literally, with the multi-gallery exhibition by the Tokyo and London-based A.A.Murakami, also know as Azusa Murakami, and Alexander Groves. Melding science, nature, and art, the duo create large-scale immersive landscapes working in mediums of light, fog, plasma, bubbles and sound. Each gallery holds work that is etherial, constantly transforming and will never be the same with each visit. Expect “Floating Worlds” to be a local social media art star by June.

    “This is the first exhibition in a U. S. museum of the work of these remarkable artists,” noted MFAH director Gary Tinterow. “The term that A.A.Murakami has used to characterize their work, 'Ephemeral Tech,' aptly captures the uncanny nature of these mesmerizing environments, which rely on the latest innovations in artifice and science to evoke the timeless, fleeting moments of nature’s forces.”

    “The Eternal Garden: Titanium Art by Aka Chen” at Houston Museum of Natural Science (now through September)
    This exhibition of work by the renowned Taiwanese artist Aka Chen features 20 sculptures that uniquely combine jewelry artistry and Chinese brush painting using titanium and gemstones. Chen’s unique process involves sculpting the metal under water using precision tools originally designed for medical applications and working at extraordinarily high temperatures. Once shaped, the titanium undergoes an anodization process, revealing a mesmerizing iridescent shimmer. This intricate process culminates in the artful setting of carefully selected gemstones, each enhancing the inherent beauty of the titanium and elevating the pieces into works of art. Chen’s sculptures represent the most delicate objects and creatures in nature, like flowers, butterflies, and dragonflies, but are formed by some of the strongest natural material.

    “Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience!” at Artechouse (May 15-August 31)
    When the artful fun house that is Artechouse opened last June, the plan was always to rotate in new installations and exhibition, and this latest one will surely rock our art world. This immersive video experience takes audiences on a 50-minute rock ‘n’ roll journey through music history, dropping them into a 270-degree, floor-to-ceiling, 18K-resolution digital canvas and state-of-the-art surround sound. Putting viewers right in the midst of rock history and classic concerts, “Amplified” features rare footage from live performance and behind-the-scenes and candid artist moments, exclusive portrait sessions, album art, and posters. Artechouse says “Amplified delivers one of the most comprehensive collections of rock ‘n’ roll imagery ever assembled and includes the work of 500 photographers and film directors."

    “The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House” at Menil Collection (May 23-November 2)
    This show of the acclaimed Houston-based artist’s latest work was inspired by a 50-year-old letter that John de Menil wrote to Fuchs’s father, a German classical archeologist, when seeking his expertise on a sculpture in Menil’s private collection. Decades late, Fuchs found a photo of that piece in her father’s personal effects. “The Space Between” becomes Fuchs’s response to John’s unanswered letter, in the form of her painting various objects, including other art work, from the de Menil House. Through her own artwork, Fuchs reflects on the nature of everyday objects, attempting to capture their fundamental truths. For this series of paintings, Fuchs researched hundreds of photographs taken of the de Menil’s home and studied how artworks were moved through the interior spaces throughout the decades.

    “Francesca’s sincere and inspired approach to researching the de Menil house and permanent collection has generated a refreshingly original and rich perspective on the lives of objects collected by John and Dominique de Menil,” described Menil Collection curator, Paul R. Davis. “Her enduring pursuit of painting compels us to think about the layered and fungible meanings of everyday objects.”

    “Figurative Histories” at Rice Moody Center (May 30-August 16)
    For their dynamic summer exhibition, the Moody Center celebrates Texas-based artists Letitia Huckaby, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., David McGee, and Delita Martin. Besides hailing from the Lone Star State, these four artists also create figurative artwork influenced by their personal histories and socio-political themes. Their work often depicts the human body and uses images from the past to understand the present. Many of the pieces in the exhibition also explore historical absences, especially the lack of Black representation in traditional Western art.

    The exhibition will include photographs by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. of daily life in Houston’s Third, Fourth, and Fifth Wards, eight portraits from Letitia Huckaby’s acclaimed “A Living Requiem” series. The show will also feature seven large-scale watercolors from David McGee’s “Avenging Angels” series, more than one hundred works on paper from his “Tarot Cards” series, and brand new works by Delita Martin, drawn from her “Song Keepers” series, which honors the presence of Black women in history, memory, and spirit.

    “Clément Cogitore: Collective Memories” at Rice Moody Center (May 30-August 16)
    Presented in adjacent galleries, these two video installations from the renowned French artist, director, and photographer, Cogitore, create a dialogue with each other about the nature of community performance and collective energy. The first film, Les Indes galantes, offers a contemporary version of the the 18th century Baroque opera ballet by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. In this reimagining, classic ballet is replaced with krumping, a dance style popularized in South Central Los Angeles in the early 2000s. The second video, Morgestraich (2022), pays tribute to the Carnival of Basel, an event held in Switzerland since the Middle Ages. The piece features elaborately dressed carnival participants against a dark backdrop, walking continually toward an invisible crowd.

    “Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe” at Contemporary Arts Museum (May 30-March 29, 2026)
    This mid-career survey of the award-winning, Houston-born artist will showcase nearly a decade of her multidisciplinary work, including painting, printmaking, video, photography, fiber, and sculpture. Jackson creates much of her art through a research process grounded in interviews with local community members, historians, and advocates. Jackson weaves together color theory and these discovered histories to explore themes of land, labor, and law — culminating in vibrant pieces that celebrate the empowerment of disenfranchised groups within American democracy.

    “My family is a product of the Great Migration route from Texas to California and I am thrilled to bring Across The Universe to Contemporary Arts Museum Houston,” Jackson said in a statement. “This opportunity to share more than 10 years of my work visualizing public narratives across disciplines to the city of my birth is a long held dream come true.”

    \u200b\u201cRolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience!\u201d
      
    Photo courtesy of Artechouse
    “Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience!” opens at Artechouse in May.
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