Houston, Texas

Brown Theater, Wortham Center
04/29/2011 –  and May 1*, 4, 7, 10, 2011
Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

by Marcus Karl Maroney

“Laura Claycomb meets every challenge thrown at her by the role of Zerbinetta. One always looks forward to “Grossmächtige Prinzessin,” which Claycomb sings with such comfort and musicality that sopranos everywhere must be green with envy, but the role is so much more than that, and this is where Claycomb stands out. She is an excellent, knowing counterpoint to Graham’s Composer, both vocally and temperamentally. Strauss gives the two a glorious scene near the end of the “Prologue,” and Claycomb mercurially darts in and out of Graham’s sustained vocal lines. Zerbinetta catalyzes the Composer’s passion, both for this cunning vixen and for music itself, and the duo’s dramatic arc in this scene is extraordinary.”

…. Read MORE ….

http://www.concertonet.com/scripts/review.php?ID_review=7422