Two alumni of the company's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists program, JiYoung Lee (Nannetta) and Yingxi Zhang (Fenton), revealed bright voices and a flair for lyrical phrasing. Vivid contributions came from David Cangelosi (Bardolfo), Grigory Soloviov (Pistola) and, particularly, Robin Leggate (Dr. Caius).
The chorus made a strong showing, as did those deft dancers. The orchestra excelled, finding what sounded like an extra dose of inspiration in conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing, who relished every prismatic detail in Verdi's score as he applied equal amounts of momentum and sensitivity to the performance.
"Falstaff" continues through Oct. 30. Tickets are $50 to $300. Call 202-295-2400 or go to dc-opera.com.
Piano fest, competition
So it's not as well known as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. It's still a significant event, it's in Baltimore, and it's fun. The Liszt-Garrison Festival and International Piano Competition, which starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, will involve more than 50 pianists from 22 countries.
"It is less a competition than a festival," says Ernest Ragogini. "It's a wonderful atmosphere. A number of competitors from previous years have come back as volunteers because they enjoyed it so much."
Ragogini, a pianist on the Notre Dame faculty, co-directs the event with Nancy Rold?n, a pianist recently retired from the Peabody Conservatory faculty. She founded the venture in 2004 in memory of pianist and piano technician William Garrison, who died that year. The Baltimore-Washington Chapter of the American Liszt Society subsequently became the presenter.
Now held biennially, the Liszt-Garrison Competition offers about $15,000 in prizes in several categories, including solo, concerto and collaborative artist. There also are awards for artists in their teens and early 20s.
In addition to the prizes, contestants have a shot at concert engagements, including a remarkable opportunity to give a solo recital at the famed Bayreuth Festival in Germany next summer.
"We had 86 applicants from 24 countries," Ragogini says, "and the pianists are at a very high level. Even those we didn't choose were quite good."
Entrants are required to play a work by Liszt and an American composer; they have free rein for the rest of their repertoire.
