“Turandot” in Semi-Staged Splendor at Costa Mesa

Turandot in the Segerstrom Concert Hall.

REVIEW

Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa

DAVID J BROWN

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) in the last
year of his life, while writing Turandot.

In previous years we've somehow managed to miss the Pacific Symphony’s annual opera performance, semi-staged in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, under the baton of its former Artistic and Music Director and current Music Director Laureate, Carl St. Clair. Last season’s production of Das Rheingold was a particularly regretted omission, and if this year’s presentation of Puccini’s final masterpiece, Turandot, of which three performances were given between April 16 and April 21, was any guide, then we’ve been missing something.

It was a ravishing spectacle, both for the ears and the eyes, in which Puccini’s larger-than-life characters—caparisoned vividly but ambiguously as to era and locale (no chinoiserie here!)—strode, emoted, and interacted beneath the Segerstrom’s video screen on which the pages of a hand-drawn shadow book turned, and amidst lofty silken banners swirling and wafting across the full breadth of the stage.

All this was bathed in designer Ken Smith’s lighting effects—sepulchral, kaleidoscopically varied, or radiant according to the unfolding drama—which not only enveloped the width of the performing area but extended to its full height as well, highlighting the fronts of the upper chorus balconies in deep hues and adding extra luster to the burnished acoustic canopy far above.

Altogether the production design was an object-lesson in how to make the most of constrained and easily moveable resources, and this YouTube video, hosted by the stage director Eric Einhorn and also including valuable contributions from costume and puppet designers Caitlin Cisek and Robin Walsh respectively, as well as the lighting designer Ken Smith, gives invaluable insight into the team's approach within their various specialties, predicated on the basic concept of treating Turandot as a fairy-tale drawn from a child’s picture-book.

The performance indeed literally opened out from this, with the distinctly ominous figure of the Mandarin (David Crawford, bass-baritone, making the sonorous best of his brief appearances), rising spectrally (above) from the pages turned by their boy reader (Jayden Guarneri in a non-singing role created specially for this production) against the five massive down-thrusting fff brass chords that open the opera.

Errin Duane Brooks as Calaf.

Turandot has a quite small cast of solo parts, and there was not a single weak link amongst them. By far the largest role is that of Calaf, the initially anonymous prince who finally conquers the “ice princess” Turandot, and the American tenor Errin Duane Brooks—apparently quite a late substitute given that his biographical notes were included as an insert sheet with the already printed program— equally conquered the heroically strenuous demands Puccini makes of his male principal.

When it came to that aria near the start of Act Three, Brooks’ voice initially sounded a little threadbare, but while not (of course!) erasing memories of Pavarotti in his golden prime on the classic Decca recording, he recovered and hit the climactic “Vincerò!” with a force and focus that fully earned the inevitable ovation.

Turandot herself is just a silent presence in Act One, and as in this production she appeared (highly effectively) as a drawn image (below) gazing down from the shadow-book on the screen above, Marjorie Owens’ commanding stage presence was not seen until her entry in Act Two, where she thoroughly proved her mettle at “in questa reggia,” both alone in the first part of the aria and then as an entirely equal partner with Brooks in its later stages.

Marjorie Owens as Turandot, in costume
designed by Caitlin Cisek.

The tragic duo of the exiled Tartar king Timur and his slave companion Liù were sung by Raymond Aceto (bass) and Alisa Jordheim (soprano). Aceto's tall, robust frame made him a rather implausible embodiment of aged frailty, but Ms. Jordheim’s slight figure exactly suited her role. However, there was nothing wanting vocally or dramatically from either, and both really came into their own in Act Three, first with Liù’s desperate and doomed refusal to divulge the secret of Calaf’s name, and then Timur’s agonized lament over her body, which Mr. Aceto made the most moving episode in the whole performance.

The three ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong—the nearest Turandot gets to comic relief—were the well-matched Hunter Enoch (bass-baritone), Nicholas Nestorak (tenor), and David Blalock (tenor), each equipped with an outsize velvet top hat sometimes carried on a stick (why?) and otherwise donned and doffed with frequency. For this listener they brought to mind the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (and then by association, the Queen of Hearts’ “Off with his head!”—a perhaps not inappropriate parallel in this context).

Liù (Alisa Jordheim) and
Timur (Raymond Aceto).

The other late substitute in the cast was Nicholas Preston (tenor) in the brief role of Emperor Altoum. His appearance was, I thought, was one of the clear mis-steps in the production, represented as he was by one of the wafting silk banners with the singer nowhere in sight. I wonder how many audience members unfamiliar with the opera failed to figure out why on earth Calaf and Turandot were singing at a banner in the second scene of Act Two?

Carried out though it was with formidable inventiveness and often spectacular results, and with some neat touches (the boy running out to whisper the answer to Turandot’s third riddle reminded me of Bastian in The Neverending Story—a parallel confirmed by Producer Eric Einhorn in the video noted above), I did find something basically misconceived in the interpretation of Turandot as picture-book/fairytale. For me, Puccini’s score is simply too powerful and overwhelming to be thus pigeon-holed and tidied away, and often I felt the music’s oppressive, fist-shaking grandeur to be battering against the constraints of the production concept.

l-r: Pang (Nicholas Nestorak), Pong (David Blalock),
 and Ping (Hunter Enoch).

There’s also the point that it’s a story embodying the designedly pitiless extremes of an exotic, alien imagined culture that Puccini used all the expressive power of his signal genius to project as forcibly as possible, its ethos and his attitude to which have been subject to reams of analysis. In this production all that was pretty much side-stepped, the key example being Liù's torture, which amounted here to having her arm briefly twisted by Pong. Without wanting a Tarantinoesque bloodbath on stage, to be true to the composer—however repellant and alienating that may be—Liù must be seen to really suffer to the point where she chooses suicide as the only way out of her torment.

Franco Alfano.

Musically, however, there were no reservations whatever. From the doom-laden opening to the apotheotic recap of the “Nessun dorma” theme with which composer-substitute Franco Alfano (1875-1954) crowned Puccini’s mighty but incomplete edifice, the Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale respectively played and sang their hearts out. The latter had clearly been meticulously prepared by Artistic Director Robert Istad, underlining that Turandot has some of the most glorious and impactful choral writing in the entire operatic repertoire.

While it would have been interesting to hear one of the many completions essayed by composers other than Alfano, it was good to have his in its entirety, rather than cut as often happens. As for Maestro St. Clair, his mastery of the score was total: expansive to the full where appropriate, always mindful and supportive of the singers, encouraging the extra brass (balcony, stage right) or the Southern California Children’s Chorus (balcony, stage left), leaning into the many dramatic moments, and everywhere drawing the utmost expressive power from the largest forces that Puccini ever used. It was a performance to cherish, greeted by a prolonged and deserved standing ovation, with repeated recalls of the cast and conductor to the stage. 

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Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, Thursday, April 16, 2026, 8 p.m.

Images: The performance: Doug Gifford; Puccini and Alfano: Archivio Storico Ricordi.

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Bel Canto Seattle Believes Opera is for Everyone

l-r: Emili Rice, Shayla Nelson, John Costello, Adrienne LaVey.

INTERVIEW: John Costello, Bel Canto Seattle

ERICA MINER

Bel Canto Seattle is kicking off the revolution in high gear. With recordings and live performances in 2026, they plan to transform, enchant and move audiences across the Seattle area. Establishing a new opera company is a special challenge in the current “attack on the arts” atmosphere, but Seattle-based tenor and impresario John Costello is making a brave effort to beat the odds. In a city that already boasts a major opera company, his small but intrepid Bel Canto Seattle is beginning to make a name for themselves: their initial performance on March 8, 2026, sold out months in advance.

“I wanted to create a project that I wished had existed when I started out singing,” Costello says. “A group that’s really focused on getting singers opportunities, and a community centered around accessible and affordable performances and timeless recordings.” The core ensemble of singers joining Costello in his efforts include Adrienne LaVey, Emili Rice, and Shayla Nelson (pictured above).

Among other things, Costello’s ambitious plan to revolutionize and transform the way opera is presented also includes paying singers fairly and on time and dispensing with gatekeepers and the worst aspects of auditions. In our interview below, the budding company director reveals details about his goals and his impressive leadership.

ERICA MINER: Not long ago, you were working as a program manager in tech. Your current project is quite the turnaround. Tell us about that journey.

JOHN COSTELLO: I never fully felt like being in tech really represented me, as a person and a human being. For me music has always been not only a passion and love, but a vehicle to create beauty and help foster a sense of community. Several folks on my dad’s side of the family were musicians or music teachers either at a professional or more casual level, which has influenced my own decision to keep pursuing music seriously. My path has been different and less formal than many of them. It’s my own journey. When we die, we will not be remembered by our occupation, but by the impact we have on others. At the end of the day, I am fully aware that this project is what I’ll be remembered for. And I embrace that.

EM: What was your initial inspiration for creating Bel Canto Seattle?

Adrienne LaVey, Shayla Nelson, John Costello.

JC: On a summer trip to southern California to visit family, I got a great chance to see an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) band called Rufus Du Sol at the Rose Bowl. It was an incredible experience: 95,000, a sold-out show. What really impressed me was how it not only was larger than life, but also very intimate. 

When I came home, I decided to start Bel Canto Seattle to bring that kind of experience to the opera world. Just the audience and the performers. No gatekeepers. No elites dictating who can participate, or enjoy the music. No auditions. No competitions. Just making music from the heart. Forming the group changed my life. I’m really working hard to spread word of mouth about what we're doing.

EM: Sounds like you are on a mission.

JC: My goal is to change things for the better and make sure there is more respect in the industry.

EM: This quote from @teatroallaflopera appears on your website: “The People who will ‘Save Opera’ probably aren’t the people that the system has already picked.” Can you comment?

JC: The same people who have been running opera companies and art orgs have been doing so for the last 20-30 years. Why not take a risk? What do we have to lose? They curate the experience for the audience to the point where it’s downright insulting. The audience that comes out to hear opera is interested and intelligent and deserve the full experience of performers who are passionate about singing the material and actually want to be there, not just phoning it in.

EM: You also mention “kicking off the dust, taking risks.” Can you elaborate?

JC: We’re trying to push the medium forward and embrace how people consume content and are informed about music today. Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms are how our society largely communicates. Our goal is to make our music and our movement accessible to everyone. The art form also is stuck in the past and rigid with regards to certain tradition. 

For example: With classical music you see a high volume of headshots to market events. Who can actually relate to a headshot? It’s not artistic. It’s not human. That’s why we took the time to invest in actual photoshoots with a great artist like Priya Alahan that really capture our spirit as a group.

EM: Tell us about your fantastic event coming up May 9th, “Opera Rebels.”

JC: We are excited to sing at the great historic Sunset Hill Community Hall in Seattle, which is where we completed our first photoshoot! Eight different singers, including myself and the great Adrienne LaVey, who was a special guest at our last concert, will be singing with us. We will present a very diverse recital for new and seasoned opera fans featuring French and Italian opera with some musical theater, and some pieces from Russian, Czech and American operas as well! Plus, we will have a raffle giving away prizes created by local musicians, artists and authors. Being an Opera Rebel is taking fate into your own hands, and building your own community of outsiders. This is the second step in that journey for us.

EM: You’ve also been talking to folks in the jazz community and have met everyone from Opera on Tap. Can you give us some details?

JC: The jazz community is strong, and their mentality of just “get up there and play/sing!” has been a huge influence on our project. Their main goal is to bring Opera into the bar and other casual environments. They’ve been doing that here for 15 years! 

I saw one of their concerts, met the rest of the group and knew that in Bel Canto we had a sister group, a kindred spirit and ally in the fight to make Opera easier to access and bring it back to the audience. Robin Kallsen is a great jazz singer who also trained with my former voice coach in Seattle, the legendary Marianne Weltmann. Robin has been a great supporter of what we are trying to do with our project. Same with other great jazz singers like Kim Maguire and Angela Petrucci.

EM: On the subject of “a community centered around accessible and affordable performances and timeless recordings,” you’ve been gaining quite a presence in that regard. What are some highlights, and where can we find them?

JC: We're live on Spotify! Our website has links to our most recent EP, which features a studio version of the aria Vainement Ma Bien Aimée in a special arrangement by Connor Wier for cello and Piano. The track features myself, Robert Downey of Seattle Symphony fame on cello, and Karin Kajita, who has made quite a name for herself in the jazz scene, on piano. Our first concert from March 8th is up on YouTube in its entirety and can also be found on our website!

EM: You’ve come a long way since your low point, picking up momentum as you gain a foothold in your goals. What carries you through when things get tough?

JC: Sometimes it can get really hard juggling this project, while also working a 9-5 day job. What keeps me going are the singers I’ve helped so far, and everyone who’s reached out to me with their stories. When I first conceived this project, I wanted to create the type of opera company that existed when I was in my 20s and trying to find my way and gain experience. I know I’m not alone when I talk to other singers about their struggles. The fact that this has resonated so strongly is the best fuel anyone could ask for.

EM: Any final thoughts?

JC: This project was not founded for one singer, but as a movement for an entire community and beyond while at the same time bringing quality and timeless music, live, and streaming online. Not everyone is able to attend in person and it’s very important that this gorgeous music be able to thrive forever. Unless action is taken to make wholesale changes in the art form, stagnation will continue to dominate the genre.

We’re here to change that. And we’re here to stay. For me, this project came together naturally at the right time. I realized my vision was different and I needed to take action to make my dream a reality. If you have a dream, or a passion, don’t wait for permission. We are only given one life on this earth. Live your own life. Live your own dream. Keep going!

EM: Thank you, John, for sharing your unique project with us.

Photo credits: Priya Alahan (photos); Brooke Kunkel (logos)

 

All-American String Quartets at "Classical Interludes"

The Fiato String Quartet: l-r Carrie Kennedy, Joel Pargman, Aaron Oltman, Ryan Sweeney.

REVIEW

The Fiato String Quartet, Classical Interludes, First Lutheran Church, Torrance

BARBARA GLAZER

I always look forward to hearing a recital by the esteemed Fiato Quartet (with Carrie Kennedy and Joel Pargman on violins, Aaron Oltman on viola, and Ryan Sweeney on cello) and applaud another inspired performance—here, of some different and challenging compositions, in the April concert of Classical Crossroads’ Saturday afternoon “Classical Interludes” series. Carrie Kennedy introduced each of the program's selections with a well-spoken short resume of the composer's life and work that enhanced the listeners' appreciation and enjoyment of the music.

The recital began with the First String Quartet (1897-1900) by Charles Ives (1874-1954), written while still an undergraduate at Yale University, and entitled "From the Salvation Army." Ives described his music as "American,"reflecting his New England transcendental sensibility rather than adhering to European Classical traditions—a style that could be dubbed “collage composition," where multiple musical ideas exist simultaneously, creating a sound of “controlled cacophony.”

Ives' graduation photo, c.1898.

The First Quartet only achieved performance complete in 1957, after Ives’ death. It is a ground-breaking early example of his layering familiar tunes (here, hymns) into a dissonant soundscape evoking themes of memory and nostalgia, but with a modern, new sensibility.

He uses two or more tonal centers at the same time (polytonality), and different rhythms (polyrhythms) simultaneously, long before these techniques were incorporated into avant garde modernist compositions (think Ligeti (1923-2006) and his brilliant Apparitions (1958-59) and Atmosphères (1961), the latter used in 2001: A Space Odyssey).

A friend of mine once worked for the Salvation Army, and after driving her to many of their rehearsals I became familiar with much of the music quoted in the First Quartet. The first movement, Chorale: Andante con moto, is contrapuntal/fugal, using the "Missionary Hymn" (From Greenland's Icy Mountains) as a subject, and "Coronation" (All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name) as a counter-subject.

The second movement (in ABA form, as are all the following movements) headed Prelude: Allegro, has dance-like energy using Beulah Land and Shining Shore, interspersed with Bringing in the Sheaves. The third movement, Offertory: Adagio cantabile, paraphrases Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and shifts from gentle waltz-like music to a passionate nature before returning to calm. The final Postlude: Allegro marziale combines a new theme, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, with tunes from earlier movements.

The Fiato ensemble gave a most masterful performance of this difficult, but fascinating composition. Only a quartet with great insight into the work could keep this “collage composition" technique—in which familiar tunes, sacred in this case, are set in a sophisticated and intellectual framework—heard as comprehensible music, rather than cacophony.

Max Mueller.

A switch in program order brought the contemporary LA-based Max Mueller's Scenes from My Parents’ Cocktail Party (2014), for string quartet, up next. Noted for his work for animated and other films, Mueller frequently collaborates with David Newman in reconstructing movie music for live entertainment, and also has his own YouTube video "Meet the Composer: Max Mueller.”

These four Scenes from My Parents' Cocktail Party are 1. Mango Salsa, 2. Two People Flirting, 3. Candles on the Porch, and 4. Bickering Couple. I think some lines from T. S. Eliot's verse drama The Cocktail Party (1940) give context for any outsider's reaction to the ubiquitous cocktail parties of that time: "Everyone alone, or so it seems to me; they make noises and think they are talking to each other; they make faces, and think they understand each other."

Mueller’s work is wonderful: I particularly enjoyed the humor of the flirting couple where the music is "heavier," evocative of a child being confused or bored by, or missing out on, the nuances of... what is this thing?—oh yes, called “flirting,” and the retreat, the escape to a porch by a couple or an individual for respite, beautifully rendered in Candles on the Porch; and the child no doubt “got” the Bickering Couple—perhaps from his parents' interactions. Again, a really delightful performance by the Fiato Quartet.

Florence Price.

The recital concluded with the String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor (1935) by Florence Price (1887-1953), which blends European chamber music forms with African-American idioms in a four-movement work of work of high energy, lyricism, and dance-like elements.

The first movement, which is marked Moderato, has a dramatic introduction, and includes a “minstrel's song" motto that returns throughout the work. The ensuing Andante Cantabile has a melancholy beauty that blends late-Romantic styles with a kind of bluesy emotion.

The high-energy third movement, Juba (Allegro), is inspired by the African-American Juba dance characterized by syncopated “hambone” rhythms (body slapping, foot stomping, and clapping), in a high-spirited interaction between the instruments. (The Juba dance can be seen on YouTube, and note how it evolved not only into American tap dancing but also is foundational to the modern breakdancing. Price’s Finale, Presto, is a fast-paced virtuosic rondo with great emotional breadth and a conversational, quasi-improvisatory feeling.

The Fiatos’ performance was simply marvelous—and well earned its standing ovation. As ever, thanks to Classical Crossroads’ Jim Eninger for the wonderful video—a best-seat-in-the-house view to enjoy this stellar recital again and again.

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Classical Interludes, First Lutheran Church and School, Torrance, Saturday, April 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m.

Images: The performers: Classical Crossroads, Inc.; Ives: Wikimedia Commons; Mueller: composer website; Price: Library of Congress.