End of an era

Being allergic to June, it's been a while since I've posted -- long enough that this item is no longer news. But I can't let Peter Davis' (involuntary) departure from the periodic critics' roster pass without notice. Others have praised his technical grasp and knowledge, but such things were in my experience properly transparent to a reader, who was more likely to notice the perspective and coherent, independently considered assessment they aided. He did, for the most part, a terrific job with his method -- zooming in on the essential, what made a show go wrong or right -- picking out details stimulating even to a disagreeing mind.

With his release after 26 years by New York magazine, the city's opera criticism has lost not only its doyen but perhaps still its most interesting contributor. I hope we might read more from him in some form, and not just in the retrospective mode of his singer-history book.

Word from out west

A roving correspondent offers this text message review of SFO's Don Giovanni opening last night:

Van den heever, the last minute donna anna was great -- has a creamy nilssonesque voice. T[wyla ]robinson good too. Screens made balcony feel like economy class air plane cabin

Opera-L already has some longer accounts.

(David Gockley's video screen idea was previously considered here.)