Review: Boston Symphony Can’t Make the Case for Barber’s ‘Vanessa’
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Samuel Barber’s opera "Vanessa," which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1958 and won the Pulitzer Prize, initially received widespread acclaim but fell out of favor by the 1960s.
- The opera has recently experienced a resurgence, highlighted by performances from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, an institution historically supportive of Barber’s work.
- Despite this renewed interest, a recent performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra was criticized for being lackluster and ineffective, failing to capture the opera's potential impact.
