JAMES CONLON AND LA OPERA’S BEAUMARCHAIS TRILOGY PRODUCTIONS MET WITH GREAT SUCCESS
 Earlier this spring, Mr. Conlon conducted a trilogy of operas inspired by the works of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais as part of LA Opera’s community-wide project titled Figaro Unbound: Culture, Power, and Revolution at Play, which included talks, seminars and exhibits. The Figaro trilogy featured John Corigliano’s The Ghost of Versailles, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, as well as two performances of Giovanni Paisielllo’s Barbiere, written in 1782 and which held the stage even after the premiere of Rossini’s work in 1816.
All three operas in the Beaumarchais trilogy conducted by Mr. Conlon were met with considerable praise.
“James Conlon conducted [The Ghosts of Versailles’] large pit orchestra with fire and care, particularly reveling in the delicious aleatoric illustrations of the ghost world and Corigliano’s extraordinary writing for brass.”
The Los Angeles Times
“Conlon took the [Figaro] Overture at a comfortable yet exhilarating speed that felt just right… He explored the lyrical element underpinning the comedy, savoring the often exquisite counter-lines for winds and horns, getting generally splendid ensemble work from his musicians.”
The Los Angeles Times
“[Conlon’s] unusually suave approach was to take the lyric high road, conducting with a grand sweep while lovingly bringing out inner details in the orchestra. Most important of all, he sensitively supported and guided DeShong, bringing out all that is special about her.”
The Los Angeles Times
“James Conlon in the pit showed an absolute mastery of the [Ghosts] score and LA Opera Orchestra played like angels for him. Through an evening of very challenging harmonies and swift changes of tempo they alighted on each new melody with precision and a transparency that I hadn’t enjoyed in this work before.”
Parterre Box
“It was Maestro James Conlon’s long held hope to bring this shimmering work [Ghosts], first commissioned by the Met, back to life in all its splendor. With his impeccable musicians, Conlon has once again added to the prestige of LA Opera.”
Seen and Heard International
“James Conlon does the job. One felt in good hands here, the orchestra polished to a high finish, instrumental colors highlighted and tempos fast and fleet. [Barber] bubbled.”
Orange County Register
“At every turn, this Barber delivered. From the opening chords of Rossini’s bubbling score to the last note, we were held in thrall by the LA Opera Orchestra and Maestro James Conlon’s superb rendering of this beloved music.”
Seen and Heard International
“James Conlon conducted a performance of Mozart’s masterpiece, The Marriage of Figaro, that evoked the use of such superlatives as “sublime” and “transcendent.”…Every dulcet melody, every nuance and dynamic tension of vocal line and instrumentation was completely expressed and developed — whether it was the plaintive strains of the Countess’ aria, “Dove sono,” the modulated intensity of the second act’s climactic ensemble, or the opera’s fireworks finale.”
Los Angeles Downtown News
“I’ve never seen James Conlon so animated, as from the get-go, with the [Barber] Overture, he vividly conducted the orchestra with verve and flair, almost illustrating the music while moving as one with the dazzling score. Conlon’s baton seemed like more of a magic wand, conjuring Rossini’s intoxicating, enchanting score out of the strings, woodwinds, fortepiano, brass and percussion instruments, et al, like a symphonic sorcerer.”
People’s World
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James Conlon returns to the original Spoleto Festival, the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds), in Spoleto, Italy – where he conducted his first opera more than 40 years ago – to lead Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. The opera launches a three-year cycle of Mozart’s trilogy of operas with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, including Cosi fan Tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Don Giovanni.
Fresh from a European guest conducting tour during which he led the NDR Sinfonieorchester, the Orchestre de Paris in the new Philharmonie and at the Mariinsky Theatre both in concert and Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina, Mr. Conlon, Music Director of the Cincinnati May Festival for 36 years, returns to “The Queen City” for the 2015 May Festival. Mr. Conlon will lead the May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Symphony and internationally renowned soloists in two weekends of concerts that exemplify the festival’s grand choral tradition including Haydn’s Creation, Berlioz’s Requiem, and an all-Russian program with works by Shostakovich, Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky.
